| FEATURE | VELOCITY | ARCUS |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker Fee | 0.06% | 0.0225% |
| Maker Fee | -0.0025% | 0% |
| Max Leverage | 20x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 4 | 60 |
| Spot Trading | No | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 2.5 | 3.6 |
Velocity vs Arcus: key differences
Velocity is still in recovery after a security incident. Read the status notice in the Velocity review before depositing.
Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs $4.50 on Arcus and $12.00 on Velocity at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $7.50 per round trip.
For limit orders, Velocity pays makers a 0.0025% rebate, while Arcus charges makers nothing.
Arcus allows up to 50x leverage against 20x on Velocity. The headline figure usually applies to a few markets only, so check the limit on the pair you trade.
Arcus lists 60 perpetual markets, Velocity lists 4.
Arcus also has spot trading; Velocity is perpetuals only.
Neither exchange requires KYC: both are used by connecting a wallet.
Margin is posted in USDT, SOL, wBTC, wETH on Velocity and in USDG on Arcus.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Velocity | Arcus | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $12.00 | $4.50 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $0.50 rebate | $0 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.02% | 0.0095% |
| BTC max leverage | 20x | 40x |
| Margin modes | cross-margin | cross, isolated |
| 24h volume | — | $238M |
| TVL | $343M | $38M |
| Custody | non-custodial | non-custodial |
| Collateral | USDT, SOL, wBTC, wETH | USDG |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Robinhood Chain, Ethereum, Arbitrum +3 more |
| Minimum order | — | $5 |
| Order types | 11 | 8 |
| Options | No | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | No |
| Testnet or demo | No | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | No | No |
| Insurance fund | Yes | No |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | — | 6 |
| Founded | 2021 | 2026 |
Choose Velocity if
- You have read its recovery status first: users affected by the earlier incident have not been made whole.
- You place limit orders: makers earn a 0.0025% rebate.
- You trade from a phone: Velocity has a mobile app.
- You want to post margin in more than one asset.
- You want a sign-up discount: 5% off fees through a referral link.
Choose Arcus if
- You mostly use market orders: 0.0225% taker fee against 0.06% on Velocity.
- You want higher leverage: up to 50x against 20x.
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 60 perpetual pairs against 4.
- You want spot and perpetuals in one account.
Velocity
PROS
- + Trading is open again: the public beta has been available to all users since September 21, 2026, with BTC, ETH and SOL perpetuals at up to 20x leverage and HYPE at up to 10x
- + Makers receive a 0.0025% rebate on post-only orders at every volume tier, and the taker fee falls from 0.06% to 0.02% above 200 million dollars in 30-day volume
- + One cross-margin account accepts USDT, SOL, wBTC and wETH as collateral, and deposits earn lending interest while they back positions
CONS
- − About 286 million dollars was stolen on April 1, 2026 through compromised administrator keys, and verified user losses are about 295.4 million dollars
- − Affected users have recovered about 1 percent so far: each DFX recovery token redeemed for about 0.0104 USDT from a 3.11 million USDT pool in early October 2026
- − The relaunched exchange lists four perpetual markets, down from more than 40 before the exploit, and spot order book trading was removed
Arcus
PROS
- + 0% maker and 0.0225% taker fee on perpetuals at the base tier, falling to 0.0095% taker with a 0.003% maker rebate at 3 billion dollars of 30-day volume
- + 30 single-stock perpetuals plus SPY, QQQ, gold, silver, copper, and oil markets trade 24/7 next to 24 crypto perpetuals, all from one USDG balance
- + Spot trading of tokenized stocks costs 0% in fees, and Stock Tokens stay in the user's own wallet
CONS
- − Perpetuals are in beta: new users need a waitlist cohort or a single-use invite code, and the iOS and Android apps were still in pre-order on October 4, 2026
- − Not available in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom under the Terms of Use dated May 28, 2026
- − USDG is the only collateral asset, and 54 of the 60 online markets are capped at 20x leverage or less, with most single stocks at 5x or 10x
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Velocity or Arcus better?
Arcus has a higher rating (3.6 vs 2.5). Arcus offers lower fees (0.0225% vs 0.06%). Choose Velocity for its features, and Arcus for lower fees.
What are the fees on Velocity vs Arcus?
Velocity charges 0.06% taker / -0.0025% maker. Arcus charges 0.0225% taker / 0% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Velocity or Arcus?
Velocity offers up to 20x, and Arcus offers up to 50x (40x on BTC). Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Velocity and Arcus require KYC?
Velocity does not require KYC. Arcus does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Velocity publishes no list we could verify; Arcus lists 6), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Velocity or Arcus safer?
Velocity has been audited and runs an insurance fund, and custody is non-custodial. Arcus 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.