| FEATURE | PACIFICA | AEVO |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Maker Fee | 0.015% | 0.05% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 20x |
| Perp Pairs | 77 | 102 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | No |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 3.6 | 4.2 |
Pacifica vs Aevo: key differences
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $8.00 on Pacifica and $16.00 on Aevo at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $8.00 per round trip.
For limit orders, Pacifica charges makers 0.015%, while Aevo charges makers 0.05%.
Pacifica allows up to 50x leverage against 20x on Aevo. The headline figure usually applies to a few markets only, so check the limit on the pair you trade.
Aevo lists 102 perpetual markets, Pacifica lists 77.
Pacifica also has spot trading; Aevo is perpetuals only.
Pacifica is the more liquid venue, with $297M in 24-hour volume against $2M on Aevo (about 149 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, SOL on Pacifica and in USDC, USDT, aeUSD, ETH +2 more on Aevo.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Pacifica | Aevo | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $8.00 | $16.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $3.00 | $10.00 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.028% | 0.064% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 20x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | $297M | $2M |
| TVL | $27M | $15M |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC, SOL | USDC, USDT, aeUSD, ETH +2 more |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base +1 more |
| Minimum order | $10 | $10 |
| Order types | 12 | 7 |
| Options | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | Yes | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | Yes | No |
| Insurance fund | No | Yes |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | 13 | 18 |
| Founded | 2025 | 2022 |
Choose Pacifica if
- You mostly use market orders: 0.04% taker fee against 0.08% on Aevo.
- You place limit orders: 0.015% maker fee against 0.05% on Aevo.
- You want higher leverage: up to 50x against 20x.
- You trade size and need liquidity: $297M in 24-hour volume against $2M.
- You want spot and perpetuals in one account.
Choose Aevo if
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 102 perpetual pairs against 77.
- You trade options as well as perpetuals.
- You want a sign-up discount: 10% off fees through a referral link.
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
Aevo
PROS
- + Options order book on BTC, ETH, SOL and HYPE next to 102 perpetual markets, all under one margin account with optional portfolio margin
- + 47 real-world asset perpetuals (US stocks, ETFs, gold, silver, oil, FX and pre-IPO names such as OpenAI) in addition to 55 crypto pairs
- + No KYC: trading starts after connecting an EVM wallet, and the exchange is non-custodial with settlement on the Aevo rollup
CONS
- − Maximum 20x leverage, and only on BTC, ETH, SOL, HYPE and ZEC; the other 97 perpetual markets are capped at 10x or 3x, far below GMX (100x) or Avantis (500x)
- − Base perpetual fees of 0.08% taker and 0.05% maker are higher than on Hyperliquid (0.045% taker), and makers pay a fee instead of getting a rebate
- − Low liquidity: about 2 million dollars of 24h perpetual volume and about 15 million dollars of TVL, which means thin order books on smaller pairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pacifica or Aevo better?
Aevo has a higher rating (4.2 vs 3.6). Pacifica offers lower fees (0.04% vs 0.08%). Choose Pacifica for lower fees, and Aevo for its features.
What are the fees on Pacifica vs Aevo?
Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker. Aevo charges 0.08% taker / 0.05% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Pacifica or Aevo?
Pacifica offers up to 50x, and Aevo offers up to 20x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Pacifica and Aevo require KYC?
Pacifica does not require KYC. Aevo does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Pacifica lists 13; Aevo lists 18), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Pacifica or Aevo safer?
Pacifica has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. Aevo 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.
Which has more trading volume, Pacifica or Aevo?
Pacifica recorded $297M in 24-hour volume and Aevo recorded $2M, as of 2026-10-04. Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets and Aevo lists 102.