| FEATURE | DYDX | PACIFICA |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.05% | 0.04% |
| Maker Fee | 0.01% | 0.015% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 73 | 77 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 4.0 | 3.6 |
dYdX vs Pacifica: key differences
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $8.00 on Pacifica and $10.00 on dYdX at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $2.00 per round trip.
For limit orders, dYdX charges makers 0.01%, while Pacifica charges makers 0.015%.
Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets, dYdX lists 73.
Pacifica is the more liquid venue, with $297M in 24-hour volume against $3M on dYdX (about 99 times more). Deeper books mean less slippage on large orders.
Neither exchange requires KYC: both are used by connecting a wallet.
Margin is posted in USDC on dYdX and in USDC, SOL on Pacifica.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| dYdX | Pacifica | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $10.00 | $8.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $2.00 | $3.00 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.025% | 0.028% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | $3M | $297M |
| TVL | $108M | $27M |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC | USDC, SOL |
| Deposit networks | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism +6 more | Solana |
| Minimum order | $1 | $10 |
| Order types | 6 | 12 |
| Options | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | Yes | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | No | Yes |
| Insurance fund | Yes | No |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | 16 | 13 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2025 |
Choose dYdX if
- You place limit orders: 0.01% maker fee against 0.015% on Pacifica.
Choose Pacifica if
- You mostly use market orders: 0.04% taker fee against 0.05% on dYdX.
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 77 perpetual pairs against 73.
- You trade size and need liquidity: $297M in 24-hour volume against $3M.
- You want to post margin in more than one asset.
dYdX
PROS
- + Base tier perpetuals fees of 0.05% taker and 0.01% maker, falling to 0.025% taker and a -0.011% maker rebate at 200 million USD of 30-day volume
- + Staking discount on trading fees: 3,000 staked DYDX cuts base tier fees by 25%, and 20,000 staked DYDX cuts them by 50%
- + Onchain governance by DYDX token holders controls fees, market listings and rewards, with 75% of protocol fees directed to DYDX buybacks
CONS
- − Low liquidity in 2026: 24-hour perpetuals volume was about 3 million USD on October 4, 2026, and the active market count fell from 114 to 73 in three months as governance wound down low-activity markets
- − 50x leverage is available only on BTC and ETH; SOL is capped at 20x and the other 70 markets at 5x or 10x
- − Perpetuals are restricted in the US, UK and Canada, so US traders can only use the Solana spot product
Pacifica
PROS
- + Base perpetual fees of 0.015% maker and 0.04% taker, falling to 0% maker above 100 million dollars and 0.028% taker above 500 million dollars of 30-day volume
- + 77 perpetual markets in the API on October 4, 2026, including FX (EURUSD, USDJPY), commodities, US stocks, and SP500, with 50x leverage on BTC, ETH, EURUSD, and USDJPY
- + Wide order type set documented: market, limit, stop market, stop limit, TWAP from 1 minute to 24 hours, scale orders of up to 100 limit orders, OCO, and trailing stop
CONS
- − Restricted in the US, Canada, the UK, China, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, North Korea, and the Philippines under the Terms of Use dated June 11, 2026, and VPN use to bypass the block is prohibited
- − The docs still describe a Closed Beta: account equity for deposits is capped at 500,000 dollars and withdrawals at 500,000 dollars per 24 hours
- − The docs publish one audit report (BlockSec, April 2025) and describe no insurance fund; losses beyond the backstop liquidator are covered by auto-deleveraging of profitable traders
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dYdX or Pacifica better?
dYdX has a higher rating (4 vs 3.6). Pacifica offers lower fees (0.04% vs 0.05%). Choose dYdX for its features, and Pacifica for lower fees.
What are the fees on dYdX vs Pacifica?
dYdX charges 0.05% taker / 0.01% maker. Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, dYdX or Pacifica?
dYdX offers up to 50x, and Pacifica offers up to 50x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do dYdX and Pacifica require KYC?
dYdX does not require KYC. Pacifica does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (dYdX lists 16; Pacifica lists 13), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is dYdX or Pacifica safer?
dYdX has been audited and runs an insurance fund, and custody is non-custodial. Pacifica has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. Neither audits nor insurance funds remove smart contract risk, so size deposits accordingly.
Which has more trading volume, dYdX or Pacifica?
dYdX recorded $3M in 24-hour volume and Pacifica recorded $297M, as of 2026-10-04. dYdX lists 73 perpetual markets and Pacifica lists 77.