Pacifica vs Hyperliquid
Detailed side-by-side comparison of features, fees, and trading experience
| FEATURE | PACIFICA | HYPERLIQUID |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.04% | 0.045% |
| Maker Fee | 0.015% | 0.015% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 77 | 330 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 3.6 | 4.8 |
Pacifica vs Hyperliquid: key differences
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $8.00 on Pacifica and $9.00 on Hyperliquid at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $1.00 per round trip.
Hyperliquid lists 330 perpetual markets, Pacifica lists 77.
Hyperliquid is the more liquid venue, with $2.3B in 24-hour volume against $297M on Pacifica (about 7.8 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, HYPE, BTC on Hyperliquid.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Pacifica | Hyperliquid | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $8.00 | $9.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.028% | 0.024% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 40x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | $297M | $2.3B |
| TVL | $27M | $7.3B |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC, SOL | USDC, HYPE, BTC |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Arbitrum, Ethereum, Base +10 more |
| Minimum order | $10 | $10 |
| Order types | 12 | 16 |
| Options | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | Yes | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance fund | No | Yes |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | 13 | 6 |
| Founded | 2025 | 2022 |
Choose Pacifica if
- You mostly use market orders: 0.04% taker fee against 0.045% on Hyperliquid.
Choose Hyperliquid if
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 330 perpetual pairs against 77.
- You trade size and need liquidity: $2.3B in 24-hour volume against $297M.
- You want a sign-up discount: 4% 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
Hyperliquid
PROS
- + Perpetuals taker fee of 0.045% and maker fee of 0.015% at the base tier, falling to 0.024% taker and 0% maker above 7 billion USD in 14-day volume, with a further discount of up to 40% for HYPE stakers
- + Up to 40x leverage on BTC perpetuals, 25x on ETH and 20x on SOL, and up to 50x on HIP-3 FX pairs (EUR, JPY, GBP) and S&P 500 perpetuals
- + No KYC: trading starts after connecting a wallet or email login, funds stay in the user's own account, and every order and liquidation is recorded onchain
CONS
- − USDC is the default perpetuals collateral; HYPE and BTC count as collateral only under portfolio margin, which requires more than 10,000 USD in account value or 5 million USD in volume
- − Restricted in the United States, Ontario (Canada), Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria; the frontend blocks IP addresses from restricted locations
- − The official mobile app is Android only and was released in April 2026 as a limited MVP; there is no iOS app, so iPhone users rely on the web app
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pacifica or Hyperliquid better?
Hyperliquid has a higher rating (4.8 vs 3.6). Pacifica offers lower fees (0.04% vs 0.045%). Choose Pacifica for lower fees, and Hyperliquid for its features.
What are the fees on Pacifica vs Hyperliquid?
Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker. Hyperliquid charges 0.045% taker / 0.015% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Pacifica or Hyperliquid?
Pacifica offers up to 50x, and Hyperliquid offers up to 50x (40x on BTC). Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Pacifica and Hyperliquid require KYC?
Pacifica does not require KYC. Hyperliquid does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Pacifica lists 13; Hyperliquid lists 6), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Pacifica or Hyperliquid safer?
Pacifica has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. Hyperliquid 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 Hyperliquid?
Pacifica recorded $297M in 24-hour volume and Hyperliquid recorded $2.3B, as of 2026-10-04. Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets and Hyperliquid lists 330.