Aster Fees Explained

Rates verified against official Aster docs on 2026-07-17.

Aster splits its perpetual futures into two contract families by collateral asset, each running its own fee schedule, alongside a separate spot market. At the base rate — before any ASTER token discount or VIP adjustment — every maker order on Aster's perp markets costs 0%. Takers pay 0.04% on USDT-margined contracts or 0.005% on USD1-margined contracts. Spot trading runs a conventional 0.005% maker / 0.04% taker split.

Base fee rates

These are base rates. Paying in ASTER, and for spot trading VIP status, can reduce them further — covered below.

What 0% maker actually means

A maker order is one that rests on the order book instead of filling immediately — a limit order placed away from the current price that waits for a taker to hit it. At Aster's base rate, resting orders on either perp contract family cost nothing to fill: no fee is charged when your limit order provides liquidity. That's genuinely unusual — most perp exchanges charge makers something, even if it's small or occasionally rebated. Taker orders, which cross the spread and remove liquidity immediately (market orders, or limit orders that fill on placement), are the ones that carry a fee on Aster, at whichever rate applies to the contract family you're trading.

The USD1 distinction

USD1-margined perps and USDT-margined perps share the same 0% maker rate, but USD1 taker fees are far lower — 0.005% versus 0.04% on USDT contracts, an eightfold difference. The two are separate contract families with their own fee schedules: USD1-margined perps are collateralized in USD1, a stablecoin used as collateral for that family specifically. Which family you trade determines which fee schedule applies — check the contract you're opening before assuming a rate.

Paying fees in ASTER

Aster gives a further 5% discount on fees paid when settled in ASTER, the platform's native token. The discount applies to both perp fees and spot fees, and requires holding ASTER in the relevant wallet — the perp wallet for perp trading, the spot account for spot trading. It stacks on top of the base rates above rather than replacing them.

VIP program

Aster runs a VIP program for high-volume traders. Spot fees scale down with rolling 14-day trading volume, and VIP status is reassessed daily based on that rolling window. We have not verified the specific volume thresholds or per-tier rates, so none are listed here — check Aster's official fee page for the current VIP grid before assuming a discount applies to your volume.

Funding

Aster's perpetual contracts carry standard funding payments between longs and shorts, as with any perp exchange. We have not verified Aster's specific funding cadence or formula, so no Aster-specific funding numbers are given here. For how funding rates work in general — why they exist, how they're calculated, and what drives them — see our funding rates guide.

How Aster compares

On posted base rates, Aster undercuts Hyperliquid: 0% maker on both perp families beats Hyperliquid's base maker fee, and Aster's USD1 taker rate in particular sits well below what Hyperliquid charges. The trade-off isn't in the fee schedule — it's liquidity depth and market maturity, where Hyperliquid has a longer track record. See our Hyperliquid vs Aster comparison for the fuller picture beyond fees alone.

FAQ

Is trading really free for makers on Aster?

At the posted base rate, yes — 0% maker applies to both the USDT-margined and USD1-margined perp families. That's before any additional ASTER payment discount, which only affects takers since makers are already at 0%.

Which is cheaper: USDT-margined or USD1-margined perps?

USD1-margined perps are cheaper for takers — 0.005% versus 0.04% on USDT contracts. Maker fees are identical at 0% across both.

Can I lower Aster fees further?

Two verified levers: pay fees in ASTER for a 5% discount on perp and spot fees, and use a referral link, which carries its own fee rebate — see our Aster referral breakdown for details.

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