Side-by-side comparison of two perpetual futures exchanges — updated in real time.
Drift and ApeX compete across Solana and Ethereum L2 with different trading models and DeFi integration levels. Drift offers a comprehensive DeFi suite with maker rebates, while ApeX provides proven StarkEx infrastructure.
Drift operates on Solana with a hybrid DLOB model, offering 53 markets, 20x leverage, maker rebates of 0.0025%, and a 0.035% taker fee. ApeX runs on StarkEx (Ethereum L2) with 40 markets, 30x leverage, 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker fees. Drift has lower taker fees (0.035% vs 0.05%) and pays makers, while ApeX charges makers 0.02%. ApeX offers higher leverage (30x vs 20x) and supports USDT alongside USDC, while Drift supports SOL alongside USDC. Market counts are in a similar range (53 vs 40), with Drift listing somewhat more pairs. Drift's key advantage is its full DeFi suite — perps, spot, borrow-lend, and Insurance Fund — while ApeX is focused on perps. ApeX's StarkEx ZK-rollup provides cryptographic proofs of every state transition, while Drift relies on Solana's consensus. Drift has been live since November 2021, ApeX since November 2022. Both have active token reward programs.
Choose Drift for lower taker fees, maker rebates, a complete DeFi suite on Solana, and SOL collateral. Choose ApeX for higher leverage (30x vs 20x), USDT collateral support, and StarkEx's ZK-rollup security guarantees.
