Maker vs Taker Orders: Which Trading Strategy Minimizes Your Fees?

When you’re trading on any platform, you face a fundamental choice that most traders don’t consciously think about: are you willing to wait for your price, or do you need your order filled right now? This decision separates the trading world into two camps—those using maker orders and those using taker orders. Understanding the difference isn’t just academic; it directly impacts your profitability.

What’s the Real Difference Between Maker and Taker Orders?

The distinction between maker and taker orders comes down to how you interact with the order book. When you place a taker order, you’re saying “I want this filled immediately at whatever price is available right now.” Your order matches against existing orders on the book, pulling liquidity from the market. Think of it like walking into a store and buying at the listed price—it’s instant but you take what’s available.

A maker order is the opposite approach. You’re placing an order at a price you specify and waiting for someone else to match it. Your order sits on the order book, actually adding liquidity to the market. Instead of taking from the pool, you’re contributing to it. This might mean waiting for your order to execute, but you’re providing a service to the market.

The key implications: taker orders prioritize speed, while maker orders prioritize control over execution price. Both have their place in a trader’s toolkit.

Why Fees Matter: Comparing Maker and Taker Costs

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Exchanges incentivize the behavior they want. Since maker orders improve market liquidity, they typically get rewarded with lower fees. Taker orders, while necessary for market function, cost more because you’re receiving immediate execution—a service that has value.

The fee difference can be substantial. On many platforms offering perpetual and futures trading, maker fees hover around 0.02% while taker fees sit at 0.055% or higher. This might sound small, but across multiple trades, it compounds significantly.

Consider this real scenario with a BTCUSDT Perpetual Contract:

That’s a $96.80 difference on a single round-trip trade—and this scales with contract size and frequency. A trader using only taker orders gave up nearly 5% of their gains just to fees. Over a year of active trading, this difference could represent thousands in lost profit.

When to Use Maker vs Taker: A Practical Guide

Choose taker orders when:

• You need immediate execution (entering on a breakout, exiting due to a stop)
• Market conditions are highly volatile and you can’t wait
• You’re new to the platform and prioritize certainty over cost

Choose maker orders when:

• You’re scaling into a position and can wait hours or days for your price
• You’re swing trading with a wider time frame
• You have a specific entry/exit price and patience
• You’re running higher trading volume where fee savings compound

To execute an effective maker order strategy:

1. Use a Limit Order within your order placement interface
2. Enable Post-Only mode (this ensures your order won’t accidentally execute as a taker)
3. Set your limit price strategically—price it better than the current best available price
   • For long positions: place your buy price below the best ask
   • For short positions: place your sell price above the best bid
4. Monitor your order; if it executes immediately despite Post-Only settings, the market moved against you and it will cancel

If you’re mixing strategies—sometimes using maker, sometimes taker—calculate your fee impact. Many traders are surprised to learn that their “hidden” fee costs exceed their expected trading edge.

The Bottom Line on Maker vs Taker

There’s no universally correct choice between maker and taker orders. It depends on your trading style and how much you value speed versus cost. Day traders and scalpers often accept higher taker fees because their edge comes from prediction accuracy, not fee minimization. Position traders can usually afford to wait, making maker orders the natural choice.

The key insight: understand your costs before you trade. Successful traders factor fees into their strategy from day one. Whether you choose maker orders or taker orders, do it consciously—not by accident. The pennies you save on fees compound into dollars over time, and that matters when you’re competing in the market.