| FEATURE | PACIFICA | DYDX |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| Maker Fee | 0.015% | 0.01% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 77 | 73 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 3.6 | 4.0 |
Pacifica vs dYdX: 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, Pacifica charges makers 0.015%, while dYdX charges makers 0.01%.
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, SOL on Pacifica and in USDC on dYdX.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Pacifica | dYdX | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $8.00 | $10.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.028% | 0.025% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | $297M | $3M |
| TVL | $27M | $108M |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC, SOL | USDC |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism +6 more |
| Minimum order | $10 | $1 |
| Order types | 12 | 6 |
| Options | No | No |
| 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 | 16 |
| Founded | 2025 | 2017 |
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.
Choose dYdX if
- You place limit orders: 0.01% maker fee against 0.015% on Pacifica.
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
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pacifica or dYdX better?
dYdX has a higher rating (4 vs 3.6). Pacifica offers lower fees (0.04% vs 0.05%). Choose Pacifica for lower fees, and dYdX for its features.
What are the fees on Pacifica vs dYdX?
Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker. dYdX charges 0.05% taker / 0.01% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Pacifica or dYdX?
Pacifica offers up to 50x, and dYdX offers up to 50x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Pacifica and dYdX require KYC?
Pacifica does not require KYC. dYdX does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Pacifica lists 13; dYdX lists 16), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Pacifica or dYdX safer?
Pacifica has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. dYdX 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 dYdX?
Pacifica recorded $297M in 24-hour volume and dYdX recorded $3M, as of 2026-10-04. Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets and dYdX lists 73.