Maker vs. Taker Fee Differences: How to Save Money with Limit Orders

In futures trading, the gap between Maker and Taker rates is far wider than in spot trading. On Binance at VIP 0, the futures Taker rate (0.05%) is 2.5 times the Maker rate (0.02%). A futures trader with a daily volume of 1,000,000 USDT (notional) who switches all Taker orders to Maker orders can save approximately 1,800 USDT per month. This article provides a practical breakdown of how to increase your Maker fill ratio in live trading.

Maker vs. Taker Rate Differences at a Glance

Futures Rate Differences (Highest Optimization Value)

VIP Level	Maker	Taker	Difference	Taker as Multiple of Maker
VIP 0	0.0200%	0.0500%	0.0300%	2.50x
VIP 1	0.0160%	0.0400%	0.0240%	2.50x
VIP 2	0.0140%	0.0350%	0.0210%	2.50x
VIP 3	0.0120%	0.0320%	0.0200%	2.67x

Spot Rate Differences

VIP Level	Maker	Taker	Difference
VIP 0	0.1000%	0.1000%	0%
VIP 1	0.0900%	0.1000%	0.0100%
VIP 3	0.0420%	0.0600%	0.0180%

Key insight: Spot VIP 0 has identical Maker and Taker rates, so there is little to optimize. In futures trading, however, even VIP 0 shows a significant difference. This article therefore focuses on the futures trading context.

Savings from Switching to Maker Orders

Scenario 1: Daily Volume of 500,000 USDT (Notional)

Monthly Fees	All Taker	All Maker	50/50 Split	80% Maker
VIP 0	15,000	6,000	10,500	7,800
VIP 1	12,000	4,800	8,400	6,240
VIP 3	9,600	3,600	6,600	4,800

Taking VIP 0 as an example: switching from all Taker to 80% Maker brings monthly fees down from 15,000 to 7,800 USDT — a saving of 7,200 USDT per month, or 86,400 USDT per year.

Scenario 2: 5,000 USDT Capital, 20x Leverage

Fee comparison per round trip (open + close), with notional value of 100,000 USDT:

Method	Rate	Fee (100,000 notional)	Savings
Taker open + Taker close	0.05% × 2	100 USDT	—
Maker open + Maker close	0.02% × 2	40 USDT	60 USDT
Maker open + Taker close	0.02% + 0.05%	70 USDT	30 USDT

Saving 30–60 USDT per trade means 5 trades per day saves 150–300 USDT.

Limit Order Placement Techniques

Technique 1: Offset Limit Orders

Place limit orders near the current price and wait for a small retracement to fill.

Long entry example:

• BTC current price: 65,000 USDT
• Buy limit at: 64,950 USDT (50 points below current price)
• Wait for a retracement to fill

Short entry example:

• BTC current price: 65,000 USDT
• Sell limit at: 65,050 USDT (50 points above current price)
• Wait for a bounce to fill

Recommended Offset Distances

Market Condition	Suggested Offset	BTC Example (65,000 base)
Low volatility (tight range)	0.01%–0.03%	6.5–19.5 USDT
Normal volatility	0.03%–0.1%	19.5–65 USDT
High volatility	0.1%–0.3%	65–195 USDT

Too small an offset risks the order sweeping through and filling as a Taker; too large an offset may leave the order unfilled for extended periods.

Technique 2: Post-Only Mode

Post-Only mode is a powerful tool for Maker traders:

• If your limit order would fill immediately (becoming a Taker), the system automatically cancels it
• Guarantees 100% Maker fills
• Prevents limit orders from accidentally filling as Taker due to rapid price movement

How to enable:

1. On the futures trading interface, select "Limit" order type
2. Click the advanced options (gear icon or dropdown menu)
3. Select "Post Only" (Maker only)
4. Set your price and submit the order

Technique 3: Layered Order Strategy

Split large orders into multiple smaller limit orders at different price levels:

Example: Planning to open a 100,000 USDT BTC long (notional value)

Sub-Order	Price	Amount
Order 1	64,970	30,000 USDT
Order 2	64,950	30,000 USDT
Order 3	64,930	40,000 USDT

Benefits:

1. All orders fill as Maker
2. Better average fill price
3. Reduced market impact

Technique 4: Chasing Price with Limit Orders

When price is moving quickly, use a limit order to "chase" rather than a market order:

Scenario: BTC is rapidly rising and you want to go long

Standard approach: Market order (Taker 0.05%)

Optimized approach:

1. Observe the current best ask (e.g., 65,010)
2. Place a limit buy near the best bid (e.g., 65,005)
3. Price usually pulls back slightly during an upward move
4. Fill as Maker within a second or two

Note: In extremely fast markets, limit orders may not fill. Judge based on how urgently entry is needed.

