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Comparing CEX and DEX costs without cheating

A CEX charges trading fees and withdrawal fees but no gas. A DEX charges gas and pool fees but no withdrawal. The honest comparison is end to end.

CEX costs Trading fee plus withdrawal fee; no gas while funds stay internal
DEX costs Pool fee plus gas per transaction; no deposit or withdrawal step
Small trades Favour a CEX on an expensive chain; a cheap chain flips it

FBT Swap

What you should know

Most comparisons of the two are rigged by choosing where the journey starts and ends. A centralised exchange looks cheaper if you ignore deposit and withdrawal; a decentralised one looks cheaper if you ignore gas.

The only fair comparison measures the same complete journey: money in your own wallet at the start, a different asset in your own wallet at the end.

What each side charges

A centralised venue charges a maker or taker fee on the trade and a withdrawal fee to send the asset on-chain. Internal transfers and the trade itself cost no gas because nothing touches a blockchain until you withdraw.

A decentralised venue charges a pool fee inside the price, network gas per transaction, and whatever the interface adds. Nothing is held, so there is no deposit or withdrawal step at all.

Where the crossover sits

For small amounts on an expensive chain, the centralised route often wins on pure cost because it amortises one withdrawal across many internal trades. For anything on a cheap network, the decentralised route usually wins outright.

For large amounts, depth decides it and the answer depends on the specific pair rather than the venue type.

The costs that are not money

A centralised account requires identity verification, is subject to withdrawal limits and freezes, and places your assets on someone else's balance sheet. A decentralised interface requires you to manage keys, and makes every mistake permanent.

Those are real costs on both sides. Which one you prefer to carry is a genuine choice, not a technical question.

An honest summary

If you value unattended execution, fiat on-ramps and deep order books, a regulated centralised venue does things a DEX cannot. If you value holding your own keys, no account, and access to tokens before any listing, a DEX does things a CEX cannot.

FBT Swap is the second kind: 0.70% of the input on supported routes, gas separate and paid to the chain, no deposits, no withdrawal fee, and no account.

At a glance

At a glance

CEX costs

Trading fee plus withdrawal fee; no gas while funds stay internal

DEX costs

Pool fee plus gas per transaction; no deposit or withdrawal step

Small trades

Favour a CEX on an expensive chain; a cheap chain flips it

Non-monetary

Identity and counterparty risk versus key management risk

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Clear answers before you decide.

Is a DEX always more expensive for beginners?

No, but it often is on Ethereum mainnet, where fixed gas dominates a small trade. On a low-fee network the same trade can cost a fraction of a centralised venue's withdrawal fee alone.

Why does a CEX have no gas fee?

Because an internal trade is a database update, not a blockchain transaction. Gas appears only when you withdraw, which is also where the custodial relationship ends.

Can I compare them on one number?

Only end to end: start with assets in your own wallet, finish with the target asset in your own wallet, and count everything in between including deposits, withdrawals, gas and spread.

Risk notice

Crypto assets are volatile and on-chain transactions cannot be reversed. You can lose money, including all of it. Nothing here is financial advice.