Tradefeely Methodology: How We Compare

How we compare crypto trading costs

Last updated 2026-06-29. We track 5 providers. Informational only, not investment advice.

This page explains how Tradefeely compares crypto-spot exchanges, so you can judge our work and check it yourself. In short: we use each exchange's published fee schedule, record the date we checked it, re-check periodically, and rank by total cost to trade rather than by a single headline fee.

Our sources: published, dated, re-checked

Every fee figure we publish comes from the exchange's own published fee schedule or official documentation. We do not invent numbers, and we do not claim to have personally tested or traded on each platform.

We record the date each figure was checked. Fees change often, so a dated figure tells you how current it is, and we re-check on a regular cadence.

Because fees vary by tier, volume, asset, pair and region, we treat our figures as a starting point. We ask readers to verify the current fees on the exchange's site before acting, and we say so on every page.

We rank by total cost, not a single number

Many comparisons quote a single headline fee. We think that misleads, because the real cost of trading is the combination of maker/taker fees, the simple-buy markup you may be paying, and deposit/withdrawal costs.

So we rank by estimated total cost to trade for a defined scenario, and we keep simple-buy products separate from advanced order-book products because their costs differ so much.

We avoid "best" superlatives presented as fact. Where we highlight an exchange, we frame it as "lowest published fees for X" with the caveat that figures change and depend on your situation.

Independence and our limits

Tradefeely may earn affiliate commissions (CPA or revenue share) when readers open accounts through some of our links, at no extra cost to the reader. This never changes the published fees we show and does not influence our cost-based rankings. We disclose this relationship.

We cannot account for everything: live prices, your exact account tier, stablecoin-pair discounts, taxes, and exchange changes between our checks all affect your real cost. Regulation, custody and security matter beyond fees, and we encourage you to weigh them.

Nothing on Tradefeely is investment, legal or tax advice. Check your local regulations and whether an exchange serves your country, and consider professional advice for your situation.

What we could not fully verify

In the spirit of honesty, here are the figures we deliberately left as ranges or notes rather than hard numbers:

Kraken 'Instant Buy' exact simple-buy markup % — left as an approximate (~1.5%) note rather than a hard figure; not confirmable to a single published number (varies by asset/payment method).
Coinbase simple-buy markup is a RANGE (~0.5%-0.6% spread plus separate fees), not a single number; left as a note, no single fabricated value used.
Bitvavo entry-tier rate shown as a flat 0.25% maker/taker (30-day volume below ~€1,000); the tiered schedule falls toward ~0.03% and a 0%/0.02% top tier on major pairs — figures from the published fees page and tier announcement, checked 2026-06.
Bitpanda figures shown are the Bitpanda Fusion order-book rate (0.25% cap, down to ~0.02% high-volume); the STANDARD Bitpanda brokerage app instead bakes in a spread commonly ~1.49% and up to ~2.99% — a range, not a single fee, captured in the simple-buy note.
Bit2Me base rate shown as 0.15% maker / 0.25% taker (Bit2Me Pro); the published €0-€50k entry tier is ~0.16% / 0.26% and it falls toward 0% / ~0.10% at the top — figures from Bit2Me Support, checked 2026-06; confirm your Space Center level/tier in-app.
All maker/taker figures are entry/base-tier spot rates and exclude deposit/withdrawal/network fees, stablecoin-pair discounts and volume discounts; verify the live tier table on each provider before trading.

Frequently asked questions

Do you test the platforms yourselves?: No. We do not make "we tested" or "we traded" claims. Our figures come from each exchange's published fee schedule and official documentation, recorded with the date we checked them. Always verify the current fees on the exchange's own site, as they change and vary by region.
Does affiliate income affect your rankings?: No. We may earn affiliate commissions when readers sign up through some links, at no extra cost to them, and we disclose this. It does not change the published fees we show and does not influence how we rank exchanges by total cost to trade.
How current are your figures?: We date every figure and re-check periodically, but fees change frequently and vary by tier, volume, asset and region. Treat our numbers as a starting point and verify current fees on the exchange's site. This is informational only, not advice.