| FEATURE | PARADEX | PACIFICA |
|---|---|---|
| Type | HYBRID | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0% | 0.04% |
| Maker Fee | 0% | 0.015% |
| Max Leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 63 | 77 |
| Spot Trading | Yes | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 4.5 | 3.6 |
Paradex vs Pacifica: 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, Paradex charges makers nothing, while Pacifica charges makers 0.015%.
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 on Paradex 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
| Paradex | Pacifica | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $0 | $8.00 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $0 | $3.00 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0% | 0.028% |
| BTC max leverage | 50x | 50x |
| Margin modes | cross, isolated, portfolio | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | $6M | $297M |
| TVL | $32M | $27M |
| Custody | hybrid | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDC | USDC, SOL |
| Deposit networks | Ethereum, Starknet, Arbitrum +19 more | Solana |
| Minimum order | $10 | $10 |
| Order types | 11 | 12 |
| Options | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | Yes | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | Yes | Yes |
| Insurance fund | Yes | No |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | 19 | 13 |
| Founded | 2023 | 2025 |
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.
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.
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
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 Paradex or Pacifica better?
Paradex has a higher rating (4.5 vs 3.6). Paradex offers lower fees (0% vs 0.04%). Choose Paradex for lower fees, and Pacifica for its features.
What are the fees on Paradex vs Pacifica?
Paradex charges 0% taker / 0% maker. Pacifica charges 0.04% taker / 0.015% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Paradex or Pacifica?
Paradex 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 Paradex and Pacifica require KYC?
Paradex does not require KYC. Pacifica does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Paradex lists 19; Pacifica lists 13), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Paradex or Pacifica safer?
Paradex has been audited and runs an insurance fund, and custody is hybrid. 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, Paradex or Pacifica?
Paradex recorded $6M in 24-hour volume and Pacifica recorded $297M, as of 2026-10-04. Paradex lists 63 perpetual markets and Pacifica lists 77.