Aster vs Coinbase International

Aster vs Coinbase International: which to use

Aster vs Coinbase International is a decentralized exchange against a centralized one. On Aster you trade from a self-custody wallet without ID, at 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker, with up to 300x leverage. Coinbase International holds your funds in an account, requires ID and a suitability check, and charges 2 bp maker and 4 bp taker, with up to 50x. Aster lists 588 perp markets against 131 on Coinbase International. Custody, ID and leverage are the main differences between them.

How each exchange is built

Aster is a decentralized exchange (DEX) on BNB Chain. You trade from a self-custody wallet. It matches orders on a central limit order book.

Coinbase International is a centralized exchange (CEX): you open an account with the company, and the account holds your funds. It also matches orders on a central limit order book.

Both exchanges match orders on a central limit order book. What differs is custody. On Aster you trade from your own wallet. On Coinbase International the account at the company holds your funds.

Fees and what they mean

Aster's base tier is 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker, per Aster's fee page. Coinbase International's base tier is 2 bp maker and 4 bp taker, per Coinbase International's fee page.

The taker rate is the same on both. A market order pays it to open and again to close: 8 bp per round trip on each. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker fee instead, 0 bp on Aster and 2 bp on Coinbase International. If you trade mostly with limit orders, the maker rate is where the two differ.

Fees are only part of a trade's cost. Slippage, the price you move by eating through the order book, grows with size. The round trip in the cost table above includes both at each size from $1k to $5M, which the fee alone does not show.

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026 Aster lists 588 active perps, 133 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. Coinbase International lists 131, 34 of them real-world assets.

Aster allows up to 300x on its highest-leverage market and Coinbase International up to 50x. Most markets on both allow less, so check the limit of the market you want.

Coinbase International pays funding every hour on every market. Aster pays every 1 hour, 4 hours or 8 hours depending on the market. An hourly market settles 24 times a day, a 4-hour market six times and an 8-hour market three times. A position held for a day crosses more funding payments on an hourly market. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate.

Who can use them

Aster asks for no ID to trade, though its terms keep a right to limited checks. It is closed to the US, Canada, the UK, China, Russia, Ukraine and sanctioned countries. Coinbase International requires ID and a suitability check. Its perps are for eligible non-US countries, and are closed to US and UK retail.

Vaults, tokens and points

Aster runs ALP (Aster Liquidity Pool), a vault run by the exchange. It takes the other side of traders' positions, so depositors carry the traders' profit and loss. Burning ALP locks the withdrawal for 48 hours, and the mint and burn fee is 0.25% ± 0.05%.

Aster's token is $ASTER. As of 19 September 2026 its points and airdrop program was at "Stage 5".

Reading the numbers on this page

Both exchanges publish open interest as one side of open positions, so the open interest row and chart above compare like with like.

Coinbase International is a centralized exchange and publishes no TVL, so that row and chart show Aster alone. For Aster the figure is DefiLlama's number for the deposits its bridge holds.

Which one fits you

• Pick Aster if you want to keep funds in your own wallet and trade without ID.
• Pick Aster if you place limit orders: 0 bp maker against 2 bp.
• Pick Aster if you need more than 50x, up to 300x on its highest-leverage market.
• Pick Aster if you want a wider list of markets, 588 against 131 as of 1 October 2026, or a vault to deposit in.
• Pick Coinbase International if you prefer an account at a company and accept ID and a suitability check.
• Pick Coinbase International if you want every market on a 1-hour funding schedule.