Aster review — live volume, OI & fees
Live Aster stats updated every minute: 24h volume, open interest, fees (0% maker / 0.040% taker), and up to 100x leverage across 50+ pairs on multiple chains.
Verdict
7.5/10 · how we rankRanked #2 of 83 perp DEXes by 24h volume (9.7% share, 2026-09-10 snapshot). Taker fee 0.04% is in line with the DEX median of 0.04%.
Best for
Avoid if
Last editorial review 2026-05-15 · live protocol stats refresh every minute — rating is our editorial assessment, not an objective fact.
Key Metrics
- Fees (maker / taker)
- 0% / 0.040%
- Max leverage
- 100x
- Markets
- 50+ pairs
- Chain
- BNB Chain / Arbitrum
- Launch date
- 2024-03
Venue terms from the registry. Daily volume series since 2026-06-05; latest observed day 2026-09-10.
Aster — daily reported perp volume
Go long crude oil or short EUR/USD on BNB Chain — Aster covers forex, gold, and commodities alongside crypto perps. Oracle-based pricing, audits by Salus, PeckShield and Halborn on its yield and stablecoin products, 100x leverage in Pro mode, and zero maker fee across 50 markets. Airdrop & points program
Position vs market
- 1Hyperliquid Perps34.4%
- 2Aster Perps9.7%
- 3Variational8.8%
- 4Lighter Perps6.9%
- 5edgeX V25.9%
- 6GMTrade5.1%
- 7Apex Omni4.6%
- 8Grvt Perps2.7%
- 9StandX Perps2.1%
- 10Lighter Robinhood Perps1.9%
Share of reported 24h volume across the 83 ranked perp DEXes in the 2026-09-10 snapshot. See all 83 venues
Taker fee vs other perp DEXes
Show all 37 venues▾
Published base-tier rates from each venue's fee page. A negative maker fee is a rebate. Volume tiers, referral discounts and token holdings can lower what you pay.
Rating
Advantages
- Diverse asset coverage including forex and commodities alongside crypto
- High leverage up to 100x on supported pairs
- Active points program for early adopters
- Professional trading interface with advanced order types
Considerations
- Lower liquidity compared to top-tier protocols
- Limited ecosystem integrations so far
Key features
Audits
Aster review 2026
What Aster is
Aster came from the merger of APX Finance and Astherus in December 2024. The combined platform relaunched as Aster on March 31, 2025. APX Finance brought the perp trading engine. Astherus added cash and yield tools. The ASTER token replaced the APX token at a 1:1 ratio.
The platform runs on BNB Chain and Arbitrum. It lists 50 markets: crypto perps, forex pairs, raw goods futures, and 24/7 stock perps. Two modes handle access: Simple mode for retail traders and Pro mode for more advanced order types.
Pricing comes from off-chain data feeds, not from on-chain bid-ask flow. This lets Aster list forex and raw goods markets that would be near-impossible on an on-chain order book. There is no native DeFi pool for EUR/USD or crude oil. The trade-off is feed dependency. Price accuracy relies on feed quality. Fills follow feed updates, not live market flow.
Security and audits
Aster's audit page lists reports from Salus Security (asBNB, asCAKE), PeckShield (asBNB, USDF) and Halborn (USDF, asUSDF), plus vault and earn reports without a named firm. The docs do not name an auditor for the perp trading engine itself. Treat the trading contracts as less documented than the yield products. As of May 2026, no major exploit or fund loss has been reported against the Aster contracts.
The wash-trading issue was not a smart contract bug. It was a question about reported volume data. User fund safety and data integrity are separate issues. No depositor funds were at risk during the DefiLlama delisting.
Fees in detail
Standard fees are 0% for makers and 4 bps (0.04%) for takers. A $10,000 round-trip taker trade costs $8. That puts Aster below Aevo at 8 bps ($16 per trade). It is level with ApeX Omni after its referral cut. It is above DESK's 1.75 bps ($3.50). Paying with the ASTER token cuts fees by an extra 5%.
A $50,000 position opened and closed as a taker at 4 bps costs $40. The fee calculator shows this in real time vs all PerpFinder-tracked venues.
Pro mode caps leverage at 100x on most pairs. That 100x figure is the number in the Key Metrics block on this page. Aster also runs a separate high-leverage product that it brands 1001x. The Aster documentation states up to 1001x leverage on select pairs such as BTCUSD, on BNB Chain and Arbitrum. Stock perps carry the most conservative caps.
