Key takeaways
- You are a maker when your order rests on the order book and a taker when it fills immediately against a resting order. The same trader can be both on different orders.
- On Backpack's published tier 1 schedule, makers pay less: 0.08% against 0.10% on spot. The saving buys a risk, because a resting order may fill late, in part or not at all.
- On a 10,000.00 USD spot order, the tier 1 fee is 8.00 USD as a maker and 10.00 USD as a taker. Buying and selling are two orders, so a round trip pays the fee twice.
- The fee is one cost among several. The spread, slippage, network fees and, on perpetual futures, funding all add to it.
- Backpack's Dubai licence covers spot trading only. Perpetual futures are not available in the UAE, so the futures rates here explain the mechanics.
For information only. Not investment advice. This guide explains how a charge works and does not tell you whether or how to trade. Read the risk disclosure first.
Maker and taker in one paragraph
An exchange keeps an order book: a list of buy orders (bids) and sell orders (asks) waiting to be matched. A maker fee is charged when your order is placed on that book and waits for another trader to fill it, because you have added liquidity, meaning orders that others can trade against. A taker fee is charged when your order is filled straight away against an order already waiting, because you have removed liquidity. Many venues charge makers less to encourage resting orders, which give the book depth. The guide to how a crypto exchange works explains the book itself.
How to tell which side of the fee you are on
What decides it is how the order meets the book, not the order type on its own. The table sets out the usual outcomes.
| Order | What happens | Usual fee side |
|---|---|---|
| Market order | Fills at once at the best prices on the book | Taker |
| Limit order priced away from the market | Rests on the book until the market reaches it | Maker, if and when it fills |
| Limit order priced at or through the opposite side | Matches an existing order straight away | Taker |
| Stop order | Becomes a live order once the trigger price is reached | Depends on the order it becomes. Check the venue's terms |
The point that catches people is the third row. A buy limit order set above the lowest sell price does not wait; it fills at once and is charged as a taker. The guide to market, limit and stop orders covers how each type fills and what a stop does when the price gaps past its trigger.
Backpack's published rates
At tier 1, the entry tier, Backpack's schedule lists the rates below. They come from Backpack's support article on trading fees, which is marked as subject to change, and were read on 6 October 2026. The complete tier table is on the fee schedule.
| Market | Maker | Taker | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spot | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.02 points |
| Perpetual futures | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.03 points |
Two further details from the same schedule. The USDT/USDC pair has a 0% fee, and the maker rate at the VIP 5 tier is 0% on both markets. Tiers are recalculated every hour from 30-day volume, and a BP stake or the assets you hold can also place you in a higher tier. The sources read give no rebate, meaning a payment to makers, so this guide assumes none.
A worked example: a round trip on 10,000.00 USD
A round trip is a purchase and the later sale that closes it. The fee is the order value multiplied by the rate, charged on each order. The figures below use the tier 1 spot rates and a round order value of 10,000.00 USD. They are an illustration of the arithmetic, not a forecast.
| Case | Buy fee | Sell fee | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taker both ways | 10.00 | 10.00 | 20.00 |
| Maker in, taker out | 8.00 | 10.00 | 18.00 |
| Maker both ways | 8.00 | 8.00 | 16.00 |
The gap between the cheapest and dearest case is 4.00 USD, or 0.04% of the order value. The sell order here is taken at the same 10,000.00 USD for simplicity; in practice the sale value differs from the purchase value, and so does the fee. On perpetual futures at tier 1, the same order would cost 2.00 USD as a maker and 5.00 USD as a taker on each side. Because the fee is charged on the full position, not the margin posted, it weighs more against a small margin. The perpetual futures guide follows a leveraged position through its fees.
The fee schedule fixes the rate. Whether you pay the lower one depends on how your order meets the book.
What the lower maker fee costs you
The maker discount is not free. An order that waits has three ways to disappoint.
- It may not fill. If the market moves away from your price, the order keeps waiting while the opportunity passes.
- It may fill in part. Only some of the quantity may trade at your price, leaving you with a smaller position than you wanted.
- It may fill when you least want it. A resting buy order is most likely to fill when the price is falling towards it.
A taker pays more for certainty and speed. Neither side is better in itself. The right choice depends on whether you need the trade done now, and a saving of 0.02 percentage points can be smaller than the price you miss by waiting.
