# Perp DEX Fees Compared in 2026 Updated: 24 September 2026 / Books polled 19 September 2026 / Spaces Research ## Readout We compared perp DEX fees at 13 venues on 24 September 2026: entry-tier maker and taker rates on the BTC perpetual and the taker cost of a $10,000 round trip. Lighter charges 0% on default retail orders; ApeX Omni and dYdX share the highest taker rate here at 0.050%. Fees are one of six weighted criteria in our scores. ## Perp DEX fees by venue, cheapest first Ordered by the cost of a $10,000 taker round trip at the entry tier, before any volume discount, rather than by the overall score. | # | Venue | Score /10 | Maker / taker | Perp markets | Model | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Lighter | 8.5 | 0% / 0% | 214 | Hybrid, ZK-proven | | 2 | Extended | 7.8 | 0% / 0.025% | 325 | Hybrid | | 3 | Aster | 7.7 | 0% / 0.040% | 578 | Own layer 1, operator-run | | 4= | edgeX | 7.6 | 0.040% / 0.045% | 172 | Hybrid | | 4= | Hyperliquid | 6.9 | 0.015% / 0.045% | 324 | On-chain order book | | 4= | EVEDEX | 6.5 | 0.015% / 0.045% | 52 | Hybrid | | 7= | ApeX Omni | 6.9 | 0.020% / 0.050% | 125 | Hybrid | | 7= | dYdX | 5.8 | 0.010% / 0.050% | 78 | App-chain, validator-held book | | – | Orderly (WOOFi Pro) | not scored | 0.025% / 0.040% on WOOFi Pro | 80 | Hybrid, not scored | | – | gTrade | not scored | 0.035% to open and to close on BTC and ETH | 178 | Oracle vault | | – | GMX | not scored | 0.04% or 0.06% to open and to close, plus price impact | 103 | Oracle pool | | – | Jupiter Perps | not scored | 0.06% to open and to close, plus price impact and borrow fees | 3 | Oracle pool | | – | Ostium | not scored | 0.06% to open BTC, no closing fee | 83 | Oracle vault | Facts as of 18 September 2026; entry-tier fees on the BTC perpetual. Access differs by country. Listed but not scored: Orderly (WOOFi Pro), gTrade, GMX, Jupiter Perps, Ostium — Orderly's rate depends on the front-end; the other four charge position fees plus price impact rather than maker and taker fees. Weights: cost 25 · liquidity 25 · custody 20 · security 15 · coverage 10 · access 5, fixed 18 September 2026. Method: https://spacesdao.org/methodology ## What the numbers say 1. 0% on default orders: Lighter, with a 300 ms delay on each free order. 2. Lowest flat rate: Extended — 0% maker / 0.025% taker, or $5.00 per $10,000 round trip. 3. Most common rate: 0.015% maker / 0.045% taker at EVEDEX, Hyperliquid and edgeX takers — $9.00 per $10,000. 4. Pool-priced venues charge 0.035% to 0.06% per side plus price impact and borrow fees. ## 1. [Lighter](https://lighter.xyz) — zero fees for manual traders Score 8.5 of 10. The default Standard account waits 300 ms on a taker order; the paid Premium account charges 0.004% / 0.028% for 140 ms ([Lighter fees](https://docs.lighter.xyz/trading/trading-fees), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: 0% on the default account. - Falls short: 300 ms taker delay; Premium taker rate of 0.028%. - Not for: latency-sensitive bots. ## 2. [Extended](https://extended.exchange/) — one flat rate for every account Score 7.8 of 10. One schedule for every account, with no tiers to climb; RWA markets charge takers 0.010% ([Extended fee schedule](https://docs.extended.exchange/extended-resources/trading/trading-fees-and-rebates), checked 18 September 2026). A $10,000 taker round trip costs $5.00. - Works: No tiers to climb. - Falls short: No discount for volume; Most markets are request-for-quote. - Not for: traders reading the 100x headline as a cap on BTC. ## 3. [Aster](https://www.asterdex.com) — 0% maker on the order book Score 7.7 of 10. Maker fees have been 0 at every VIP tier since 2 February 2026 ([Aster fees](https://docs.asterdex.com/trading/perpetuals/fees-and-specs/fees), checked 18 September 2026), though its own docs still show 0.01% / 0.035% on another page. - Works: 0% maker fee. - Falls short: Contradictory fee pages in its docs; 0.040% taker at VIP 1. - Not for: takers who want the lowest rate. ## 4. [edgeX](https://pro.edgex.exchange) — a taker rate in line with the market Score 7.6 of 10. That rate is what a regular user pays on V2 USDC-margined perps ([edgeX fee tiers](https://pro.edgex.exchange/en-US/vip), checked 18 September 2026); its help centre still shows older V1 rates. - Works: 0.045% taker fee. - Falls short: 0.040% maker fee; Outdated fee page in its help centre. - Not for: market makers. ## 4. [Hyperliquid](https://hyperliquid.xyz) — volume tiers on a layer-1 book Score 6.9 of 10. Rates fall with 14-day weighted volume and with HYPE staking ([Hyperliquid fees](https://hyperliquid.gitbook.io/hyperliquid-docs/trading/fees), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: Discounts for volume and staking. - Falls