Lighter vs Variational: fees compared
Every fee that costs you money on Lighter and Variational, side by side — trading fees at each VIP tier, withdrawal fees coin by coin, deposits and fiat. Sourced from each exchange’s own fee pages.
LighterExchange
VariationalExchangeThe short answer
- Futures taker fees are identical at 0–0.005%.
- Lighter publishes the deeper VIP ladder (8 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Head-to-head
| Fee | Lighter | Variational |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | ||
| Swap maker | 0% | — |
| Swap taker | 0% | — |
| Futures maker | 0–0.005% | 0% |
| Futures taker | 0–0.005% | 0% |
| Lowest spot taker (top VIP tier) | 0%Regular | 0%Regular |
| Fee tiers published | 8moreSpot trading — Standard | 1 |
| Fee discount with exchange token | — | — |
| Withdrawals & deposits | ||
| Coins you can withdraw | — | 1synced 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC |
| Median withdrawal fee (coins on both) | — | — |
| Cheaper withdrawal on… | — | — |
| Crypto deposit fee | — | — |
| Exchange profile | ||
| Volume 24h (spot + derivatives) | $1.50BmoreOI $519.75M | $1.17BOI $720.14M |
| Markets | DEX, Derivatives | DEX, Derivatives |
| Fiat currencies | — | — |
“Cheaper” marks the better number on that row only. A dash means we have not verified that fee for the exchange yet — it is not a claim that the fee is zero.
What would you actually pay?
- Trading (Premium 500,000 LIT · 0.0028% / 0.0196%)
- $112.00
- Withdrawals (no coin selected)
- —
- Trading (Regular · 0% / 0%)
- $0.00
- Withdrawals (no coin selected)
- —
At $1M of monthly futures volume (50% maker) plus 4 coin withdrawals, Variational costs $112.00 less per month — $1,344.00 a year.
Estimate only: it applies each exchange’s published VIP ladder for the market you picked, ignores token-payment discounts, referral rebates and promotional zero-fee pairs, and assumes every withdrawal uses the cheapest network above. Negative fees are maker rebates.
Spot fee tiers side by side
LighterSpot trading — Standard
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | — | 0% | 0% |
Source: Lighter fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
Variational
No spot fee tiers verified for Variational yet.
Futures fee tiers side by side
LighterFutures trading — Premium
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium 0 LIT | — | 0.004% | 0.028% |
| Premium 1,000 LIT | — | 0.0039% | 0.0273% |
| Premium 3,000 LIT | — | 0.0038% | 0.0266% |
| Premium 10,000 LIT | — | 0.0036% | 0.0252% |
| Premium 30,000 LIT | — | 0.0034% | 0.0238% |
| Premium 100,000 LIT | — | 0.0032% | 0.0224% |
| Premium 300,000 LIT | — | 0.003% | 0.021% |
| Premium 500,000 LIT | — | 0.0028% | 0.0196% |
Source: Lighter fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
VariationalFutures trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | — | 0% | 0% |
Source: Variational fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
Withdrawal fees, coin by coin
We have not synced withdrawal fees for Lighter yet, so there is nothing to compare coin by coin. See Variational withdrawal fees →
Lighter vs Variational — FAQ
Is Lighter or Variational cheaper?
Futures taker fees are identical at 0–0.005%. Lighter publishes the deeper VIP ladder (8 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Which has lower trading fees, Lighter or Variational?
Lighter charges 0% taker / 0% maker on spot and 0–0.005% taker on futures at the entry tier. Variational charges — taker / — maker on spot and 0% taker on futures. Across the metrics we compare, Lighter wins more of them. Both drop as your 30-day volume grows — use the calculator above to price your own volume.
Which is cheaper for withdrawals, Lighter or Variational?
We do not yet have withdrawal fees synced for both exchanges, so we can't compare them coin by coin.
How can I pay lower fees on Lighter or Variational?
Both exchanges also cut maker/taker rates as your 30-day volume rises — Lighter publishes 8 tiers and Variational publishes 1 tier. Choosing the cheapest withdrawal network matters just as much: on many coins the gap between networks is larger than the gap between exchanges.
Are these Lighter and Variational fees up to date?
Trading fees are hand-curated from each exchange's official fee schedule and carry the date we last verified them (2026-08-28 for Lighter, 2026-08-28 for Variational). Withdrawal fees are synced from each exchange's own API or fee page, 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC for Variational). USD amounts are recomputed at the live coin price.
Other comparisons
Trading and other fee numbers are hand-curated from each exchange’s official fee pages (linked next to every tier table) and carry the date we last verified them. Withdrawal fees are synced from each exchange’s own API or fee page; USD amounts are computed at the current live coin price, so they move with the market. Rates exclude referral rebates, promotional zero-fee pairs and regional pricing. Full detail per exchange: Lighter fees · Variational fees.