The costs that sit beside the fee
For a small or fast trade, the fee schedule is not the whole bill. Four other costs can be larger, and none appears in the table above.
- Spread. The gap between the best bid and the best ask. A market order crosses it, so you pay it at once. See how the spread and slippage add cost.
- Slippage. The difference between the price you expected and the price you got, which grows with order size on a thin book.
- Network fees. Charged by the blockchain when you move crypto on or off a venue. The sources read for the fee schedule state no figure for them. The guide to depositing and withdrawing crypto explains what to check first.
- Funding. On perpetual futures only: a payment between long and short traders, not a platform fee.
If you plan to turn a position into dirhams, the exit adds its own charges; options for cashing out crypto to AED compares them.
How fee tiers lower the rate
Backpack sets your tier from three routes and applies the highest one you reach: 30-day trading volume, BP staked, or assets held. Tier 2 starts at 100,000 USD of 30-day spot volume or 500,000 USD of 30-day perpetual futures volume, or 350 BP staked. Staking BP only to reach a tier ties part of your money to the price of BP, which can fall, so weigh that against a saving measured in hundredths of a percent. The fee schedule lists the thresholds and the date they were read.
What this means in the UAE
In Dubai, Backpack is provided by Trek Labs Ltd FZE, licensed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) for Exchange Services, spot trading only, licence no. VL/23/07/001. Backpack's own licence disclosure says the licence does not cover futures or margin trading, so the perpetual futures rates above are not available to clients in the UAE. The spot rates are the relevant ones. No single licence covers every Backpack product in every country; the page on the companies behind Backpack and their licences sets out who provides what, and the security page explains how reserves are shown.
Four checks before you place an order
- Read the current schedule. The source is marked as subject to change. Confirm the rate for your tier on the fees page and in the app.
- Decide whether you need the trade now. If yes, accept the taker fee. If not, a limit order priced away from the market may earn the maker rate.
- Look at the book before using a market order. A wide spread can cost more than the fee.
- Add both sides. A position costs a fee to open and another to close.
For general questions, the Backpack FAQ covers common queries, and the other Learn guides cover related topics.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a maker and a taker?
A maker places an order that does not fill immediately and rests on the order book, adding liquidity. A taker places an order that fills at once against an order already resting there, removing liquidity. The same trader can be either on different orders. What decides it is how the order meets the book, not who the trader is.
Is a maker fee always lower than a taker fee?
On Backpack's published schedule, yes at the tiers read: 0.08% maker against 0.10% taker on spot at tier 1, and 0.02% against 0.05% on perpetual futures. Other venues may differ, and the schedule is marked as subject to change, so check the current figures on the fees page before relying on them.
Does a limit order always pay the maker fee?
No. A limit order pays the maker fee only if it rests on the book. If you set a buy limit at or above the lowest sell price, it fills at once against that order and counts as a taker. A resting limit order may also never fill, which is the price of the lower fee.
Are maker and taker fees the whole cost of trading?
No. The spread and slippage can matter as much as the fee on a market order, and network fees apply when you move crypto on or off the venue. For perpetual futures, funding payments are a further cost, but they pass between traders and are not a platform fee.
How can I move to a lower fee tier?
Backpack's schedule sets the tier from 30-day trading volume, BP staked or assets held, and recalculates it hourly. Tier 2 starts at 100,000 USD of 30-day spot volume or 500,000 USD of perpetual futures volume. Staking BP only to qualify exposes you to the price of BP, which can fall.
Can I trade perpetual futures from the UAE?
No. Backpack's Dubai licence, held by Trek Labs Ltd FZE under VARA, covers spot trading only, so perpetual futures are not available in the UAE. The perpetual rates in this guide are shown to explain the mechanics and are not an offer to UAE clients.
Sources
- Backpack, Trading Fees, support site. Tier values as recorded on the Backpack fee schedule, read 6 October 2026. The article is marked "SUBJECT TO CHANGE". It was not re-read for this guide on 22 October 2026.
- Backpack, VARA License Information, support site, as read for the perpetual futures guide on 12 October 2026. It was not re-read for this guide.
- Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, public register of licences, the register cited in the footer for licence no. VL/23/07/001. The entry was not re-read for this guide.