Side-by-side comparison of two perpetual futures exchanges — updated in real time.
Lighter and Drift are both fee-friendly platforms — Lighter charges nothing, Drift offers maker rebates — but they differ in leverage, scope, and ecosystem.
Lighter's zero-fee on-chain orderbook on Ethereum L2 offers 153 markets with 20x leverage. Drift's hybrid DLOB on Solana provides 53 markets, 20x leverage, maker rebates of 0.0025%, and a 0.035% taker fee. Both platforms cap leverage at 20x, putting them on equal footing for leverage-constrained strategies. Lighter's zero taker fee versus Drift's 0.035% taker fee means Lighter costs less for market orders. For limit orders, Drift's small rebate gives makers a slight edge — they earn 0.0025% per filled order versus earning nothing on Lighter. Lighter lists nearly 3x more markets (153 vs 53). Drift's advantage is its comprehensive DeFi offering: perps, spot trading, borrow-lend, and an Insurance Fund vault all in one protocol. Both accept USDC, with Drift also supporting SOL. The DRIFT token (53% community, monthly trading rewards) has been live longer than LIT (50% community, launched December 2025), giving Drift's ecosystem more maturity.
Choose Lighter for zero trading fees and a wider market selection (153 vs 53). Choose Drift for maker rebates, a full DeFi suite beyond just perps, and Solana's ecosystem with SOL collateral support.
