Calculate the arbitrage spread between two crypto exchanges. Find profitable price differences after accounting for fees and determine net arbitrage profit.
Crypto arbitrage exploits price differences for the same asset across different exchanges. If Bitcoin is $65,000 on Exchange A and $65,400 on Exchange B, there's a 0.62% spread that could be profitable. However, after accounting for trading fees, withdrawal fees, and transfer times, many apparent arbitrage opportunities are not actually profitable.
This calculator computes the net arbitrage spread after deducting all costs. It shows the gross spread between exchanges, subtracts fees on both sides, and reveals whether the opportunity is genuinely profitable. This helps you quickly filter real opportunities from illusory ones.
Arbitrage is a low-risk strategy when executed properly — you're buying and selling the same asset simultaneously, eliminating directional risk. The main risks are execution speed (prices can change during transfer), exchange counterparty risk, and capital requirements.
Crypto traders, long-term holders, and DeFi participants benefit from transparent crypto arbitrage spread calculations when planning entries, exits, or portfolio rebalances. Revisit this calculator whenever market conditions shift to keep your strategy grounded in accurate data.
Not all price differences are profitable arbitrage opportunities. Many traders lose money on arbitrage because they don't account for all costs — trading fees, withdrawal fees, network fees, and potential slippage. This calculator reveals the true net profit so you only execute genuinely profitable trades. Real-time recalculation lets you model different market scenarios quickly, so you can act with confidence rather than relying on rough mental estimates.
Gross Spread = (Price_B − Price_A) / Price_A × 100 Buy Fee = Amount × Fee_A Sell Fee = Amount × Fee_B Net Profit = Amount × (Price_B / Price_A − 1) − Buy Fee − Sell Fee − Transfer Fee Net Spread = Gross Spread − Total Fee %
Result: Gross spread: 0.62% | Net profit: $254.62
BTC at $65,000 on Exchange A, $65,400 on Exchange B. Gross spread = 0.62%. Buy fee (0.04%) = $20. Sell fee (0.05%) = $25.20. Transfer = $5. Gross profit = $307.69. Net profit = $307.69 − $20 − $25.20 − $5 = $257.49. Net spread after all fees: 0.51%.
Spatial arbitrage (this calculator) exploits cross-exchange price differences. Statistical arbitrage uses quantitative models to identify mean-reversion opportunities. Triangular arbitrage exploits intra-exchange pair pricing inconsistencies. Each type has different capital requirements, risk profiles, and complexity levels.
Serious arbitrageurs need: API access to multiple exchanges, low-latency network connections, pre-funded accounts on all target exchanges, automated execution systems, and risk management tools. The competitive advantage comes from speed and reliability of infrastructure.
Crypto arbitrage profitability has decreased as the market matures and more automated players enter. On major pairs (BTC/USDT), spreads between top exchanges rarely exceed 0.1-0.2%. Opportunities still exist on: smaller exchanges, less liquid altcoins, during volatile events, and between fiat-denominated pairs in different regions.
In theory, simultaneous buy and sell eliminates price risk. In practice, risks include: execution latency (prices change between orders), exchange downtime, withdrawal delays, slippage on execution, and counterparty risk (exchange insolvency). It's low-risk, not risk-free.
Effective arbitrage typically requires $10,000+ on each exchange to make meaningful profit from small spreads (0.1-0.5%). With $10,000, a 0.3% net spread yields $30 — decent for a few minutes of work. Larger capital amplifies profits from the same percentage spread.
Price differences arise from: different liquidity and trading volume, geographic demand differences, varying fee structures, withdrawal restrictions during high demand, and market microstructure differences. Arbitrageurs help equalize prices by buying where cheap and selling where expensive.
Most opportunities last seconds to minutes on major pairs. Automated bots constantly scan for and execute arbitrage, quickly closing gaps. Manual traders can find opportunities on less-monitored pairs or smaller exchanges, but automation is increasingly necessary for efficiency.
Pre-funding is strongly preferred. Transferring crypto takes time (10 minutes to 1 hour for BTC), during which the spread can close. Pre-fund both exchanges with stablecoins and the target crypto so you can buy and sell simultaneously without any transfer delay.
Spatial arbitrage exploits price differences of the same asset across different exchanges. Triangular arbitrage exploits pricing inconsistencies between three trading pairs on the same exchange (e.g., BTC/USD, ETH/BTC, ETH/USD). Both are valid strategies with different risk profiles.