Aster vs Hyperliquid: fees, cost and liquidity
Aster vs Hyperliquid with stored order-book costs for BTC and ETH, base fees from each fee page, funding intervals of 8 hours and 1 hour, and audit scope.
Measured verdict: On September 23, 2026, at 18:55 UTC, Aster cost less than Hyperliquid for a $10,000 BTC market buy: 4.59 bps against 4.68 bps. For a $1,000,000 BTC market buy, Aster cost less than Hyperliquid: 5.03 bps against 5.77 bps. Of the 6 BTC and ETH order sizes where both venues had a rank, Aster cost less in 4 and Hyperliquid in 2. Read our verdict
Measured cost of a market buy
| Order | Aster | Hyperliquid |
|---|---|---|
| BTC $10,000 | 4.59 bps ($4.59)Rank 15 of 43✓ | 4.68 bps ($4.68)Rank 16 of 43 |
| BTC $100,000 | 4.77 bps ($47.75)Rank 12 of 42✓ | 5.10 bps ($50.95)Rank 16 of 42 |
| BTC $1,000,000 | 5.03 bps ($502.63)Rank 6 of 38✓ | 5.77 bps ($577.42)Rank 10 of 38 |
| ETH $10,000 | 4.34 bps ($4.34)Rank 11 of 43✓ | 5.06 bps ($5.06)Rank 17 of 43 |
| ETH $100,000 | 4.84 bps ($48.44)Rank 12 of 43 | 4.69 bps ($46.87)Rank 10 of 43✓ |
| ETH $1,000,000 | 6.27 bps ($627.22)Rank 11 of 36 | 5.80 bps ($579.86)Rank 7 of 36✓ |
Fees, funding and market data
| Item | Aster | Hyperliquid |
|---|---|---|
| Taker fee, base tier | 0.040%✓Read Sep 23, 2026 | 0.045%Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Maker fee, base tier | 0%✓Read Sep 23, 2026 | 0.015%Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Maximum leverage | 200x on BTC up to a $400 position; 150x up to $300,000Read Sep 23, 2026 | 40x on BTC, 25x on ETH; 3x to 40x by assetRead Sep 23, 2026 |
| Chain and settlement | Own layer 1 (Aster Chain); bridges from BNB Chain, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, SUIRead Sep 23, 2026 | Own layer 1 (HyperCore)Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Custody of funds | Aster validators sign deposits and withdrawals; no forced withdrawal describedRead Sep 23, 2026 | USDC is minted natively on HyperCore; the legacy Arbitrum bridge holds less than 10% of itRead Sep 23, 2026 |
| Audit scope in docs | Deposit vault, earn and token products | Legacy bridge contract |
| Networks | Own layer 1; bridges from BNB Chain, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, SUI | Own layer 1; USDC through CCTP |
| BTC funding rate | 0.0023% per 8hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC | 0.0013% per 1hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC · interval |
| ETH funding rate | 0.0054% per 8hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC | 0.0013% per 1hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC · interval |
| BTC perp open interest | Not collected | $3.29bSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC |
| ETH perp open interest | Not collected | $2.94bSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC |
| Reported 24h volume | $1.53bSep 23, 2026 | $9.09bSep 23, 2026 |
Base fees on paper
Aster lists 0% maker and 0.04% taker for general crypto perpetuals on its fee page. Some pairs sit in a second fee group with a higher taker rate. Hyperliquid lists 0.015% maker and 0.045% taker at tier 0 on its fee page. The base taker gap is half a basis point. The order book often moves the measured result more than that gap.
Funding periods are not the same length
Aster uses an 8-hour funding interval by default and can set another interval per pair. Its funding page says that Aster can change the floor, the cap and the interval without notice. Hyperliquid settles funding every hour. The funding rows on this page show each rate for its own period. Divide the Aster rate by 8 before you compare it with an hourly Hyperliquid rate.
What the audits cover
The Aster audit page links seven reports from Salus Security, PeckShield and Halborn. They cover a deposit vault, an earn contract, and the asBNB, asCAKE, USDF and asUSDF products. No listed report names the Aster Chain clearinghouse. The Hyperliquid audit page names Zellic for the legacy bridge contract.
Custody
Hyperliquid keeps balances on its own chain. Aster also runs its own layer 1, Aster Chain. Per the Aster Chain overview, Aster validators sign each deposit and withdrawal, and only Aster runs validators in Phase 1. The Aster docs describe no forced withdrawal path.
Which one fits which trader
A trader who holds positions for days should compare funding per hour, not per period. A trader who pays taker fees on every order should read the measured rows at the order size.
Aster vs Hyperliquid FAQ
Which has lower fees, Aster or Hyperliquid?
Aster lists 0.04% taker and 0% maker for general crypto pairs. Hyperliquid lists 0.045% taker and 0.015% maker at tier 0. The measured table adds spread and price impact.
Why do Aster funding rates look larger than Hyperliquid rates?
Aster quotes funding for an 8-hour period by default. Hyperliquid quotes it for one hour. Divide the Aster rate by 8 to compare the two.
Are the Aster trading contracts audited?
The Aster audit page links seven reports. They cover a deposit vault, an earn contract, asBNB, asCAKE, USDF and asUSDF. No listed report names the Aster Chain clearinghouse.
Verdict
The base taker fees differ by half a basis point, so the measured book cost decides most orders. The larger differences are the 8-hour Aster funding period, the audit scope, and who approves withdrawals.