Side-by-side comparison of two perpetual futures exchanges — updated in real time.
Hyperliquid and ApeX are both orderbook-based perp DEXes, but they differ in scale and infrastructure. Hyperliquid operates its own L1, while ApeX leverages StarkEx technology on Ethereum L2.
Hyperliquid's proprietary L1 chain delivers 190 markets with sub-second finality and zero gas fees, charging 0.015% maker and 0.045% taker fees with up to 50x leverage. ApeX, powered by StarkEx's proven ZK-rollup technology, offers 40 markets with up to 30x leverage at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker fees. The market count difference is substantial: Hyperliquid lists nearly 5 times as many trading pairs. ApeX accepts both USDC and USDT as collateral, a small advantage over Hyperliquid's USDC-only approach. ApeX uses 8-hour funding intervals compared to Hyperliquid's 1-hour intervals, which affects funding rate exposure. ApeX was launched in November 2022, predating Hyperliquid by about a year, and has established a trade-to-earn model with the APEX token. However, Hyperliquid has significantly outpaced ApeX in daily volume and user adoption. ApeX's StarkEx infrastructure is battle-tested and shared with other major protocols, providing proven security guarantees.
Choose Hyperliquid for significantly more markets, deeper liquidity, and a native L1 trading experience. Choose ApeX if you value StarkEx's proven security, want USDT collateral support, or are farming the APEX trade-to-earn rewards program.
