A maker fee is the charge, or on some venues the rebate, applied when your order adds liquidity to the book by resting rather than filling immediately.
Last reviewed 20 August 2025 · Educational, not advice
A maker fee is what a platform charges, or sometimes pays, when your order makes liquidity. You are a maker when you place a resting order, usually a limit order, that sits on the book and waits for someone else to trade against it. Because that order is available for others to match, it adds depth to the market. The fee tied to that role is the maker fee. The opposite role is the taker, who removes liquidity by filling immediately against an order that is already there.
The reason venues separate the two is to encourage a healthy order book. A market works better when many resting orders are waiting, because that gives others tight prices and depth to trade into. To reward the people who provide that, many platforms charge makers less than takers, and a few go further by paying makers a small rebate funded by what takers pay. This is the logic behind the maker and taker model used on many exchanges across finance, not only in prediction markets.
Fee structures vary a great deal, so it is important not to assume. As of August 2025, some venues charge makers nothing and apply fees only to takers, some charge both sides, and some use a formula that scales the fee with the contract price or the type of market. Fees can also change, run promotions, or differ between categories. For that reason this page describes how a maker fee works in principle and does not quote a figure for any platform. The only reliable number is the one on a platform's own current fee page.
Whether being a maker actually saves money depends on the trade. Posting a limit order can lower or remove the fee and can also get you a better price than crossing the spread, but it is not guaranteed to fill. The market can move away from your price, leaving you unfilled or only partly filled, and waiting carries its own risk. A taker pays more in fees and crosses the spread but trades at once with certainty. Choosing between them is a trade off between cost and the certainty of getting filled, not a free saving.
A maker fee is only one cost among several. To understand the true cost of trading on a venue you also need the taker fee, the spread you cross, the depth available, any deposit or withdrawal charges, and whether the platform is legal and available where you are. We never rank or recommend a platform. A maker fee is a figure to compare with eyes open, not a reason on its own to choose where to trade.
Two people want the same contract. One posts a limit order to buy at the bid and waits, acting as a maker. The other hits the ask and fills at once, acting as a taker. On a venue that charges takers more than makers, the taker pays the higher fee and the wider entry price, while the maker pays the lower maker fee, or none, and a better price, but only if the order fills. If the market runs away, the maker may not trade at all. The fee saving is real only when the resting order is matched.
Illustrative only. Fee models differ by platform and change over time. This is not a quote, a fee figure, or a prediction.
A lower maker fee does not make a trade safe or profitable, and a resting order may never fill. Fees are only one cost to weigh. Prediction markets can lose you money, and a price can be confidently wrong. Stake only what you can afford to lose, never to chase a loss, and never on borrowed money. In the United States you can call or text the helpline on 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ncpgambling.org.
A maker fee is the charge applied when your order adds liquidity to the book by resting rather than filling immediately. You are a maker when you post a limit order that waits to be matched. On some venues the maker fee is low or zero, and a few even pay makers a rebate.
A maker adds liquidity with a resting order, while a taker removes liquidity by filling against an existing order right away. Many venues charge takers more than makers, because makers help build the order book. The exact split depends on the platform.
No. Fee models vary widely. Some platforms charge makers nothing and apply fees only to takers, some charge both, and a few offer maker rebates. Fees also change over time and can differ by market. As of August 2025, always check the platform's own current fee page before you rely on any figure.
Not on its own. Fees are one cost among several, alongside the spread, liquidity, legality where you are, and how a platform holds funds. We never rank or recommend a platform. A fee figure is information to compare, not advice to trade.
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