Aster vs edgeX

Aster vs edgeX: which to use

Aster vs edgeX comes down to fees, leverage and market count. Aster charges 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker; edgeX charges 4 bp maker and 4.5 bp taker. Aster lists 588 perps and allows up to 300x, while edgeX lists 179 and allows up to 100x. Neither asks for ID. Pick Aster for the lower base fees, the larger market list and the higher leverage cap. Pick edgeX if you want one 4-hour funding interval on every market, or if you are in a region Aster is closed to, such as the UK or Canada.

How each exchange is built

Both are decentralized exchanges (DEX): you trade from your own self-custody wallet, not from an account held by a company. Aster runs on BNB Chain. edgeX runs on its own chain, edgeX L2. Both match orders on a central limit order book.

For you, that means you hold your funds in your wallet while you trade. On edgeX, you can log in with a wallet or an MPC login.

Fees and what they mean

Aster's base tier is 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker, per Aster's fee page. edgeX's base tier is 4 bp maker and 4.5 bp taker, per edgeX's fee page.

A market order pays the taker fee on entry and again on exit. On Aster that is 8 bp in fees for a round trip, on edgeX 9 bp. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker fee instead: nothing on Aster, 4 bp on edgeX.

The fee is only part of a trade's cost. The rest is slippage, the price you move by eating through the order book, which grows with size. The cost table above adds both at each size, and every exchange's trading cost is compared on one page.

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026, Aster lists 588 active perps, 133 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. edgeX lists 179, 107 of them real-world assets. The share of real-world assets is therefore higher on edgeX, and the absolute count is higher on Aster.

Aster allows up to 300x and edgeX up to 100x on their highest-leverage markets; most markets allow less. Higher leverage means a smaller price move liquidates a position, so check the limit on the specific market.

Funding differs too. edgeX pays every 4 hours on every market. Aster pays every 1, 4 or 8 hours depending on the market, so you need to check the interval of each market you hold. A shorter interval settles funding more often, which matters when you run a funding trade. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate.

Who can use them

Neither exchange asks for ID. Aster needs 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. edgeX takes a wallet or MPC login and is closed to US and Ontario residents and sanctioned countries. edgeX forbids VPNs.

Vaults, tokens and points

Aster runs a vault, ALP (Aster Liquidity Pool). It takes the other side of traders' positions, so depositors carry the traders' profit and loss. Burning ALP has a 48 hour lock, and the mint and burn fee is 0.25% ± 0.05%. edgeX has no vault that arb.sh tracks. The vaults page has more on vaults.

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

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.

TVL above is DefiLlama's figure for the deposits each exchange's bridge holds. It is not the size of Aster's ALP vault.

Which one fits you

• Pick Aster if you place limit orders often: its maker fee is 0 bp against 4 bp on edgeX.
• Pick Aster if you need up to 300x or a list of 588 perps.
• Pick Aster if you want a vault: ALP exists, with a 48 hour lock on burn.
• Pick edgeX if you want funding on a fixed 4-hour schedule on every market.
• Pick edgeX if you want a larger share of stocks, commodities and FX in a smaller list.
• Pick edgeX if you are in the UK, China, Ukraine or Canada outside Ontario, all closed on Aster.

Aster's page and edgeX's page have each exchange's markets, funding and fees.