Building a custom crypto exchange costs $150,000-$400,000+ and takes 8-12 months, according to industry analysis. A Binance clone script dramatically reduces this to $10,000-$50,000 and launches in 2-6 weeks, saving $100,000-$350,000 that can be reinvested in marketing and liquidity. For startups and entrepreneurs, clone scripts provide proven, feature-rich platforms with spot trading, margin, futures, and security infrastructure, making professional exchange development accessible without burning capital on lengthy custom builds.