short: 0.045% base taker fee; No zero-fee account. - Not for: small accounts chasing the lowest fee. ## 4. EVEDEX — fixed rates with cashback on fees paid Score 6.5 of 10. The rates are fixed, and cashback returns part of the fees already paid, up to 35% of the trader's own fees; at the maximum, effective fees are 0.00975% maker and 0.02925% taker (EVEDEX documentation as of 18 September 2026). Prime adds a fixed 5 percentage points. - Works: Cashback of up to 35% of own fees. - Falls short: No volume tiers; $9.00 taker round trip before cashback. - Not for: traders who want a 0% default rate. ## 7. [ApeX Omni](https://omni.apex.exchange/) — discounts by volume or APEX staking Score 6.9 of 10. Rates fall with 14-day volume or with staked APEX ([ApeX VIP programme](https://apex-pro.gitbook.io/apex-pro/apex-omni/vip-program), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: Staking lowers fees. - Falls short: 0.050% entry taker fee; Fee page last updated in October 2025. - Not for: occasional takers. ## 7. [dYdX](https://www.dydx.xyz) — tiered fees with governance fee holidays Score 5.8 of 10. Governance sometimes sets 0% fee holidays on single markets, and none was active on 24 September 2026 ([dYdX fee tiers](https://docs.dydx.xyz/concepts/trading/rewards), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: Occasional 0% fee holidays. - Falls short: 0.050% entry taker fee; 6.95 bps impact on $100,000. - Not for: large market orders. ## [Orderly (WOOFi Pro)](https://orderly.network/) — a rate set by whichever front-end you arrive through Not scored (Hybrid, not scored). One shared off-chain book, priced separately by each builder front-end that plugs into it ([Orderly (WOOFi Pro) docs](https://orderly.network/docs/introduction/trade-on-orderly/trading-basics/orderbook-design), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: Its top volume tier on WOOFi Pro pays no maker fee at all. - Falls short: There is no single rate to quote: the front-end you arrive through sets it; The book is shown only to a logged-in account, so its depth could not be read. - Not for: readers comparing one published rate against another. ## [gTrade](https://gains.trade) — 0.035% each way on BTC, then holding costs Not scored (Oracle vault). Oracle prices settled on-chain against shared gToken vaults ([Gains fees](https://docs.gains.trade/gtrade-leveraged-trading/fees-and-spread), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: The lowest position fee among the pool-priced venues here. - Falls short: Holding costs add funding to a per-block borrowing fee charged to the heavier side; Its own app's bounty link returned a 404 when we opened it on 18 September 2026. - Not for: traders holding the crowded side for weeks. ## [GMX](https://gmx.io) — 0.04% or 0.06% each way, with no maker rate Not scored (Oracle pool). Keepers execute against Chainlink-priced pools on Arbitrum, Avalanche and MegaETH ([GMX fees](https://docs.gmx.io/docs/trading/fees/), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: A flat position fee with no volume tiers to climb. - Falls short: Price impact and borrow fees sit on top of the position fee; A July 2025 exploit of the older V1 vault left an estimated $2.0 million shortfall. - Not for: makers, who have no rate to earn here. ## [Jupiter Perps](https://jup.ag/perps) — 0.06% each way against the JLP pool Not scored (Oracle pool). The JLP pool on Solana is the counterparty to every trade ([Jupiter fees](https://docs.jup.ag/user-docs/trade/perps/fees), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: Any token Jupiter Swap supports can be posted as collateral. - Falls short: 3 perpetual markets, all of them crypto; Borrow fees accrue against pool utilisation for as long as the position stays open. - Not for: anyone wanting a market beyond SOL, ETH and wBTC. ## [Ostium](https://www.ostium.com) — 0.06% to open BTC and nothing to close Not scored (Oracle vault). An in-house consensus oracle prices positions that settle in USDC through the OLP vault on Arbitrum ([Ostium fees](https://docs.ostium.com/traders/reference/fees), checked 18 September 2026). - Works: No closing fee on BTC. - Falls short: Stock pairs follow the underlying session and day trades auto-close at 15:45 ET; A market open that fails on slippage still spends the $0.10 oracle fee. - Not for: traders who count a closing fee of zero as the whole bill. ## Pool-priced venues Five venues carry facts and no score, for the reason printed under the table. Each has a card below. ## What the headline perp DEX fees leave out Entry-tier rates are only the start of the bill. Spread and price impact are charged on every taker trade: in the snapshots of 19 September 2026 a $100,000 BTC order moved