Are low trading fees really important in 2026?

[imansalehi]

Most traders say they choose exchanges based on low fees.

But honestly, is fee really the deciding factor?

If execution is bad or liquidity is thin, even 0% fee doesn't help.

I'm curious:

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

I’m currently building a trading platform and trying to prioritize the right features.
Would love honest feedback from experienced traders here.

[Coyster]

Liquidity should be top of the priority list for every crypto trader. High liquidity means trades are executed smoother and it also lowers your trading cost, etc. Low fees are an important consideration, no doubt about that, but no day trader wants to trade in an illiquid platform, that is why decentralized exchanges are unsuitable for crypto traders.

3) Security

I think it goes without saying, how crucial security is to any custodial platform. So it is the responsibility of these platforms to channel as much funds as is possible to security of assets. That said, it does not matter how much a custodial platform claims to be secure, one should never leave a huge amount of their asset in there, not your keys, not your coins.

[Asuspawer09]

Doesnt really matter for me, since most of the popular exchanges offer a very low fe,e you will never go to notice it if you have a decent amount on your porfolio it's not going to make any kind of noticeable deductions when it comes to trading. I tried even dollar cost averaging on every token on 5$ - 10$ the fees doesnt hurt and I never notice it, It is just too low, If your building a platform fees might be different from different platforms, but usually fees on custodial wallets are high compared to exchanges.

For me what matter the most is the security then the liquidity, security for sure need a lot of attention since that is where your funds is, if it has a very low security I'll probably not even going to put my funds there, then liquidity since you need to always have the position for the market, and always have the liquidity for other oppotunity and emergencies, to have the financial foundation.

[kawetsriyanto]

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

Fees are precisely one of the most important considerations, especially for active traders and day traders. They certainly take into account the fees they must pay. Because they will be making more frequent transactions, in larger amounts, the fees will also be higher.

However, currently, it seems that almost all exchanges offer very competitive fees, perhaps even the same on average. So, for now, fees are not a top priority. Moreover the big exchanges, the fee is actually almost the same.

But for traders, liquidity is certainly a consideration. In addition, trust and reputation, security, and several points already discussed here are also important considerations.

[Odogwu-Blockchain]

What matters to me when choosing exchange is liquidity,

Trading coin as well as placing buy order or sell order and the it experience fast execution is a plus advantage to me, it gives me the feeling that you are in the market where others are find it interesting to interact with.

Simple as that.

[rbynxx]

Most traders say they choose exchanges based on low fees.

But honestly, is fee really the deciding factor?

If execution is bad or liquidity is thin, even 0% fee doesn't help.

I'm curious:

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

I’m currently building a trading platform and trying to prioritize the right features.
Would love honest feedback from experienced traders here.

Honestly fees alone are not the top as a determining factor. I've been burn on some tight slippage before on meme trading. I think what needs more to be addressed is security first, then liquidity, then tools, then fees structure may follow. I think I don't trust a platform just because they have fee structure looks like a dream. If you are building something, you need to focus on making that the execution of your platform feel solid and looks reliable before anything else.

[JeffBrad12]

There is no such thing as which one matters more, all 4 things are equally important beside maybe the 4th) Tools and analytics because I could compensate with TradingView, but overall they are all equally needed if you trade for an income.
Low fees will help when you are buying and selling many times within the days, liquidity is important so there won't be huge spread that rob your profit, security is very important because you for sure don't want to see the exchange collapses due to hack and got your money stuck.
All these factors are what make an exchange being labeled as Tier 1 exchange.

[GreatArkansas]

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

Liquidty, security, tools, and analytics.
About low fees -  this seems to depend on the trader, especially if you are a whale, frequently trading, or have bots? For sure, these kinds of traders will find an exchange that has extremely low fees or offers some discounts.
But for me as small trader only, liquidity and security are the most important already.

[BlackBoss_]

I'm curious:

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

I’m currently building a trading platform and trying to prioritize the right features.

Your trading platform must have competitive trading features and good fees from taker, maker, withdrawal fees as well as good withdrawal processing time for your users. You can look at this website for information on taker, maker, withdrawal fees and take them into consideration for your product developments.

https://www.cryptowisser.com/exchanges/

In my opinion, your to do list must come first with security that is most important for your company as well as users. All other things must come very later with lower priority than security, which is vital for existence, survival of your business as well as safety of user fund.

[EarnOnVictor]

Most traders say they choose exchanges based on low fees.

Trading fees are deciding factor in the choice of exchanges for many people, and that will not change. Your strategy could not make you know its significant, but ask those high frequency traders. Some of the average traders would pay more than $3,000 in trading fees monthly, let alone those with higher money/trade counts. I've paid about $700 in fees before in just a month despite risking low, just because I was active in a live trading contest. So, it matters.

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

Don't get it twisted, all these naturally come with the service of a good exchange, and I don't think anyone would choose an exchange that is worse just because of fees. Check the top-rated exchanges, didn't anyone of them have 2, 3 & 4? But what could be competitively different is the fee, right? Now tell, when every other things are being equal or almost being equal except the fee, if I see the one with a very low fees compared to others, don't you think it's a go for me?

[jcojci]

Security, tools & analytics, speed of the site, liquidity, and low fees. A site related to money must have a high security. No customers wants to trade or buy and sell in a low security site. That can makes them in danger.

You can pay attention to security as the important thing for your site. Then you can searching out the next from our suggestions.

[Gozie51]

What matters more to you?
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

Liquidity and fee are not quite important to me because for fees if you don't have a good strategy then you keep blaming the exchange on their fees and accusing them of manipulating whereas the analysis is wrong. Liquidity also depends on what leverage you want to use, so they are all depending on you.

But security is about your funds and the assurance of no scam and withdrawal is guaranteed. And if you have good strategy/tools to analyze the market fluctuations then you are sure to have a good outcome on your trade and not to blame the exchange.

[Bitcoin_Arena]

If you are scalp trading, especially on future markets, then fees and liquidity are a very big deciding factor, or else you will be doing nothing. Security is a subject, especially with top platforms. Even the most popular and trustworthy ones get hacked so just don't keep all your amount in an exchange.

For a smooth trading experience, Liquidity and reasonable trading fees are a must unless if I am just going to buy today and sell after 4-5 months

Tools & analytics can be gotten from very good third-party platforms like TradingView.

[Coyster]

But security is about your funds and the assurance of no scam and withdrawal is guaranteed.

If you are using a "top" exchange, then it is safe to say they would prolly not outrightly scam you. But you must understand that you can only be guaranteed your withdrawal when you are sending funds from your noncustodial wallet. As long as your assets are in a custodial platform, you can always be restricted from withdrawing it for any reason they give.

For a smooth trading experience, Liquidity and reasonable trading fees are a must unless if I am just going to buy today and sell after 4-5 months

That would no longer be considered "trading" by a lot of people. It would prolly fall under short term investment.

[rat03gopoh]

What matters more to you?
1) Low fees
2) Liquidity
3) Security
4) Tools & analytics

All of these elements are mandatory considerations for me in determining a suitable exchange, but that doesn't mean I can ignore any of them. Low fees are still often highlighted in various promotions and one of membership advantages of top exchanges, meaning fees do impact trading results.