Aster vs Lighter

Aster is a decentralized perpetuals exchange offering MEV-free, one-click trading with leverage up to 1001× in Simple Mode, plus advanced, pro-grade tools in Pro Mode. Backed by YZi Labs, Aster combines speed, flexibility, and a community-driven approach to shape the next era of DeFi.

Lighter is a fully-verifiable decentralized exchange built as a zero-knowledge rollup on Ethereum, delivering high-frequency trading performance with onchain security and composability. Its custom ZK circuits prove every operation — including order matching and liquidations — with millisecond latency and the ability to process tens of thousands of orders per second. The optimized matching engine enables zero fees for retail traders and highly competitive pricing for high-frequency strategies, while deposits, withdrawals and proofs are verified publicly on Ethereum. Lighter's mainnet is live, offering low-cost, low-latency perpetual trading backed by transparent, cryptographically-secured settlement.