the price 0.06 bps on Hyperliquid and 6.95 bps on dYdX. Funding comes on top of both. ## How the readings were taken Fee schedules come from each venue's published fee pages and trading terms, checked on 18 September 2026. The round trip is a $10,000 entry and exit at the entry-tier taker rate. Spread and impact come from our BTC order-book snapshots of 19 September 2026, polled every 10 minutes. Scores follow [How we rate](/methodology). Entry-tier rates ignore volume tiers, staking, referrals and rebates. Funding is not included. ## Sourced quotes > "For both perpetual futures and spot markets, Lighter currently charges no maker or taker fees for Standard Accounts, allowing all participants to trade across all markets free of charge." — Lighter documentation, Trading fees, 18 September 2026. https://docs.lighter.xyz/trading/trading-fees > "Currently, Extended features a flat fee structure for both perpetuals and spot markets: Taker: 0.025% Maker: 0.000%" — Extended documentation, Trading Fees, 18 September 2026. https://docs.extended.exchange/extended-resources/trading/trading-fees-and-rebates > "Effective February 2, 2026, Maker fees for all VIP tiers were set to 0 bps." — Aster documentation, VIP programme, 18 September 2026. https://docs.asterdex.com/program-and-rewards/vip-program ## FAQ ### How much are dex fees? Entry-tier taker fees run from 0% on Lighter's default retail orders up to 0.050%, charged by both ApeX Omni and dYdX. The most common rate here is 0.015% maker / 0.045% taker, making a $10,000 market round trip cost $9.00 before spread and impact are counted on top of it. ### Which crypto broker has the lowest fees? Lighter charges 0% on its default retail orders, with a 300 ms delay on every free order. For a flat rate covering every account and order type, Extended charges 0% maker / 0.025% taker, a $5.00 taker round trip on $10,000. ### How do you deal with maker/taker fees on Crypto exchanges Post limit orders where the maker fee is lower, and read the tier rules. Makers pay 0% on Lighter, Extended and Aster at the entry tier, against 0.040% on edgeX. A bot should weigh zero-fee accounts against their 300 ms taker delay. ### Which crypto exchange has the lowest fees? On 24 September 2026 Lighter charges nothing on its default retail orders. Among venues charging every account the same, Extended's 0.025% taker rate is the lowest here. Spread and impact can outweigh both of those differences once the order is large enough. ### Which DEX is best for perps? Fees are one quarter of our score. Weighing custody, security, liquidity, markets and access as well, Lighter leads with 8.5/10, helped by its 0% default fees. On fees alone, nothing else on this sheet charges zero on both sides of a default retail order. ### cex futures vs perp dexes, what are the real tradeoffs? On fees the gap is small: several perp DEXs match or undercut typical exchange rates. Lighter charges 0% on its default account, and EVEDEX charges 0.015% maker / 0.045% taker. The larger differences are depth, custody and identity checks, which our other rankings cover. ### What is a perp dex? A decentralized venue for perpetual futures, leveraged contracts with no expiry that follow a price through funding payments. Order-book venues charge maker and taker fees; pool-priced venues such as GMX and Jupiter Perps charge position fees plus price impact instead. ### Which crypto dex is best? For order-book perpetuals, our 24 September 2026 scores put Lighter first at 8.5/10. For one rate that holds for every account and order type, Extended charges everyone 0% maker / 0.025% taker. Check each venue's terms for your country before depositing. Neither answer outlives a change of fee schedule, so both carry the date they were read. ### Is there any Dex to trade legit cryptocurrencies? Yes. Every venue on this page lists BTC, ETH and SOL perpetuals, and most add hundreds of other markets. These are futures contracts that track prices, so you pay trading fees and funding rather than buying the coin itself. Liquidation is the risk that replaces custody risk, and it arrives sooner the more leverage is used. ### What exchange you guys using for futures? We do not trade on the venues we rate. On fees alone, Lighter costs nothing on default retail orders, Extended is cheapest among flat schedules, and EVEDEX returns up to 35% of fees paid as cashback. Funding is charged separately on a position that is held, and usually outweighs all of it. ## Editorial note One published formula, every figure dated and sourced. Corrections: editorial@spacesdao.org. Spaces Research, 24 September 2026 Publication on this site is commissioned and paid for, and a venue compared here may be the sponsor behind the page.