⚠︎ Risk warning: leveraged derivatives on unregulated platforms — you can lose everything you deposit. Not investment advice.

How to Start Trading on Aster (2026): Step by Step

How-to · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-17

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

Perpetual futures are leveraged instruments — your entire margin can be lost quickly, and funding fees accrue while a position is open. Read the risk disclosure before you fund an account. To get started on Aster, here's what you actually need:

From our own setup runs

Setting up the accounts behind this site's field runs, the thing that actually cost us time wasn't any exchange — it was gas. Two lessons we'd hand any occasional crypto user before their first deposit:

  • Always hold the network's own coin, not just your stablecoins. Moving anything on a network costs its native gas coin — USDC on Arbitrum can't go anywhere without a little ETH on Arbitrum. A funded wallet with no gas coin is stranded: you can see your money and you can't move it. Whenever you fund a wallet, send a small amount of the gas coin (a few dollars' worth) to the same network in the same session, and top it up before it runs dry.
  • Check the network against your wallet before you send. The same coin exists on many networks, and the network you pick on a withdrawal screen must be one your wallet actually supports and displays. Verify the wallet lists that network — and do a small test transfer first — before moving the real amount.

Choosing a wallet in the first place is covered by our sister site's crypto wallet rankings.

Connect a wallet or email

On Aster, logging in works two ways: connect a Web3 wallet directly, or sign in with an email address, which Aster links to a dedicated account for you. Neither route asks for identity verification. If you'd rather trade from a phone, Aster's mobile app supports the same approach — open the app and connect your wallet in-app rather than through a browser. Pick whichever method matches how you'll actually manage funds day to day. Still choosing a wallet? Our sister site's wallet rankings and cold-vs-hot wallet guide cover that decision properly.

Deposit funds

Once you're connected, click Deposit. The deposit dialog lists the networks and tokens Aster currently supports for funding — check that screen directly, since which chains are available can change and a static list here would only go stale. Confirm the transaction in your wallet, and your balance should appear in your portfolio within a couple of minutes. Don't place an order until the deposit is confirmed and showing in your account.

Place a small first trade

Start with a limit order on a liquid pair, sized small enough that losing it all wouldn't matter to you. A resting maker order on Aster costs 0% at the base rate (see the fee schedule), which makes a limit order a genuinely low-cost way to learn how order placement, fills, and position sizing behave on the platform — not a shortcut around the underlying leverage risk. Keep leverage low while you're still learning how liquidation and funding work, and treat every order as real risk, not a rehearsal. If you came through a referral, check the referral page for how the rebate applies to your account. Aster's screen packs in a lot — order types, margin and asset modes, USDT vs USD1 pairs — so our interface walkthrough decodes every button with screenshots from our own account. None of this is trading advice — it's a description of the mechanics you'll encounter.

Withdraw

To take funds out, click Withdraw, select the network, token, and amount, and approve the transaction in your wallet. Funds typically arrive within a few minutes. One rule to plan around: any negative balance on your account — from realized losses, funding fees, or commissions — has to be cleared before a withdrawal will go through, so keep enough in reserve to cover open positions before pulling funds out.

FAQ

Do I need to complete KYC to trade on Aster?

No. Access is through a Web3 wallet or an email-linked account; neither requires identity verification to log in or deposit.

What does it cost to trade?

At base rates, USDT-margined perpetuals charge 0% maker / 0.04% taker, and USD1-margined perpetuals charge 0% maker / 0.005% taker. See the full fee schedule for the complete breakdown.

Can I use sub-accounts?

Yes. Aster supports sub-accounts under one master account, so you can run independent strategies — different risk limits or pairs — without mixing balances or positions.

Open Aster → (opens in a new tab)

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