Polymarket limit orders: how to trade with 0% fees as a maker

On Polymarket, only the trader who accepts an order already in the book (the taker) pays a fee. The trader who leaves a limit order waiting for someone else to fill it (the maker) never pays. A well-placed limit order therefore lets you trade with zero fees, as long as you accept that it may fill late or not at all.

The essentials

• Taker: you accept a price already in the book. You pay a fee based on category and price.
• Maker: you post an order at your price and wait. You pay no fee.
• Fees peak when the price is 0.50. That is where a limit order saves the most.
• The risk of being a maker is that your order may never fill if the price moves away.

Maker vs taker on Polymarket

Polymarket matches orders in an off-chain order book (CLOB) and settles them on-chain. Every trade has two sides:

	Taker	Maker
What they do	Accept an order already in the book	Post an order that waits
Speed	Fills immediately	Depends on someone taking their price
Fee	Yes, per the official formula	Never
Rebates	Tiered program	Daily rebate funded by fees

According to the official fee documentation, the taker fee formula is:

Fee = shares × rate × price × (1 − price)

The rate depends on the category: 0.07 for crypto; 0.05 for sports, economics, culture, weather and combos; 0.04 for politics, finance, tech and mentions; and 0 for geopolitics. The full table is in our Polymarket fees guide.

How to place a limit order on Polymarket

1. Open the market and pick the outcome you want to buy or sell.
2. Switch the order type to limit in the trading panel. Button labels can vary between interface versions.
3. Set your price. To buy as a maker, set it below the best ask in the book. To sell as a maker, set it above the best bid.
4. Enter the number of shares and confirm.
5. Wait. Your order rests in the book until someone fills it or you cancel it.

One important detail: if your limit price already crosses an order in the book (for example, buying at or above the best ask), your order fills immediately against it and you act as a taker. You pay the fee. To be a maker, your order has to rest.

How much you save: examples from the official table

Fee you would pay as a taker, and save as a maker:

Trade	Calculation	Taker fee	Maker fee
100 sports shares at 0.50	100 × 0.05 × 0.5 × 0.5	1.25 USDC	0
100 crypto shares at 0.50	100 × 0.07 × 0.5 × 0.5	1.75 USDC	0
1,000 crypto shares at 0.50	1,000 × 0.07 × 0.5 × 0.5	17.50 USDC	0
500 politics shares at 0.40	500 × 0.04 × 0.4 × 0.6	4.80 USDC	0
100 sports shares at 0.90	100 × 0.05 × 0.9 × 0.1	0.45 USDC	0
Any geopolitics trade	rate 0	0	0

If you make 20 trades a month of 100 crypto shares at 0.50 as a taker, you pay 35 USDC in fees. As a maker, nothing.

Price improvement comes on top. If instead of buying at 0.50 you post an order at 0.48 and it fills, you pay 2 USDC less per 100 shares, and no fee.

When a limit order makes sense

• Markets priced near 0.50. That is where taker fees are highest.
• Expensive categories such as crypto. The 0.07 rate is the highest in the table.
• When you are not in a hurry. If your view runs over days or weeks, waiting a few hours for a fill changes little.
• Large trades. The fee scales with the number of shares.

When paying as a taker is fine

• Right after breaking news, when the price moves fast. Waiting can cost more than the fee.
• Geopolitics markets, where the fee is 0 anyway.
• Very extreme prices. At 0.95 or 0.05 the fee is small, so the maker saving is minimal.

The risk: your order may not fill

A limit order guarantees nothing. If the price moves away from your level, it can sit unfilled, or fill only partly, and you miss the move. Check your open orders often and cancel the ones that no longer make sense, especially when the news around the market changes.

Polymarket maker rebate program

The fees takers pay fund a maker rebate program, distributed daily to those who provide liquidity. There is also a tiered taker rebate program whose details are not public on the official page. We give no rebate figures because they depend on each user’s activity and the rules in force.

New to the platform? Read what Polymarket is and how to deposit on Polymarket first. To find markets with an active book, check the markets board.

If you are still unsure how the price forms, review what Polymarket is and check the live board to see the real spread on the highest-volume markets.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really trade on Polymarket with no fees?

Yes, as a maker. Makers, who leave an order resting in the book, never pay fees. Geopolitics markets also carry a zero fee for takers.

What is the difference between a market order and a limit order?

A market order takes the best available price and fills instantly, so you pay as a taker. A limit order sets your price and waits; if it does not cross the book, you are a maker and pay no fee.

Does a limit order always make me a maker?

No. If your limit price crosses an order already in the book, it fills immediately and you act as a taker. You are only a maker if your order rests.

How much does a limit order save?

The entire taker fee. For example, 1.25 USDC on 100 sports shares at 0.50, or 17.50 USDC on 1,000 crypto shares at 0.50.