Centralized vs. Decentralized Exchange Cost Comparison

CEX vs. DEX Transaction Cost Estimator (Manual Inputs)

A. Define Your Trade Scenario

Crypto to Trade:

Trade Action:

Trade Amount:

Currency of Trade Amount:

Primary Fiat Currency for Reporting Costs:

(e.g., $, ₹, € - costs will be shown in this)

B. Centralized Exchange (CEX) Scenario

CEX Name:

CEX Trading Fee (%):

Price of Crypto in $ on CEX (if trade amount is crypto):

Fiat Deposit Fee to CEX (% part):

Fiat Deposit Fee to CEX (Fixed Part in $):

Crypto to Withdraw from CEX (if any):

Fee for that Crypto Withdrawal (in that crypto):

Price of Withdrawal Crypto in $ (for fee conversion):

Fiat Withdrawal Fee from CEX (% part):

Fiat Withdrawal Fee from CEX (Fixed Part in $):

C. Decentralized Exchange (DEX) Scenario

DEX Name / Blockchain:

DEX Swap Fee (%):

Est. Network Gas Fee for Swap:

Gas Fee Currency:

Current Price of Gas Crypto in $:

Price of Crypto in $ on DEX (if trade amount is crypto):

Estimated Slippage (%):

Fiat On-Ramp Fee (% part, if buying crypto for DEX):

Fiat On-Ramp Fee (Fixed Part in $):

Fiat Off-Ramp Fee (% part, if selling crypto from DEX for fiat):

Fiat Off-Ramp Fee (Fixed Part in $):

Cost Comparison Summary

Please define your trade and enter fee details on the first tab, then click "Compare Costs".

Understanding CEX vs. DEX Costs

Comparing costs between Centralized Exchanges (CEXs) and Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) can be complex. This tool helps you estimate total costs for a specific trade scenario by manually inputting relevant fees.

Key Cost Components:

For Centralized Exchanges (CEXs):

Trading Fees: Usually a percentage of the trade value.
- Maker Fee: Paid if your order adds liquidity to the order book (e.g., a limit order not immediately filled).
- Taker Fee: Paid if your order takes liquidity (e.g., a market order or a limit order that fills immediately). Taker fees are often slightly higher than maker fees.
- Many CEXs offer tiered trading fees based on your 30-day trading volume or if you hold their native exchange token (e.g., BNB on Binance, KCS on KuCoin).
Deposit Fees:
- Crypto Deposits: Usually free on most CEXs.
- Fiat Deposits (e.g., USD, INR, EUR): Can vary widely based on method (bank transfer, credit/debit card, P2P). Can be a fixed amount, a percentage, or a combination.
Withdrawal Fees:
- Crypto Withdrawals: Fixed amount per cryptocurrency, and can vary significantly depending on the blockchain network chosen for withdrawal (e.g., withdrawing USDT on ERC20 network is usually more expensive than on TRC20 or BEP20).
- Fiat Withdrawals: Fees for withdrawing fiat to your bank account can also be fixed, a percentage, or tiered, and vary by currency and method.

For Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs):

Swap Fees (Liquidity Provider Fees): A percentage of the trade value paid to liquidity providers in the pool you are trading against. Commonly 0.3% on many Automated Market Maker (AMM) DEXs like Uniswap V2, but can vary (e.g., Uniswap V3 has multiple fee tiers like 0.05%, 0.3%, 1%).
Network Gas Fees (Blockchain Transaction Fees):
- Paid to network validators/miners to process your transaction on the blockchain (e.g., Ethereum, Polygon, Solana).
- Highly dynamic, depending on network congestion and transaction complexity.
- Can sometimes be higher than the swap fee itself, especially on congested networks like Ethereum mainnet.
Slippage: The difference between the expected price of a trade and the price at which it is actually executed. More likely in volatile markets or for large trades in illiquid pools. Users often set a slippage tolerance (e.g., 0.5%, 1%).
Fiat On-Ramp / Off-Ramp Fees: If you are starting with fiat to use a DEX, or cashing out from crypto back to fiat, you'll likely use a third-party service (e.g., MoonPay, Transak, Ramp, or a CEX as an intermediary). These services have their own fees for converting fiat-to-crypto or crypto-to-fiat.

Where to Find Fee Information:

CEXs: Look for "Fees," "Trading Fees," "Deposit & Withdrawal Fees" sections on the official exchange website. They usually have detailed schedules.
DEXs:
- Swap Fees: Usually displayed by the DEX interface or in their documentation (e.g., "0.3% LP fee").
- Network Gas Fees: Your crypto wallet (e.g., MetaMask, Phantom) will estimate this before you confirm a transaction. External gas tracker websites (Etherscan Gas Tracker, PolygonScan Gas Tracker, etc.) provide real-time gas price information.
- Slippage: You set a tolerance in the DEX interface. Actual slippage can only be known post-trade.
- On/Off-Ramp Fees: Check the specific service provider you would use.

Important: Fee structures, especially gas fees and crypto withdrawal fees, can change frequently. Always verify the latest information directly from the exchanges and blockchain explorers. This tool calculates based on YOUR inputs.