Maker Strategies for Closing Positions

Opening positions allows for patient limit order placement, but closing sometimes requires quick execution. Here are strategies for maintaining Maker fills on exits:

Take-Profit Closes

Take-profit targets are pre-defined prices, making them naturally suited for limit orders:

• Long take-profit: place a limit sell above the current price
• Short take-profit: place a limit buy below the current price
• These orders rest on the order book and fill at Maker rates

Stop-Loss Closes

Stop-losses need to execute the moment price is reached, so they are usually Taker orders. However, the following strategy can help:

Two-tier stop-loss method:

1. Set a closer limit stop-loss (Maker) — for example, triggering at a 1.5% loss
2. Set a further market stop-loss (Taker) — for example, triggering at a 2% loss
3. In most cases the limit stop-loss triggers first (saving fees), with the market stop-loss as a safety net

Optimizing Maker Ratio by Trading Strategy

Trend-Following Strategy

• Entry: Maker (wait for a pullback after trend confirmation)
• Adding to position: Maker (limit orders at pullback support levels)
• Take-profit: Maker (pre-set target price)
• Stop-loss: Taker (safety first)
• Estimated Maker ratio: 60%–80%

Range Trading Strategy

• Buy the dip / sell the rally using limit orders throughout
• Estimated Maker ratio: 90%+
• This is the trading style best suited to Maker strategies

Breakout Trading Strategy

• Entry: usually Taker (quick entry needed at the moment of breakout)
• Take-profit: Maker (pre-set target level)
• Stop-loss: Taker
• Estimated Maker ratio: 30%–50%

Quantitative / Grid Strategy

• All orders are limit orders
• Estimated Maker ratio: 95%+
• Grid strategies benefit most from lower Maker rates

Risks to Watch With Maker Strategies

Risk 1: Fill Uncertainty

Limit orders do not guarantee fills. In a strongly trending market, your limit order may never fill, causing you to miss the optimal entry.

Response: Set a time limit — if an order has been pending for more than 5 minutes without filling, consider adjusting the price or switching to a market order.

Risk 2: Price Skipping Past Your Order

During violent moves, price may gap directly past your limit price, leaving the order unfilled.

Response: Spread orders across multiple price levels to increase the probability of a fill.

Risk 3: Post-Only Order Cancellation

In Post-Only mode, if the market price is already better than your limit price, the order will be cancelled immediately.

Response: Re-evaluate the market price and place a new order.

Annual Savings Estimates

User Type	Monthly Futures Volume (Notional)	Maker Ratio Improvement	Monthly Savings	Annual Savings
Small trader	500,000 USDT	50% → 80%	270 USDT	3,240 USDT
Mid-size trader	2,000,000 USDT	40% → 70%	1,080 USDT	12,960 USDT
Active trader	5,000,000 USDT	30% → 70%	3,600 USDT	43,200 USDT

Even for small traders, raising the Maker ratio from 50% to 80% saves over 3,000 USDT per year.

Summary

The Maker/Taker rate difference is especially significant in futures trading. At VIP 0, the Taker rate is 2.5 times the Maker rate. Use these methods to increase your Maker ratio:

1. Use Post-Only mode: Guarantees 100% Maker fills
2. Offset limit orders: Place limit orders near the current price
3. Layered order placement: Spread orders across multiple levels to improve fill rate
4. Use limit orders for take-profits: Execute at pre-set target prices as Maker

Maker strategies not only save fees — they often result in better fill prices as well. Incorporating Maker trading habits into your daily routine produces very significant results over the long term.

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