Aster vs MEXC

Aster vs MEXC: which to use

Aster vs MEXC is a decentralized exchange against a centralized one. On Aster you trade from your own wallet without ID, at 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker, with up to 300x. MEXC requires KYC before trading, holds your funds in an account, and charges 1 bp maker and 4 bp taker, with up to 1000x. As of 1 October 2026, MEXC lists 1202 perp markets to Aster's 588. Custody, ID and the leverage ceiling are the main differences: Aster suits self-custody without ID, MEXC suits a larger market list and higher leverage.

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.

MEXC 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.

For the trader, the difference is custody. On Aster you trade from your own wallet. On MEXC your funds sit in the company's account, and you need a verified account to trade.

Fees and what they mean

Aster's base tier is 0 bp maker and 4 bp taker (0.04%), per Aster's fee page. MEXC's base tier is 1 bp maker (0.01%) and 4 bp taker (0.04%), read from MEXC's API, so there is no fee page to link.

The taker rate is the same on both, so a market order pays 4 bp to open and 4 bp to close: 8 bp per round trip on either exchange. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker fee instead, 0 bp on Aster and 1 bp on MEXC. If you place mostly limit orders, that is where the fee gap sits.

Fees are only part of a trade's cost. Slippage, the price you move by eating through the order book, grows with size. The cost table above adds both at each size from $1k to $5M, and every exchange's trading cost is compared on one page.

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026 MEXC lists 1202 active perps, 93 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. Aster lists 588, of which 133 are real-world assets. Aster therefore has more stock, commodity and FX markets by count, while MEXC has more markets overall.

MEXC allows up to 1000x and Aster up to 300x on their highest-leverage markets; most markets allow less on both. Aster pays funding every 1 hour, 4 hours or 8 hours depending on the market. MEXC adds a 24-hour interval to those. Check a market's interval before you hold it: an hourly market settles 24 times a day, an 8-hour market three times, and a 24-hour market once. 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. MEXC has required KYC before trading since February 2026, and unverified accounts see market data only.

Vaults, tokens and points

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

Aster's token is $ASTER, and as of 19 September 2026 its points program was at "Stage 5". MEXC's token is $MX.

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 for like.

MEXC publishes no TVL, as is usual for a centralized exchange, so the TVL row and chart show Aster alone. That figure is DefiLlama's number for the deposits Aster's 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 1 bp.
• Pick Aster if you want a vault to deposit in, with a 48-hour lock on burn.
• Pick MEXC if you prefer an exchange account and accept KYC before trading.
• Pick MEXC if you need more than 300x, up to 1000x on its highest-leverage markets.
• Pick MEXC if you want the larger market list, 1202 perps against 588.