Variationalvs
Paradex
Funding rates, fees, liquidity and airdrop status compared for perpetual-futures traders.
| Variational | Paradex | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker fee | 0 bps✓ | 0.75 bps |
| Maker fee | 0 bps | 0 bps |
| Open Interest | $522.5M✓ | $9.7M |
| 24h Volume | $934.5M✓ | $9.0M |
| Avg Funding APR | -430.65% | 6.22% |
| Markets | 50 | 50 |
| Airdrop / token | Points Active | Season 2 |
Variational and Paradex are both perpetual-futures venues tracked on ORBIT. On fees, Variational is cheaper (0 vs 0.75 bps taker). On liquidity, Variational is deeper with $522.5M open interest, which means less slippage at size.
For a funding-arbitrage trader the practical answer is rarely “one or the other” — you often use both, going long on whichever venue has the lower funding for a given asset and short on the other. Open the Funding Screener to see where Variational and Paradex diverge right now, then verify the pair in the backtester.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Variational or Paradex cheaper?
- Variational charges 0 bps taker / 0 bps maker; Paradex charges 0.75 bps taker / 0 bps maker. Variational has the lower taker fee, which matters most for funding arbitrage since entries and exits are taker orders.
- Which has deeper liquidity, Variational or Paradex?
- Variational has $522.5M open interest across 50 markets; Paradex has $9.7M across 50. Variational is deeper, which means lower slippage at size.
- Can I run funding arbitrage between Variational and Paradex?
- Yes — when an asset's funding diverges between the two, go long on the lower-funding venue and short on the higher one. Find live divergences on the ORBIT screener and backtest the exact pair before sizing it.