MEXC is one of the most powerful exchanges for crypto arbitrage — not because it is the biggest, but because it lists thousands of altcoins first and charges some of the lowest fees in the market.
If Binance is the deep, efficient ocean where gaps close in seconds, MEXC is the fast-moving river full of fresh listings, thin order books and prices that drift away from the rest of the market. Add spot taker fees of just 0.05% and futures fees of 0.02% — roughly half of most rivals — and you have a venue built for spot-spread and funding arbitrage. This guide covers MEXC arbitrage in plain language: the fees you actually pay, the strategies that work best, the withdrawal traps, and how it compares to other major exchanges.
MEXC’s edge is breadth and speed of listings. It routinely lists new and low-cap tokens weeks before larger exchanges — and while a coin trades on MEXC but nowhere else (or only on a couple of venues), its price can drift far from its eventual fair value. Those gaps are the raw material of arbitrage. Combine that with very low trading fees and the net spread that survives after costs is often wider on MEXC than anywhere else.
MEXC is a centralized exchange (CEX) founded in 2018 that has grown into one of the top venues by spot trading volume and new-listing share. For an arbitrage trader the appeal is simple: more listed markets means more price gaps to exploit — and MEXC lists more cryptocurrency than almost any rival, from blue-chip BTC and ETH pairs down to brand-new low-caps.
That mix — deep, liquid BTC and major-coin markets alongside thousands of thin altcoin pairs — is exactly what makes MEXC a favourite among crypto arbitrage traders and the scanners they rely on to watch it all in real time. In total, every extra listed cryptocurrency is one more market that can briefly misprice against the rest — and one more potential gap.
Fees decide whether a spread is profit or a loss, so start here. MEXC is deliberately cheap to attract volume:
| Fee | MEXC rate | Why it matters for arbitrage |
|---|---|---|
| Spot maker | often 0% | Limit orders can cost nothing — great for patient entries |
| Spot taker | 0.05% | Half of the typical 0.10% — you keep more of every spread |
| Futures maker | ~0.01% | Cheap to provide liquidity on perps |
| Futures taker | 0.02% | Among the lowest anywhere — ideal for funding trades |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $1 (varies by network) | Choose a cheap network (e.g. TRC-20) to protect the spread |
Fees are per-leg
Remember arbitrage always has two trades. Even at 0.05% each, that is 0.10% round-trip in total trading fees before withdrawal and gas. MEXC’s low rates simply leave more of the gap in your pocket — but you still must calculate the net.
On MEXC this matters more than on most exchanges. Because it lists so many tokens, some have only one withdrawal network, an occasionally suspended withdrawal, or a high on-chain fee that eats a thin spread. Before you commit to a cross-exchange trade, always confirm: is the coin withdrawable right now, on a network the destination exchange accepts, at a fee small enough to keep the spread profitable? A gap you can’t settle is not a real opportunity.
Check before you buy
Pre-verify the withdrawal network and status on MEXC before buying. The classic beginner loss is buying a cheap altcoin, then discovering withdrawals are paused or only on a chain your other exchange doesn’t support.
| Exchange | Spot taker | Futures taker | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC | 0.05% | 0.02% | Fresh listings, low-cap alt spreads, cheap funding |
| Binance | 0.10% | 0.05% | Deep liquidity, majors, tight execution |
| Bybit | 0.10% | 0.055% | Deep perps liquidity, strong futures execution |
| OKX | 0.10% | 0.05% | Low withdrawal fees, per-symbol funding |
| KuCoin | 0.10% | 0.06% | Altcoin variety, KCS fee discount |
The pattern is clear: MEXC wins on fees and listing breadth, the majors win on liquidity and execution certainty. Many arbitrageurs use MEXC as the ‘discovery’ venue and a major as the other leg. Compare it directly with KuCoin, Binance and OKX.
Because MEXC is a high-listing CEX with thousands of cryptocurrency pairs, almost every serious crypto arbitrage scanner tracks it — and traders lean on those scanners because watching thousands of MEXC markets by hand is impossible. But not all arbitrage scanners are equal. Many display raw spreads that look great until MEXC’s per-leg fees and withdrawal costs are subtracted: a gross 0.6% gap on a micro-cap can turn net-negative once you add two 0.05% trades and a network fee.
Raw spread vs net profit
When you compare arbitrage scanners for MEXC, check whether the tool subtracts trading fees, withdrawal fees and network costs. Raw-spread scanners flag opportunities that don’t survive execution; net-profit scanners only surface gaps that actually pay after every cost.
Spotting a MEXC price that has drifted from the rest of the market — and confirming it still pays after fees and withdrawal costs — is exactly what a scanner is for. ArbiScreen streams live prices from MEXC and 16 other exchanges, calculates the net profit after every fee, and shows spot spreads, funding rates and geo premiums in one place. You see the real MEXC arbitrage opportunities instantly, without watching a dozen tabs. Your funds always stay on your own accounts.
Explore the live arbitrage scanner or learn the basics in spot arbitrage.
