| FEATURE | PACIFICA | PARADEX |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | HYBRID |
| Taker Fee | 0.04% | 0% |
| Maker Fee | 0.015% | 0% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 77 | 63 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 3.6 | 4.5 |
Pacifica vs Paradex: key differences
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $0 on Paradex and $8.00 on Pacifica at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $8.00 per round trip.
For limit orders, Pacifica charges makers 0.015%, while Paradex charges makers nothing.
Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets, Paradex lists 63.
Pacifica is the more liquid venue, with $297M in 24-hour volume against $6M on Paradex (about 50 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 Paradex.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Pacifica | Paradex | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $8.00 | $0 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $3.00 | $0 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.028% | 0% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated | cross, isolated, portfolio |
| 24h volume | $297M | $6M |
| TVL | $27M | $32M |
| Custody | non-custodial | hybrid |
| Collateral | USDC, SOL | USDC |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Ethereum, Starknet, Arbitrum +19 more |
| Minimum order | $10 | $10 |
| Order types | 12 | 11 |
| Options | No | Yes |
| 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 | 19 |
| Founded | 2025 | 2023 |
Choose Pacifica if
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 77 perpetual pairs against 63.
- You trade size and need liquidity: $297M in 24-hour volume against $6M.
- You want to post margin in more than one asset.
Choose Paradex if
- You mostly use market orders: 0% taker fee against 0.04% on Pacifica.
- You place limit orders: 0% maker fee against 0.015% on Pacifica.
- You trade options as well as perpetuals.
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
Paradex
PROS
- + Zero trading fees for retail orders (0% maker and 0% taker) on all 63 perpetual futures markets, on dated options, and on spot
- + Private trading: positions, orders, entries, exits, and PnL are encrypted and hidden from other traders, which limits liquidation sniping and front-running
- + 63 perpetual markets beyond crypto, including GOOGL, META, MSFT, and MSTR, the US100 and US500 indices, gold, silver, copper, and crude oil, plus about 6,700 options contracts on 11 underlyings
CONS
- − USDC is the only collateral asset. Spot balances in other tokens count toward account value but cannot be used as margin for perpetuals
- − Not available to US and Canadian persons, residents of US territories, or people in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Sevastopol
- − Pro orders sent through the standard API are not free: 0.003% maker since July 3, 2026 and 0.045% taker at the base tier, with a 0.0175% floor after all discounts
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pacifica or Paradex better?
Paradex has a higher rating (4.5 vs 3.6). Paradex offers lower fees (0% vs 0.04%). Choose Pacifica for its features, and Paradex for lower fees.
What are the fees on Pacifica vs Paradex?
Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker. Paradex charges 0% taker / 0% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Pacifica or Paradex?
Pacifica offers up to 50x, and Paradex offers up to 50x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Pacifica and Paradex require KYC?
Pacifica does not require KYC. Paradex does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Pacifica lists 13; Paradex lists 19), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Pacifica or Paradex safer?
Pacifica has been audited and has no insurance fund on record here, and custody is non-custodial. Paradex has been audited and runs an insurance fund, and custody is hybrid. Neither audits nor insurance funds remove smart contract risk, so size deposits accordingly.
Which has more trading volume, Pacifica or Paradex?
Pacifica recorded $297M in 24-hour volume and Paradex recorded $6M, as of 2026-10-04. Pacifica lists 77 perpetual markets and Paradex lists 63.