Measured verdict: On September 23, 2026, at 18:55 UTC, Aster cost less than EdgeX for a $10,000 BTC market buy: 4.59 bps against 4.71 bps. For a $1,000,000 BTC market buy, EdgeX cost less than Aster: 4.93 bps against 5.03 bps. Of the 6 BTC and ETH order sizes where both venues had a rank, EdgeX cost less in 3 and Aster in 3. Read our verdict
Measured cost of a market buy
| Order | EdgeX | Aster |
|---|---|---|
| BTC $10,000 | 4.71 bps ($4.71)Rank 17 of 43 | 4.59 bps ($4.59)Rank 15 of 43✓ |
| BTC $100,000 | 4.71 bps ($47.13)Rank 11 of 42✓ | 4.77 bps ($47.75)Rank 12 of 42 |
| BTC $1,000,000 | 4.93 bps ($493.45)Rank 5 of 38✓ | 5.03 bps ($502.63)Rank 6 of 38 |
| ETH $10,000 | 5.06 bps ($5.06)Rank 18 of 43 | 4.34 bps ($4.34)Rank 11 of 43✓ |
| ETH $100,000 | 4.95 bps ($49.49)Rank 13 of 43 | 4.84 bps ($48.44)Rank 12 of 43✓ |
| ETH $1,000,000 | 5.05 bps ($504.51)Rank 4 of 36✓ | 6.27 bps ($627.22)Rank 11 of 36 |
Fees, funding and market data
| Item | EdgeX | Aster |
|---|---|---|
| Taker fee, base tier | 0.045%Read Sep 23, 2026 | 0.040%✓Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Maker fee, base tier | 0.040%Read Sep 23, 2026 | 0%✓Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Maximum leverage | 100x on BTC and ETH, up to a $1M BTC positionRead Sep 23, 2026 | 200x on BTC up to a $400 position; 150x up to $300,000Read Sep 23, 2026 |
| Chain and settlement | Own rollup on the Arbitrum stack, anchored to EthereumRead Sep 23, 2026 | Own layer 1 (Aster Chain); bridges from BNB Chain, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, SUIRead Sep 23, 2026 |
| Custody of funds | User-key smart contracts; operator-free withdrawal claimed, steps not describedRead Sep 23, 2026 | Aster validators sign deposits and withdrawals; no forced withdrawal describedRead Sep 23, 2026 |
| Audit scope in docs | V1 and StarkEx code | Deposit vault, earn and token products |
| BTC funding rate | Not collected | 0.0023% per 8hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC |
| ETH funding rate | Not collected | 0.0054% per 8hSeptember 23, 2026, 21:51 UTC |
| BTC perp open interest | Not collected | Not collected |
| ETH perp open interest | Not collected | Not collected |
| Reported 24h volume | $1.60bSep 23, 2026, DefiLlama edgeX V2 row | $1.53bSep 23, 2026 |
What each venue publishes about fees
Aster lists 0% maker and 0.04% taker for general crypto pairs on its fee page. The edgeX VIP fee API listed 0.040% maker and 0.045% taker at level 0 on September 23, 2026. At these base rates, Aster is cheaper for makers and 0.5 basis points cheaper for takers.
Custody and exit
edgeX users deposit into smart contracts, and each move of funds needs the user key. edgeX says that users can withdraw without the operator during an outage, on its self-custody page, but the V2 page does not describe the steps. Aster validators sign each withdrawal, and only Aster runs validators in Phase 1.
Audit coverage
The edgeX audit page names RigSec, SlowMist and PeckShield. The RigSec and SlowMist reports cover edgeX V1 contracts, and the PeckShield report covers StarkEx code. No listed report covers the edgeX V2 contracts. 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.
Funding
The edgeX API settles funding every 4 hours, but its docs page still says every hour. Aster uses an 8-hour interval by default. We collect Aster funding in our sweep. We do not collect edgeX funding yet.
Leverage
The edgeX V2 market data API lists 100x for BTC and ETH. The Aster bracket data lists 200x for BTCUSDT up to a $400 position and 150x up to $300,000. Check the contract in the app.
Which one fits which trader
A trader who wants a documented exit path can look at edgeX, but must note that no audit covers its V2 contracts yet. A trader who pays the taker fee on small orders can look at Aster first, and then check the measured rows.
EdgeX vs Aster FAQ
Which charges lower fees, edgeX or Aster?
Aster lists 0.04% taker and 0% maker for general crypto pairs. The edgeX VIP fee API listed 0.045% taker and 0.040% maker at level 0 on September 23, 2026.
Can I withdraw from edgeX if the operator is down?
The edgeX self-custody page says that users can withdraw without the operator during an outage. The V2 page does not describe the steps or the time that this takes.
What do the Aster audits cover?
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
On published fee pages, Aster is slightly cheaper. edgeX documents user-key custody, while Aster validators sign each withdrawal. The measured rows show which book cost less at each size.