Astervs
Variational
Funding rates, fees, liquidity and airdrop status compared for perpetual-futures traders.
Funding setups between these venues
Across 45 liquid markets shared by Aster and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $CASHCAT (long Variational, short Aster): it paid 61.6% APR, 57.4% after costs, and held 61% of the time.
45 common liquid markets. Ranked by what the setup actually paid over 7 days after entry and exit costs — not by the instantaneous APR.
“7d avg” is the funding spread the pair actually paid over the last 7 days. “After costs” subtracts taker fees for opening and closing both legs over a 7-day hold. “Holds” is the share of hours the spread kept the same sign and at least 5% APR.
| Aster | Variational | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker fee | 0.04% | 0%✓ |
| Maker fee | 0.01% | 0%✓ |
| Open Interest | $1.41B✓ | $1.06B |
| 24h Volume | $848.1M | $1.04B✓ |
| Avg Funding APR | 13.86% | 5.85% |
| Markets | 528✓ | 522 |
| Airdrop / token | Listed | Points Active |
Aster and Variational are both perpetual-futures venues tracked on ORBIT. On fees, Variational is cheaper (0% vs 0.04% taker). On liquidity, Aster is deeper with $1.41B 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 Aster and Variational diverge right now, then verify the pair in the backtester.
Frequently asked questions
- Which funding setup between Aster and Variational pays most?
- Across 45 liquid markets shared by Aster and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $CASHCAT (long Variational, short Aster): it paid 61.6% APR, 57.4% after costs, and held 61% of the time. Ranking is by the 7-day payout after costs, not by the instantaneous APR.
- Is Aster or Variational cheaper?
- Aster charges 0.04% taker / 0.01% maker; Variational charges 0% taker / 0% maker. Variational has the lower taker fee, which matters most for funding arbitrage since entries and exits are taker orders.
- Which has deeper liquidity, Aster or Variational?
- Aster has $1.41B open interest across 528 markets; Variational has $1.06B across 522. Aster is deeper, which means lower slippage at size.
- Can I run funding arbitrage between Aster and Variational?
- 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.