| FEATURE | VELOCITY | PARADEX |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | HYBRID |
| Taker Fee | 0.06% | 0% |
| Maker Fee | -0.0025% | 0% |
| Max Leverage | 20x | 50x |
| Perp Pairs | 4 | 63 |
| Spot Trading | No | Yes |
| KYC Required | No | No |
| Rating | 2.5 | 4.5 |
Velocity vs Paradex: 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 $0 on Paradex and $12.00 on Velocity at base-tier taker fees, a difference of $12.00 per round trip.
For limit orders, Velocity pays makers a 0.0025% rebate, while Paradex charges makers nothing.
Paradex 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.
Paradex lists 63 perpetual markets, Velocity lists 4.
Paradex 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 USDC on Paradex.
Figures as of 2026-10-04, from each exchange's documentation, CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Costs, liquidity and safety in detail
| Velocity | Paradex | |
|---|---|---|
| Taker round trip on $10,000 | $12.00 | $0 |
| Maker round trip on $10,000 | $0.50 rebate | $0 |
| Best-tier taker fee | 0.02% | 0% |
| BTC max leverage | 20x | 50x |
| Margin modes | cross-margin | cross, isolated, portfolio |
| 24h volume | — | $6M |
| TVL | $343M | $32M |
| Custody | non-custodial | hybrid |
| Collateral | USDT, SOL, wBTC, wETH | USDC |
| Deposit networks | Solana | Ethereum, Starknet, Arbitrum +19 more |
| Minimum order | — | $10 |
| Order types | 11 | 11 |
| Options | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Testnet or demo | No | Yes |
| Vaults or copy trading | No | Yes |
| Insurance fund | Yes | Yes |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Restricted jurisdictions | — | 19 |
| Founded | 2021 | 2023 |
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 want to post margin in more than one asset.
- You want a sign-up discount: 5% off fees through a referral link.
Choose Paradex if
- You mostly use market orders: 0% taker fee against 0.06% on Velocity.
- You want higher leverage: up to 50x against 20x.
- You trade smaller or newer markets: 63 perpetual pairs against 4.
- You want spot and perpetuals in one account.
- You trade options as well as perpetuals.
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
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 Velocity or Paradex better?
Paradex has a higher rating (4.5 vs 2.5). Paradex offers lower fees (0% vs 0.06%). Choose Velocity for its features, and Paradex for lower fees.
What are the fees on Velocity vs Paradex?
Velocity charges 0.06% taker / -0.0025% maker. Paradex charges 0% taker / 0% maker for perpetuals.
Which has higher leverage, Velocity or Paradex?
Velocity offers up to 20x, and Paradex offers up to 50x. Maximum leverage applies to selected markets and falls as position size grows on both exchanges.
Do Velocity and Paradex require KYC?
Velocity does not require KYC. Paradex does not require KYC. Both restrict some jurisdictions (Velocity publishes no list we could verify; Paradex lists 19), so check the terms of service for your country before depositing.
Is Velocity or Paradex safer?
Velocity has been audited and runs an insurance fund, 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.