Extended vs Gains Network Comparison
| 0% maker / 0.025% taker | Fees | 0.08% opening / 0.08% closing |
Cost comparison
The basis is a Bitcoin purchase worth €1,000, including all fees and spreads.
| 0% maker / 0.025% taker | Fees | 0.08% opening / 0.08% closing |
Pros & Cons
- 0% maker fee, 0.025% taker
- Daily maker rebates based on maker share
- Very low network fees on Starknet
- Unified margin across several asset classes
- Self-custody
- Considerably smaller than the market leaders
- Around 50 trading pairs — a narrower list than competitors
- No EU authorisation
- Support runs through community channels
- More than 270 pairs across crypto, forex, commodities and equities
- Forex and commodity trading without a conventional brokerage account
- Collateral in DAI, USDC or WETH
- Available on several chains
- Capital-efficient synthetic model
- Leverage up to 500x on crypto and 1000x on forex — barely manageable for retail traders
- Synthetic model with oracle dependence as a structural risk factor
- The counterparty is the protocol's liquidity vault
- No EU authorisation
Score Comparison
Features
- Fee-free on the maker side
- Team with Revolut roots
- Cross-asset collateral and unified margin
- Network costs in the cents range
- Widest market list in this comparison
- Forex and commodities tradable on-chain
- Several chains and collateral types
- Synthetic model without custody of underlying assets
The five areas head to head
AI AnalysisFees & Costs
Makers pay no trading fee, takers 0.025%. Depending on 30-day maker share, daily rebates of up to 2 basis points apply on top. Network fees on Starknet typically run to a few cents per transaction and barely register against the trading fee. As of August 2026.
Fees apply on opening and closing a position and run to a few tenths of a percent depending on asset class and pair, with holding costs on top. Network fees follow the chain in use and are low on Polygon, Arbitrum and Base. Exact rates vary by market and should be checked in the interface before trading. As of August 2026.
Usability & User Experience
The interface is functional and aimed at users with futures experience. Access runs through a wallet connection. As of August 2026.
The interface is functional but busier than the pure crypto competitors given the market breadth. Anyone unfamiliar with synthetic trading should read up on oracle pricing and vault mechanics first. As of August 2026.
Features & Offering
Extended runs more than 50 perpetual pairs and adds spot and lending markets. Collateral can be deployed across asset classes and margin is unified at account level. Alongside standard order types there are TP/SL brackets that set target and stop together. As of August 2026.
gTrade tracks more than 270 pairs synthetically — cryptocurrencies alongside forex, commodities, equities and indices. Collateral can be posted in DAI, USDC or WETH. Leverage tiers reach 500x in crypto and 1000x in forex depending on asset class. The protocol runs on Polygon, Arbitrum and Base. As of August 2026.
Details
| Extended Finance | Company | Gains Network |
| Unknown (Decentralised team) | Headquarters | Decentralised, no registered office |
Verdict
In our overall rating Extended leads with 4.4 against 3.6 for Gains Network.
For most investors Extended is therefore the better choice.
Extended was built by a team with a Revolut background and runs on Starknet mainnet. The product promise goes beyond plain perpetuals: collateral can be used across asset classes, margin is unified, and spot and lending markets round out the offering.
On price Extended leads: makers pay nothing, takers 0.025%, with daily maker rebates depending on maker share. Network fees on Starknet run to a few cents per transaction, so total costs stay low even for frequent trading.
Scale needs stating plainly: measured by capital locked, Extended is far smaller than Hyperliquid or Lighter, and the market list covers roughly 50 pairs. The platform holds no EU authorisation; perpetuals sit outside MiCA in any case, and tax reporting rests entirely with the user.
Gains Network runs gTrade, a platform that stands well apart from pure crypto perpetuals. Trading is synthetic: no underlying assets are custodied, only price differences are tracked. That allows a market breadth unmatched in this comparison — more than 270 pairs across crypto, forex, commodities and equities.
Leverage tiers are correspondingly extreme: up to 500x in crypto and up to 1000x in forex. Figures at that level are practically unmanageable for retail traders, with liquidation thresholds a fraction of a percent away. Collateral can be posted in DAI, USDC or WETH. The protocol runs on Polygon, Arbitrum and Base, with indices additionally on Solana.
The synthetic model carries a structural risk factor: prices come from oracle feeds and the counterparty is ultimately the protocol's liquidity vault. For users seeking forex or commodity leverage without a brokerage account, gTrade remains one of the few serious on-chain venues. The platform holds no EU authorisation; perpetuals sit outside MiCA in any case, and tax reporting rests entirely with the user.