Volume and the DefiLlama controversy
This is the most important data point for reading Aster's numbers. In October 2025, DefiLlama delisted Aster's volume data over suspected wash trading. DefiLlama found that Aster's volume for pairs like XRP/USDT tracked Binance's perp volumes at about 1:1. That pattern does not fit organic trading. Aster's volumes were near 50% of total DEX perp market share before the delisting.
Aster was relisted on October 19, 2025 after asking for reinstatement. DefiLlama noted the numbers remained "a black box." Aster's CEO said the tie came from airdrop farming by "API traders," not wash trading. Cointelegraph called the event a sign of DeFi's broader data problem.
The PerpFinder team cross-checks Aster's DefiLlama data against our Coinalyze and internal tracking data. See live volume numbers with context on our perpetuals page.
Trading experience
Access requires a Web3 wallet and no KYC. Simple mode offers a clean interface for single-direction trades on crypto majors. Pro mode adds hidden limit orders, stock perps (settled in USDT at Pyth prices), and lower leverage caps than Simple mode.
Aster prices perp fills from off-chain data feeds, not from a live order book. Pro mode supports stop-loss and take-profit orders, per the Aster documentation. PerpFinder measures Aster through its public API and public data only. Read the test method for the sampling rules.
The points program credits trading activity toward a potential future token event. Referral code "9D087C" gives a 10% point bonus to referred users.
Who Aster is for
Traders who want stock perps (AAPL, TSLA, etc.) alongside crypto in one account: Aster is one of a small set of perp DEXes that offer this, alongside DESK.
Traders who need clean, verified volume data: the DefiLlama issue warrants caution. Use our open interest tool to check Aster's reported positions vs other venues.
Traders who want forex and raw goods perps on BNB Chain or Arbitrum: the feed-based model is the only viable path here, and Aster's fees are fair for this use case.
The DefiLlama delisting history most Aster reviews soften
You cannot judge Aster's volume numbers without the delisting context — and most 2026 reviews skip or soften it. Covered here:
1. The October 2025 delisting and relisting history — the volume numbers before and after only make sense with that context 2. Fee context: at 4 bps taker, Aster is in the second tier — not as cheap as DESK (1.75 bps) but well below Aevo (8 bps) 3. We track Aster's volume trend with daily DefiLlama cross-checks — see the perpetuals leaderboard 4. The Simple vs Pro mode split affects both leverage limits and available markets — a detail most sites omit
PerpFinder Research
Editorial TeamEditorial team tracking 100+ perpetual futures venues with live on-chain and exchange data.
Independent Site: PerpFinder is not the venues covered on this page and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the venues it covers. We do not connect wallets, process deposits, distribute tokens, or verify reward eligibility. Never share a password, seed phrase, or private key with anyone.
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Risk Warning: Trading perpetual futures involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Only trade with funds you can afford to lose.
Frequently asked questions
How much leverage does Aster offer?▾
Aster Pro mode tops out at 100x on most perpetual futures pairs. Aster also runs a separate mode that it brands 1001x. The Aster documentation states up to 1001x leverage on select pairs such as BTCUSD. Maximum leverage varies by asset class, and stock perps carry the lowest caps.
What are Aster trading fees?▾
Aster charges 0 basis points (0%) for makers and 4 basis points (0.04%) for takers. Users can reduce fees by 5% when paying with the $ASTER token. The fee structure is competitive with leading perp DEXes.
What types of assets can I trade on Aster?▾
Aster lists around 50 markets spanning crypto perpetuals, forex currency pairs, and commodity futures. This makes it one of the few DeFi platforms where you can go long oil or short EUR/USD alongside standard crypto pairs.
Has Aster been audited?▾
Partly. Aster's docs list audits by Salus Security, PeckShield and Halborn for the asBNB, asCAKE, USDF and asUSDF products, plus vault and earn reports. The docs do not name an auditor for the perp trading engine. Check the audit page before you size a position.
How does the Aster referral program work?▾
Using referral code 9D087C earns a 10% point bonus on all referred trading activity. Points accumulate toward potential future token rewards, making referrals valuable for both direct rewards and long-term upside.
Which chains does Aster run on?▾
Aster runs on BNB Chain and Arbitrum. The Aster documentation lists both networks for its 1001x mode. Low gas costs and fast finality on these networks let an oracle-priced perp exchange settle trades cheaply.
Does Aster have a points program?▾
Yes. Aster runs an active points program rewarding traders based on volume, open interest, and referral activity. Points may convert to future token rewards as the protocol continues to develop its tokenomics.
Related to Aster
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Trading perpetual futures carries significant risk, including potential total loss of capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results.