Exchange spreads and order-book depth
MEXC is tightest on BTC at 0.001 bps (BTC/USDT), OKX is tightest on ETH at 0.041 bps (ETH/USD), Gemini is tightest on SOL at 0.098 bps (SOL/USD), Kraken is tightest on USDT at 0.100 bps (USDT/USD). Those are 24-hour median spreads that RampAtlas measured directly from each venue's public order book, newest sample September 5, 2026. 12 venues carried a reading in that window.
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Tightest venue by asset
| Asset | Tightest venue | Pair | Median spread | Venues measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | MEXC | BTC/USDT | 0.001 bps | 12 |
| Ethereum (ETH) | OKX | ETH/USD | 0.041 bps | 11 |
| Solana (SOL) | Gemini | SOL/USD | 0.098 bps | 12 |
| Tether (USDT) | Kraken | USDT/USD | 0.100 bps | 9 |
Median spread by exchange
| # | Exchange | Median spread | Assets measured | Tightest market | Last sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KuCoin | 1.00 bps | 20 | BTC/USDT at 0.013 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 2 | Kraken | 1.07 bps | 20 | XBT/USD at 0.013 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 3 | Bitget | 1.09 bps | 20 | BTC/USDT at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 4 | Gate | 1.57 bps | 20 | BTC/USDT at 0.013 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 5 | Gemini | 1.63 bps | 20 | BTC/USD at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 6 | Coinbase Exchange | 2.14 bps | 20 | BTC/USD at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 7 | Crypto.com Exchange | 2.76 bps | 20 | BTC/USD at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 8 | Bitstamp by Robinhood | 2.89 bps | 20 | BTC/USD at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 9 | MEXC | 3.75 bps | 20 | BTC/USDT at 0.001 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 10 | Bitvavo | 4.55 bps | 20 | USDC/EUR at 1.16 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 11 | OKX | 5.90 bps | 20 | BTC/USD at 0.013 bps | 1 hour ago |
| 12 | Binance US | 6.37 bps | 20 | USDT/USD at 0.100 bps | 1 hour ago |
Each venue's figure is the median of its per-asset 24-hour median spreads, over the assets we were able to sample. Spreads are not comparable across quote currencies without care: the pair behind each venue's tightest reading is named beside it.
How these numbers are measured
RampAtlas reads each venue's public order-book endpoint every two hours, takes the best bid and best ask, and records the spread as (ask − bid) ÷ mid in basis points. Nothing here comes from an exchange's own marketing, and a venue we could not read is recorded as not measured rather than as a wide or a zero spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a bid-ask spread, and why does it matter more than the headline fee?
- The spread is the gap between the best price a buyer will pay and the best price a seller will accept. You cross it on every market order, so it is a real cost on top of the trading fee — and unlike the fee, no exchange publishes it in a fee schedule. On a tight major-pair market it can be under a basis point; on a thin one it can dwarf the fee entirely.
- How does RampAtlas measure these spreads?
- Every two hours we call each venue's own public order-book endpoint, with no API key and no third-party data provider, and compute the spread from the top of the book. We also sum the resting orders within 1% of the mid on each side, and walk the asks to work out what a $500, $5,000 or $50,000 market buy would actually pay. Figures on the page are 24-hour medians of those samples.
- Why do some exchanges show no spread at all?
- Either we have no adapter for that venue's public depth endpoint yet, or the endpoint did not answer on the last run. In both cases the venue is shown as not measured. We never fill the gap with an estimate.