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Key takeaways
- Net profit per grid ≈ grid step % − 2 × fee %. If that is near zero, more grids only make the exchange richer.
- Arithmetic grids earn more per grid at the bottom of the range than at the top; geometric grids earn the same percentage everywhere.
- Keep the step at least three to five times the round-trip fee. At 0.1% per order, aim for roughly 0.6% to 1% per grid or more.
- Grid profit is only part of the result. "Total P&L incl. open" adds the coins the bot still holds, which is what your balance really shows.
Grid bot profit calculator + market simulator
Simulated, not a backtestGrid bot platforms show you a profit-per-grid figure when you set up a bot, but rarely explain it or show how quickly fees eat it. This calculator does both, and its simulator shows what happens next: how many round trips a volatile market produces and what a breakout does to your balance. If you are still choosing a platform or a pair, start with our guide to crypto grid trading bots.
How to use the grid trading bot calculator
- Set the range. Lower and upper price are the edges of your grid. The current price should sit inside them, or the bot starts idle.
- Set investment and grid count. The slider goes from 2 to 150 grids. Capital per grid updates as you move it.
- Choose spacing. Geometric puts levels an equal percentage apart; arithmetic puts them an equal dollar amount apart.
- Enter your fee per order. Use your real fee tier, for example 0.05% on Pionex spot or 0.1% at KuCoin's base tier.
- Pick volatility and days. Calm, typical crypto or wild, over 7, 30 or 90 days.
- Reseed. "Simulate another path" runs the same settings on a new random market.
Grid bot profit formulas
Arithmetic grid (equal dollar steps)
step = (upper − lower) ÷ grids
level i = lower + i × step
gross % at i = step ÷ level i
net % at i ≈ gross % − 2 × fee %Because the dollar step is fixed but the buy price rises up the range, the percentage profit per grid falls from bottom to top. The calculator shows this as a range, for example "0.88–1.16%".
Geometric grid (equal percentage steps)
ratio = (upper ÷ lower) ^ (1 ÷ grids)
level i = lower × ratio ^ i
gross % = ratio − 1 (same for every grid)
net % ≈ ratio − 1 − 2 × fee %From percentages to dollars
capital per grid = investment ÷ grids
profit per trip ($) ≈ capital per grid × net %
grid profit ($) = profit per trip × completed round tripsThe fee term uses the simple approximation of subtracting two fees. It slightly overstates costs on very wide grids and is accurate enough for setup decisions.
Fee break-even and the maximum sensible grid count
The break-even step is exactly two fees: at 0.1% per order, a 0.2% grid makes nothing. That is the floor, not a target. Spreads, partial fills and the occasional market order mean you want a buffer. Our rule of thumb is a step of at least three to five times the round-trip fee, so fees take no more than a fifth to a third of the gross profit.
You can turn that into a maximum grid count for a geometric grid:
max grids = ln(upper ÷ lower) ÷ ln(1 + minimum step)Fee break-even guide by fee tier (our own calculation)
| Fee per order | Round trip | Break-even step | 3× buffer | 5× buffer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.12% | 0.20% |
| 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.30% | 0.50% |
| 0.10% | 0.20% | 0.20% | 0.60% | 1.00% |
| 0.25% | 0.50% | 0.50% | 1.50% | 2.50% |
| 0.40% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 2.40% | 4.00% |
For a $55,000 to $70,000 range, a 0.6% minimum step allows about 40 grids, and a 1% step about 24. Fee tiers change, so check your exchange's current schedule rather than relying on this table.
Worked examples
All examples use a $1,000 investment on a $55,000 to $70,000 range, geometric spacing unless noted. They are illustrative calculations, not results from a real bot.
| Grids | Gross per grid | Net at 0.1% fee | Capital per grid | Fee efficiency (0–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2.44% | 2.24% | $100 | |
| 20 | 1.21% | 1.01% | $50 | |
| 40 | 0.61% | 0.41% | $25 | |
| 100 | 0.24% | 0.04% | $10 | |
| 150 | 0.16% | −0.04% (loss) | $6.67 |
The fee efficiency score is our simple measure of how much of the gross profit survives fees, scaled to 5. With 20 grids, each round trip earns about $0.51 on $50. With 100 grids, each trip earns less than half a cent, and with 150 grids every round trip loses money, which the calculator flags in its warning line. Drop the fee to 0.05% and the 100-grid setup recovers to about 0.14% net per grid, which is why low-fee venues matter so much for dense grids.
