Maker or taker? How to tell which role your order played and why it matters
Two trades of the same size on the same pair can carry different fees, and the reason is often whether the order added liquidity to the book or removed it. Exchanges call these maker and taker roles, and they usually price them separately. Knowing which role your orders tend to play helps you choose order types sensibly. This guide explains the idea, shows how to control it with order settings, and points to where each exchange records the outcome, without quoting rates that change over time.
The basic distinction
A maker order sits on the order book waiting for someone else to trade against it, adding liquidity. A taker order fills immediately against existing orders, removing liquidity. Market orders are always takers. A limit order can be either: if its price crosses the spread and matches existing orders straight away, that portion is a taker fill; if it rests on the book, it becomes a maker fill when someone later trades against it.
Controlling your role with post-only
Most order forms offer a post-only or maker-only option under advanced settings. With it ticked, the exchange cancels the order rather than letting it fill as a taker. This is useful when you want maker treatment and are willing to wait. The trade-off is that the order may never fill if the price moves away. Check the help centre of your exchange for how post-only behaves on partial fills.
Finding the role in your history
After a trade, open order history and view trade details. Binance, OKX, Bybit and Bitget typically show the fee charged on each fill, and many label whether it was maker or taker. Exported statements usually include this column too. Compare the fee with the rate shown on the exchange fee page for your current tier to confirm it was applied as expected.
Look up your current rates yourself
Fee tiers depend on trading volume and sometimes on holdings of an exchange token, and promotional schedules come and go. Visit the fee page of your exchange while logged in, where your personal tier is shown. Note the date you checked. Recheck after big changes in your trading activity rather than reusing old screenshots.
Risk boundary: Singapore Crypto Guide
Digital assets are volatile and derivatives can amplify losses. This website has no login, wallet connection, deposit form or customer-support chat. A referral link only records attribution; it does not guarantee access, pricing, rewards, approval or investment results. Availability can differ by residence, legal entity and product, so no regional access is assumed from language or branding alone.
Scenario checkpoint
- Remember that market orders are always taker fills, while resting limit orders become maker fills.
- Tick post-only in advanced order settings when you specifically want the maker role and can wait.
- Open trade details after each fill to see the fee charged and whether it was maker or taker.
- Check your personal tier on the logged-in fee page and note the date you looked it up.