Exchanges — Low fees
Lowest Fee
Exchanges.
Fees compound. On a £10,000 annual trading volume, the difference between 0.08% and 1.00% is £92 per year. Here are the cheapest FCA-registered options, tested with real trades.
The numbers
OKX standard tier, no volume requirements
OKX standard tier taker fee
Spread between cheapest and most expensive
Fee Comparison
Standard tier| Exchange | Maker | Taker | Volume Discount | Deposit Fee | Withdrawal Fee | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKX | 0.08% | 0.10% | Yes — 30-day rolling | Free (bank transfer) | Network fee only | Active traders |
| Gemini | 0.20% | 0.40% | Yes — tiered | Free (bank transfer) | 10 free per month | Security + value |
| Kraken | 0.25% | 0.40% | Yes — tiered | Free (bank transfer) | Network fee only | All-round value |
| Coinbase Advanced | 0.40% | 0.60% | Yes — tiered | Free (bank transfer) | Network fee only | Liquidity |
| eToro | 1.00% | 1.00% | No | Free | £5 flat | Social trading |
Fees verified with real trades. Standard tier, no volume discounts applied. Last checked: March 2026.
Maker vs taker: what's the difference?
A makeradds liquidity to the order book. You place a limit order that doesn't fill immediately — say, “buy BTC at £60,000” when the price is £61,000. Your order sits on the book, waiting. Exchanges reward this with lower fees.
A taker removes liquidity. You place a market order that fills immediately at the current price. This is what most beginners do. Taker fees are always higher.
The short version: if you're willing to use limit orders and wait for your price, you pay maker fees. If you want to buy or sell right now, you pay taker fees.
When fees matter most
If you buy £500 of Bitcoin once and hold it for years, the fee difference between exchanges is a few pounds. It barely matters.
If you trade actively — weekly or daily — fees compound fast. On £50,000 in annual volume, the difference between OKX (0.08% maker) and eToro (1.00%) is £460per year. That's real money.
In practice, most UK investors fall somewhere between these extremes. If you trade monthly with £500-1,000 per trade, switching from a 1% fee platform to a 0.25% platform saves you £45-90 per year. Enough to justify the switch, but not urgent.
Hidden costs to watch
Spread.Some exchanges advertise zero fees but make money on the spread — the difference between the buy and sell price. Check the actual execution price, not just the listed fee.
Withdrawal fees. Moving crypto off an exchange incurs a network fee. These vary by token and network. Bitcoin withdrawals typically cost a few pounds. Ethereum can cost more during busy periods.
Currency conversion.If an exchange doesn't support GBP pairs directly, you pay a hidden conversion fee. All exchanges on this list support GBP trading pairs.
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Full Exchange Comparison
Fees, features, security, and ratings. All FCA-registered.
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