Aster vs Backpack Comparison
| 0% maker / 0.04% taker (USDT perps) | Fees | 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker |
Cost comparison
The basis is a Bitcoin purchase worth €1,000, including all fees and spreads.
| 0% maker / 0.04% taker (USDT perps) | Fees | 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker |
Pros & Cons
- 0% maker fee on perpetuals
- Four chains — BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana and Arbitrum — from one interface
- Collateral can keep earning yield while positions stay open
- Non-custodial with on-chain settlement
- No KYC for on-chain trading
- No EU authorisation
- 1001x leverage marketing sets an unrealistic anchor
- Liquidity thinner than the volume leaders in smaller markets
- Tax reporting rests entirely with the user
- MiCA authorisation for the European entity, passported across the EU
- Perpetuals for EU clients through an entity under MiFID II supervision
- A named European supervisory counterparty
- Clean, approachable interface
- 200+ markets in the global offering
- EU clients limited to roughly 40 pairs and 10x leverage
- Fees above the fee-free competitors
- Not a pure DEX — execution runs on operator-run order-book infrastructure
- Account with identity verification required
Score Comparison
Features
- Maker fee at 0% since February 2026
- Four chains in one trading interface
- Yield-bearing collateral
- CEX-grade order-book experience
- One of the few perpetual venues with EU authorisation
- MiCA CASP since May 2026
- Perpetuals for EU clients since September 2025
- Solana-native infrastructure
The five areas head to head
AI AnalysisFees & Costs
Since February 2026 no maker fees apply on perpetual contracts; takers pay 0.04% on USDT-margined perpetuals and considerably less on USD1 perpetuals. Perpetuals on tokenised equities carry no trading fee. Network fees of the chain in use apply on top and vary by chain. As of August 2026.
Standard fees are 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers, roughly the market average. At high volume, taker fees can be reduced further through limit orders. Against the fee-free competitors in this segment that is the more expensive route — set against a regulated framework. As of August 2026.
Usability & User Experience
The interface follows centralised exchange conventions and is quick to navigate for anyone with futures experience. Access is by wallet connection without registration. Traders using several chains need to watch collateral and gas conditions on each. As of August 2026.
The interface is among the most approachable in the segment and navigable even without long futures experience. Unlike the pure on-chain competitors, an account with identity verification is required. As of August 2026.
Features & Offering
Aster combines perpetuals on cryptocurrencies with perpetuals on tokenised equities and metals. Alongside market, limit, stop-loss and take-profit orders it offers hidden orders and grid trading. A distinguishing feature is yield-bearing collateral: posted capital can continue to earn while a position stays open. As of August 2026.
Globally the offering spans more than 200 markets at up to 50x leverage. EU clients operate under a separate, tighter frame: roughly 40 perpetual pairs and up to 10x leverage, offered through a European entity under MiFID II supervision. Reduce-only orders are available alongside standard order types. As of August 2026.
Details
| Aster (merger of Astherus & APX Finance) | Company | Backpack Exchange (Coral) |
| Seychelles | Headquarters | United Arab Emirates |
Verdict
In our overall rating Aster leads with 4.7 against 2.9 for Backpack.
For most investors Aster is therefore the better choice.
Aster emerged from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance and positions itself as the multi-chain alternative to single-chain perpetual DEXs. Trading spans BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana and Arbitrum, settlement stays on-chain and custody stays with the user.
On pricing, Aster moved in February 2026: makers pay 0% on perpetuals, takers 0.04% on USDT-margined perpetuals, and perpetuals on tokenised equities carry no trading fee at all. Collateral posted in certain forms continues to earn yield while a position is open.
The advertised 1001x leverage is mainly a marketing signal and is barely usable in practice — liquidation thresholds at that level are extremely tight. The platform holds no EU authorisation; perpetuals sit outside MiCA in any case, and tax reporting rests entirely with the user. Aster is worth a look for experienced traders who want several chains from one interface.
Backpack sits apart in this comparison because the question is not whether you accept a regulatory gap. Its European entity obtained a MiCA CASP licence and a payment institution licence from the Latvian central bank in May 2026, both passported across the EU and EEA. Perpetuals themselves fall outside MiCA — a separate European entity under MiFID II supervision covers them.
The price of that protection is a much tighter frame: EU clients trade roughly 40 pairs at up to 10x leverage, against up to 50x globally. Fees of 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker sit around the market average and above the fee-free competitors.
For EU-based traders this is a different proposition from the rest of the field: less leverage, fewer markets, higher fees — but a regulated framework and a named supervisory counterparty. For anyone unwilling to trade perpetuals entirely outside European supervision, it is one of the few available routes.