Astervs
Variational
Funding rates, fees, liquidity and airdrop status compared for perpetual-futures traders.
Funding setups between these venues
Across 44 liquid markets shared by Aster and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $ASTER (long Variational, short Aster): it paid 19.6% APR, 15.4% after costs, and held 61% of the time.
44 common liquid markets. Ranked by what the setup actually paid over 7 days after entry and exit costs β not by the instantaneous APR.
| Coin | Long | Short | 7d avg | After costs | Holds | Pays back | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ASTER | Variational | Aster | 19.6% now 37.4% | 15.4% | 61% | 1 d | Backtest β |
| $ATOM | Variational | Aster | 17.9% now 6.3% | 13.7% | 73% | 2 d | Backtest β |
| $WTI | Variational | Aster | 16.6% now 0.0% | 12.4% | 46% | 2 d | Backtest β |
| $AVAX | Variational | Aster | 14.7% now 3.2% | 10.5% | 66% | 2 d | Backtest β |
| $SUI | Variational | Aster | 12.1% now 15.6% | 7.9% | 79% | 2 d | Backtest β |
| $XMR | Variational | Aster | 11.5% now -19.9% | 7.3% | 35% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $LTC | Variational | Aster | 11.0% now 5.8% | 6.9% | 75% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $AAVE | Variational | Aster | 10.9% now 10.9% | 6.7% | 78% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $LINK | Variational | Aster | 9.9% now 15.5% | 5.8% | 90% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $WLD | Variational | Aster | 9.0% now -2.8% | 4.8% | 51% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $XAG | Variational | Aster | 8.8% now 0.0% | 4.6% | 46% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $WLFI | Variational | Aster | 8.4% now 0.0% | 4.3% | 51% | 3 d | Backtest β |
| $SPY | Variational | Aster | 7.8% now 0.0% | 3.6% | 34% | 4 d | Backtest β |
| $NVDA | Aster | Variational | 7.5% now 0.0% | 3.3% | 55% | 4 d | Backtest β |
| $UNI | Variational | Aster | 7.2% now 12.3% | 3.0% | 66% | 4 d | Backtest β |
β7d avgβ is the funding spread the pair actually paid over the last 7 days. βAfter costsβ subtracts taker fees for opening and closing both legs over a 7-day hold. βHoldsβ 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%β |
| Maker fee | 0.01% | 0%β |
| Open Interest | $1.24Bβ | $723.4M |
| 24h Volume | $1.75B | $1.85Bβ |
| Avg Funding APR | 7.52% | 3.81% |
| Markets | 549 | 550β |
| 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 $1.24B open interest, which means less slippage at size.
For a funding-arbitrage trader the practical answer is rarely βone or the otherβ β 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.
How this pair behaves
Of 15 setups between Aster and Variational with 7 days of payouts, 15 stay positive after entry and exit costs. In a typical setup the spread keeps its sign and at least 5% APR 61% of the hours. Opening and closing both legs costs a median 0.08% of the position, paid back in about 3 days. The instantaneous rate is often higher than the weekly one: pick by the "7d avg" and "After costs" columns, not by the current APR.
Related venue pairs
Frequently asked questions
- Which funding setup between Aster and Variational pays most?
- Across 44 liquid markets shared by Aster and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $ASTER (long Variational, short Aster): it paid 19.6% APR, 15.4% 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 $1.24B open interest across 549 markets; Variational has $723.4M across 550. Aster is deeper, which means lower slippage at size.
- Can I run funding arbitrage between Aster and Variational?
- Yes β 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.