Switch to arithmetic spacing with 20 grids and the step becomes a flat $750: about 1.36% gross at the bottom of the range and 1.08% at the top, or roughly 0.88% to 1.16% net. The narrower your range, the less the two methods differ.
How to read the simulator results
| Output | What it means |
|---|---|
| Profit per grid (net) | Step percentage minus two fees; a range for arithmetic grids |
| Capital per grid | Investment divided by the number of grids |
| Completed round trips | How many buy-then-sell cycles filled on the simulated path |
| Grid profit | Dollars booked from completed round trips, after fees |
| Total P&L incl. open | Grid profit plus the gain or loss on coins still held at the end |
| Just holding | What the same investment would have done bought at the start and held |
The chart shows the simulated price in cyan, grid levels as dashed purple lines and filled sells as green dots. The note below it tells you what share of the time the price spent outside your range. If that number is high, your range is too narrow for the volatility you chose, and in real life the bot would sit idle or stuck.
Compare the last two outputs. On a path that ends near where it started, the grid should beat holding. On a strong uptrend, holding wins. On a crash, both lose, and the grid usually loses a little less. That pattern is the honest summary of grid trading.
Simulated the strategy? Keep the rest of your crypto simple
A grid bot only needs its working balance. For coins outside the strategy, CEX.IO is a long-running regulated option: operating since 2013, money transmitter licences in 39 US states plus DC, FCA registration in the UK, and 2FA, multi-sig wallets and cold storage. It has no built-in grid bots.
Registrations checked October 2026 on the company's legal pages. Availability depends on your country; crypto is high-risk.
- Since 2013One of the longest-running crypto exchanges still operating
source - 39 US states + DCFinCEN-registered MSB with state money transmitter licences (NMLS 1804170)
source - FCA-registeredUK cryptoasset business under the MLRs, FRN 1007192
source - PCI DSS Level 1Card-payment security standard, 2026 certificate published
source
Limitations of this crypto grid bot profit model
What the model does well
- Exact per-grid maths for both spacing methods
- Fee break-even and warnings when grids lose money
- Shows open P&L and a holding benchmark, not just grid profit
- Many random paths to show the spread of outcomes
What it ignores
- Real price history and news-driven gaps
- Intra-hour wicks that would fill extra orders
- Slippage, spreads and partial fills
- Futures leverage, funding and liquidation
- Platform features like trailing ranges or stop-loss
The price path is a random walk with the volatility you pick and no built-in trend, sampled hourly. It assumes orders fill exactly at grid levels when an hourly price crosses them. Treat the dollar results as a feel for behaviour and the per-grid percentages as the reliable part. For whether the bot's subscription is worth paying, use the trading bot ROI calculator; the other tools are on the calculators hub, and platforms are compared in our best AI crypto trading bots ranking. This is an educational tool, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How is grid bot profit calculated?
Each grid earns the gap between its buy and sell level as a percentage of the buy price, minus two fees (one for the buy, one for the sell). Multiply that net percentage by the capital per grid to get dollars per round trip, then by the number of round trips. Total results also include the gain or loss on coins the bot still holds.
What is a good profit per grid?
There is no universal number, but the net figure should be comfortably positive after fees. As a rule of thumb, make the grid step at least three to five times the round-trip fee. With 0.1% per order that means a step of roughly 0.6% to 1% or more. Below that, fees take most of the profit.
How many grids should I use for my range?
Decide the minimum step you want, then work out the grid count. For a geometric grid: maximum grids = ln(upper ÷ lower) ÷ ln(1 + step). For a $55,000 to $70,000 range and a 1% step, that is about 24 grids. More grids than that make each trade too thin.
Why does the calculator show a loss even though the grid profit is positive?
Because the bot holds coins. If the simulated price ends below where it started, the coins bought on the way down are worth less than they cost, and that open loss can exceed the profit from completed round trips. "Total P&L incl. open" is the number that matches your real account.
Is the grid bot simulator a backtest?
No. It runs your settings on a random hourly price path with the volatility you choose. That is useful for understanding behaviour, such as how often price leaves the range, but it says nothing about a specific coin's history. For real-data backtests, use your platform's backtest or an open-source framework.
Keep reading
Sources and fact-check dates
We link to primary sources wherever possible. Dates show when the page was published or when we last checked it.
- Pionex fee schedule (spot 0.05%) · checked 2026-10-21
- KuCoin spot fee notice (LV0 0.1%) · dated 2026-04-30, checked 2026-10-21
- Kraken fee schedule · checked 2026-10-21
- Gainium help: how grid bots calculate profit · checked 2026-10-21
