The profit number you see on the grid bot interface isn't always the money already in your pocket. It usually has two parts: realized profit and unrealized PnL. To know your real earnings, you first need to figure out which part is locked in and which is just on paper.
Step 1: Find and Break Down "Total PnL"
Go to the bot's details page, look at the "Total PnL" number, and then break it apart.
What: Log in to Binance, go to "Trading Bots" -> "Spot Grid", find the running strategy and click "Details".
How: On the details page, find the "Total Profit" figure. The formula Binance uses is: Total PnL = Grid Profit + Unrealized PnL.
Verification: Make sure you can clearly see which two parts add up to that total number.
Step 2: Verify the Locked-in "Grid Profit"
Grid profit is the profit the bot has already realized through low-buy and high-sell matched trades.
What: On the details page, find "Grid Profit".
How: Every time a "buy low + sell high" pair trade is completed, the system adds that profit, quoted in the quote currency (e.g., USDT). This is the money the bot has already earned and locked in for you.
Verification: Confirm the "Grid Profit" number. It's usually a positive figure and you can withdraw part of it. What you can withdraw is your actual, realized profit.
Step 3: Check if Unrealized PnL Is Eating Your Profit
Unrealized PnL is the paper gain or loss on your current holdings.
What: On the details page, find "Unrealized PnL".
How: When the market moves against your grid direction, the coins you still hold show a paper loss. The bot calculates whether these holdings, based on the current market price, are in profit or loss.
Verification: If "Unrealized PnL" is a negative number and its absolute value is bigger than "Grid Profit", then your "Total PnL" will show a loss. In other words, while the bot keeps making money from buy-low-sell-high cycles, the unsold coins have dropped in value even more.
Common Mistake
Many people only watch the "Total PnL". If it's green they think they're making money, if red they think they're losing. But grid profit is the bot's real performance. If total PnL is negative but grid profit is positive, the strategy itself is profitable – the unsold coins are just in a loss. If grid profit stays stagnant for a long time, the bot isn't trading much, and this strategy might not suit the current sideways market.
How to Confirm Everything
The most direct way to verify profit is to look at the "Grid Profit" number and make sure that profit can be withdrawn. On the strategy details page, click "Withdraw Profit". The system will show the amount available for withdrawal (after reserving fees and meeting minimum notional value). If you can successfully submit the withdrawal and the funds move to your spot wallet, that part is money you've truly earned.
