How to Use a Crypto Arbitrage Calculator (2025 Guide)

Simple (spatial) arbitrage: buy on Exchange A, sell on Exchange B. The price difference must cover trading fees on both exchanges plus any withdrawal/transfer fees. If Bitcoin trades at $67,000 on Coinbase and $67,300 on Kraken, the $300 difference only yields profit if your total fees are below $300.

Triangular arbitrage exploits price inefficiencies between three trading pairs on the same exchange. For example: trade USD → BTC → ETH → USD. If the exchange rates aren't perfectly in sync, each conversion captures a small gain that compounds through the triangle. This requires sophisticated automated trading.

Statistical arbitrage and funding rate arbitrage (in futures markets) are more advanced strategies requiring deep market knowledge. Our calculator focuses on the straightforward spatial arbitrage case — the most accessible for individual traders.

Crypto exchanges typically charge 0.1–0.5% per trade. On both sides of a spatial arbitrage trade, you pay fees twice. On $10,000 of capital, a 0.2% fee on each side costs $40. You also pay network withdrawal fees — Bitcoin network fees vary widely but can be $5–30 during high congestion.

Transfer time is another killer. Moving funds between exchanges takes time — minutes for stablecoin transfers on fast chains, 10–60 minutes for Bitcoin. Price discrepancies usually close long before your transfer completes, leaving you holding the asset on the lower-price exchange.

Persistent price differences between exchanges often reflect real barriers: regulatory differences, liquidity constraints, geographic restrictions, or banking relationships. These aren't necessarily exploitable by retail traders. Our calculator helps you assess whether a price gap is large enough to survive all costs.

Enter the buy price (lower exchange), sell price (higher exchange), your trade size, and the fee percentages for each exchange. The calculator immediately shows your gross profit, total fees, and net profit or loss. If the result is negative, the opportunity is not profitable.

Don't forget to include slippage — especially for larger trades. Market orders on thin-volume pairs can move the price against you. If you're trading $50,000 and the available sell-side depth is thin, your average execution price will be worse than the quoted price.

Use the calculator as a starting point, not a guarantee. Real-world execution adds complexity: price movement during transfer, partial order fills, temporary withdrawal suspensions, and exchange downtime. Successful arbitrageurs typically automate execution and run with capital on both exchanges to eliminate transfer delays.