Variationalvs
Paradex
Funding rates, fees, liquidity and airdrop status compared for perpetual-futures traders.
Funding setups between these venues
Across 2 liquid markets shared by Paradex and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $BTC (long Variational, short Paradex): it paid 1.0% APR, 0.2% after costs, and held 11% of the time.
2 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.
| Variational | Paradex | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | DEX | DEX |
| Taker fee | 0%✓ | 0.0075% |
| Maker fee | 0% | 0% |
| Open Interest | $967.7M✓ | $5.9M |
| 24h Volume | $2.92B✓ | $9.0M |
| Avg Funding APR | 6.02% | 5.73% |
| Markets | 535✓ | 65 |
| Airdrop / token | Points Active | Season 2 |
Variational and Paradex are both perpetual-futures venues tracked on ORBIT. On fees, Variational is cheaper (0% vs 0.0075% taker). On liquidity, Variational is deeper with $967.7M 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 Variational and Paradex diverge right now, then verify the pair in the backtester.
Frequently asked questions
- Which funding setup between Variational and Paradex pays most?
- Across 2 liquid markets shared by Paradex and Variational, the best funding setup over the past 7 days is $BTC (long Variational, short Paradex): it paid 1.0% APR, 0.2% after costs, and held 11% of the time. Ranking is by the 7-day payout after costs, not by the instantaneous APR.
- Is Variational or Paradex cheaper?
- Variational charges 0% taker / 0% maker; Paradex charges 0.0075% 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, Variational or Paradex?
- Variational has $967.7M open interest across 535 markets; Paradex has $5.9M across 65. Variational is deeper, which means lower slippage at size.
- Can I run funding arbitrage between Variational and Paradex?
- 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.