How perp DEX fees work
Most perp DEXs charge a maker fee and a taker fee. A taker order fills straight away against the order book, like a market order. A maker order rests on the book until someone fills it, so it adds liquidity and usually pays less. Some exchanges even pay makers a small rebate.
The fee is a percentage of your full position size, not your margin. A $1,000 deposit at 10x opens a $10,000 position, and a 0.045% taker fee costs $4.50 to open and $4.50 to close. That is why the table shows a $10,000 round trip: it is the clearest way to compare venues.
Pool-based exchanges such as GMX and gTrade work differently. You pay an opening and closing fee on the position, plus price impact or borrowing costs, instead of maker and taker fees.
The hidden costs behind "zero fees"
- Spread. Variational charges no fees because its market maker earns the spread in each quote. Compare the price you get, not just the fee.
- Speed. Lighter's free Standard accounts wait 300 milliseconds on taker orders; faster Premium accounts pay fees.
- Account type. Paradex is free for retail traders, but Pro and API accounts pay fees.
- Funding. Every perp charges funding between longs and shorts. On a position held for days, funding can cost more than trading fees.
Variational fees
Variational charges a base taker fee of 0% and a maker fee of 0% (No trading fees; cost is in the spread). The catch: the spread inside each quote from its market maker. Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $0 with market orders and $0 with limit orders. Trades fill through request-for-quote from a market maker.
Official Variational fee page · Variational live stats
Lighter fees
Lighter charges a base taker fee of 0% and a maker fee of 0% (Standard accounts; Premium pays 0.028% / 0.004%). The catch: free Standard accounts wait 300 milliseconds on taker orders. Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $0 with market orders and $0 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official Lighter fee page · Lighter live stats
Paradex fees
Paradex charges a base taker fee of 0% and a maker fee of 0% (Retail on perps, spot and options; Pro/API accounts pay fees). The catch: Pro and API accounts, which do pay fees. Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $0 with market orders and $0 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official Paradex fee page · Paradex live stats · Trade on Paradex (referral link)
Extended fees
Extended charges a base taker fee of 0.025% and a maker fee of 0% (Flat schedule; maker rebates for top makers). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $5 with market orders and $0 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official Extended fee page · Extended live stats
Aster fees
Aster charges a base taker fee of 0.04% and a maker fee of 0% (General crypto perps; lower taker at higher VIP). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $8 with market orders and $0 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official Aster fee page · Aster live stats · Trade on Aster (referral link)
Pacifica fees
Pacifica charges a base taker fee of 0.04% and a maker fee of 0.015% (Tier 1; falls with 30-day volume). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $8 with market orders and $3 with limit orders.
Official Pacifica fee page · Pacifica live stats
GMX fees
GMX charges a fee of 0.04%–0.06% when you open and again when you close a position (position fee 0.04% or 0.06% on open and close, plus price impact). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $8–$12 in position fees. Trades fill through a liquidity pool at oracle prices.
Official GMX fee page · GMX live stats
Hyperliquid fees
Hyperliquid charges a base taker fee of 0.045% and a maker fee of 0.015% (Base tier; lower with volume and HYPE staking). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $9 with market orders and $3 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official Hyperliquid fee page · Hyperliquid live stats
GRVT fees
GRVT charges a base taker fee of 0.045% and a maker fee of -0.0001% (Level 1 (under $1M 30-day volume); maker earns a rebate). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $9 with market orders and you earn $0.02 (maker rebate) with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official GRVT fee page · GRVT live stats · Trade on GRVT (referral link)
edgeX fees
edgeX charges a base taker fee of 0.045% and a maker fee of 0.04% (Regular user tier (under $10M 14-day volume)). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $9 with market orders and $8 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official edgeX fee page · edgeX live stats · Trade on edgeX (referral link)
ApeX Omni fees
ApeX Omni charges a base taker fee of 0.05% and a maker fee of 0.02% (Standard rates per ApeX; VIP tiers lower). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $10 with market orders and $4 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official ApeX Omni fee page · ApeX Omni live stats · Trade on ApeX Omni (referral link)
dYdX fees
dYdX charges a base taker fee of 0.05% and a maker fee of 0.01% (Tier 1 (under $1M 30-day volume); DYDX staking discounts). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $10 with market orders and $2 with limit orders. Trades fill through an order book.
Official dYdX fee page · dYdX live stats
gTrade fees
gTrade charges a fee of 0.05%–0.06% when you open and again when you close a position (crypto open and close fee 0.05% (core) to 0.06% (non-core) each side). Opening and closing a $10,000 position costs $10–$12 in position fees. Trades fill through a liquidity pool at oracle prices.
Official gTrade fee page · gTrade live stats · Trade on gTrade (referral link)
Orderly fees
Orderly does not publish one fee for every trader: set by each app built on Orderly (base taker 0.03% at the public tier). Trades fill through an order book.
Official Orderly fee page · Orderly live stats
FAQ
Which perp DEX has the lowest fees?
Variational, Lighter and Paradex charge no trading fees for regular users. Among paid venues, Extended has the lowest base taker fee (0.025%). Remember that spread, funding and execution speed also affect the real cost.
Are zero-fee perp DEXs really free?
No trading fee is not the same as free. Variational earns through the spread in its quotes, Lighter adds a 300ms delay to taker orders on free Standard accounts, and Paradex charges Pro and API accounts. You also pay funding while a position is open.
Are perp DEX fees charged on leverage?
Yes. Trading fees are a percentage of your full position size, not your margin. A $1,000 deposit at 10x opens a $10,000 position, and the fee is calculated on $10,000.
What is the difference between maker and taker fees?
A taker order fills immediately against existing orders, like a market order. A maker order rests on the order book and adds liquidity until someone fills it. Makers pay less, and on some exchanges earn a rebate.
Is funding a trading fee?
No. Funding is paid between longs and shorts to keep the perp price close to the spot price. Exchanges usually do not keep it, but it can cost more than trading fees if you hold a position for days.
Compare any two exchanges side by side with our compare tool, or see live volume and points for all perp DEXs.
Fees change. Always check the exchange's own fee page before you trade. Perpetual futures use leverage and are high risk.