| FEATURE | AVANTIS | DRIFT |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.045% | 0.06% |
| Maker Fee | 0.001% | -0.0025% |
| Max Leverage | 500x | 20x |
| Perp Pairs | 148 | 4 |
| Spot Trading | No | No |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 3.5 | 2.5 |
Avantis vs Drift: key differences
Drift is still in recovery after a security incident. Read the status notice in the Drift review before depositing.
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $9.00 on Avantis and $12.00 on Drift at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $3.00 per round trip.
For limit orders, Avantis charges makers 0.001%, while Drift pays makers a 0.0025% rebate.
Avantis allows up to 500x leverage against 20x on Drift. The headline figure usually applies to a few markets only, so check the limit on the pair you trade.
Avantis lists 148 perpetual markets, Drift lists 4.
Neither exchange requires KYC: both are used by connecting a wallet.
Margin is posted in USDC on Avantis and in USDT, SOL, wBTC, wETH on Drift.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Avantis | Drift | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $9.00 | $12.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $0.20 | $0.50 rebate |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.0315% | 0.02% |
| BTC max leverage | 500x | 20x |
| Margin modes | isolated | cross-margin |
| 24h volume | $50M | — |
| TVL | $11M | $343M |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC | USDT, SOL, wBTC, wETH |
| Deposit networks | Base, Ethereum | Solana |
| Minimum order | $100 | — |
| Order types | 8 | 11 |
| Options | No | No |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | No | No |
| Vaults or copy trading | No | No |
| Insurance fund | No | Yes |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | 6 | — |
| Founded | 2023 | 2021 |
Choose Avantis if
- You mostly use market orders: 0.045% taker fee against 0.06% on Drift.
- You want higher leverage: up to 500x against 20x.
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 148 perpetual pairs against 4.
Choose Drift if
- You have read its recovery status first: users affected by the earlier incident have not been made whole.
- You place limit orders: makers earn a 0.0025% rebate.
- You trade from a phone: Drift has a mobile app.
- You want to post margin in more than one asset.
Avantis
PROS
- + Zero maker and taker fees on forex, commodities, indices and equities while those markets are in growth mode (spread and funding still apply)
- + Crypto fees of 0.045% taker and 0.001% maker per side, where maker means a trade that reduces open-interest skew
- + Upside Perps on BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP and HYPE: no opening, closing or borrow fees, and traders keep 75% to 95% of profit on winning trades
CONS
- − Deployed on Base only, and USDC is the only accepted collateral
- − Fixed-fee leverage on crypto majors is capped at 50x and altcoins at 40x; higher crypto leverage requires Upside Perps, which take 5% to 25% of profit
- − Profit on a single position is capped at 2500% of collateral on most markets, and positions are liquidated at an 85% loss
Drift
PROS
- + Trading is open again: the public beta has been available to all users since September 21, 2026, with BTC, ETH and SOL perpetuals at up to 20x leverage and HYPE at up to 10x
- + Makers receive a 0.0025% rebate on post-only orders at every volume tier, and the taker fee falls from 0.06% to 0.02% above 200 million dollars in 30-day volume
- + One cross-margin account accepts USDT, SOL, wBTC and wETH as collateral, and deposits earn lending interest while they back positions
CONS
- − About 286 million dollars was stolen on April 1, 2026 through compromised administrator keys, and verified user losses are about 295.4 million dollars
- − Affected users have recovered about 1 percent so far: each DFX recovery token redeemed for about 0.0104 USDT from a 3.11 million USDT pool in early October 2026
- − The relaunched exchange lists four perpetual markets, down from more than 40 before the exploit, and spot order book trading was removed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Avantis or Drift better?
Avantis has a higher rating (3.5 vs 2.5). Avantis offers lower fees (0.045% vs 0.06%). Choose Avantis for lower fees, and Drift for its features.
What are the fees on Avantis vs Drift?
Avantis charges 0.045% taker / 0.001% maker. Drift charges 0.06% taker / -0.0025% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Avantis or Drift?
Avantis offers up to 500x, and Drift offers up to 20x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Avantis and Drift require KYC?
Avantis does not require KYC. Drift does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Avantis lists 6; Drift publishes no list we could verify), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Avantis or Drift safer?
Avantis has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. Drift has been audited and runs an insurance fund, and custody is non-custodial. Neither audits nor insurance funds remove smart contract risk, so size deposits accordingly.