AirdropAltcoins
|6 min ReadMissed Aster? Eight perp DEX airdrops worth your time
Maya Chen
Senior Analyst
Published
Jan 16, 2026
The CEX to DEX shift is real
Perp DEX volume is exploding. It is a beautiful rotation. Traders want speed, privacy, and control. They are leaving centralized venues that force KYC, freeze accounts without cause, and leak data. DEX liquidity is now close to top CEX levels. Interfaces are simpler. Fees can be low to zero. Everybody knows it, the tide is turning.
For years CEXs won on UX, depth, and fees. Binance grew from zero to a 1 trillion. DEX spot share hit 20 percent, almost double since September 2025.
The question now is simple. Which perp DEXs can dominate and still reward early users with airdrops?
Eight venues, how to qualify, and what matters
Missed $HYPE or $ASTER? There is still juice left. Here are eight perp DEX plays with clear paths to points, XP, or tokens. No hype, just facts.
Lighter (@Lighter_xyz). Zero fee perp trading. Open interest above 130 billion. Team said in AMA the airdrop allocation is 30 to 50 percent. Only 11 million tokens will be distributed by Q4, over 2 to 3 months. OTC chatter has each token above $50. Still in private beta, invite only. Try the app link if you have access: https://app.lighter.xyz/trade/ETH.
Hibachi (@hibachi_xyz). Fast, privacy-forward perps with zk tech. Raised 35 to $40 million. Register with your wallet, deposit USDC, start trading at http://hibachi.xyz. Preseason ends on September 30. Clock is ticking.
Paradex (@tradeparadex). Zero-fee perps with deep liquidity and privacy, backed by Paradigm. TVL at 12.1 billion. Annualized revenue $20 million. Supports more than 15 chains with about 6,000 MAUs. Register, deposit, trade, add liquidity, and use vaults for APR and XP via https://linktr.ee/TradeParadex.
edgeX (@edgeX_exchange). High-performance order book perps. OI above 60 billion. Annualized revenue $278 million. Points program is live. Join, deposit, trade, and use vaults for 30 percent plus yields and points at https://pro.edgex.exchange/trade/BTCUSD.
Extended (@extendedapp). Built by former Revolut team. TVL above 5 billion. Backed by Cyber Fund with 7 to $9.
Variational (@variational_io). Arbitrum-based perps. Private beta, invite only. Backed by Coinbase Ventures with $11.8 million raised. Low user base means easier points. Connect and start from Arbitrum at https://omni.variational.io.
Aster’s breakout, the Base momentum, and why sponsors matter
A week ago, nobody talked about $ASTER. Today its 24-hour perps and revenue beat Hyperliquid. That is historic speed.
Aster offers spot and perps, plans a stablecoin and an L1. Like $HYPE, more than 50 percent of supply goes to community airdrops and incentives. The model is hybrid. Order book plus AMM. It supports four or more chains and stock perps. It also runs a dark pool to reduce front-running and liquidation games that some traders complain about elsewhere.
According to the thread that kicked off the debate, there is something else. CZ’s support.
built Binance into a ASTER](https://x.com/search?q=%24ASTER&src=cashtag_click). Markets listen.The scoreboard tells the story. TVL 3.56 billion. Thirty-day perps 195 million. If that does not show potential, nothing will. Join here: https://asterdex.com.
Base has its own leader. Avantis (@avantisfi) runs perps on Base and wears the #1 badge. It is backed by Peter Thiel’s crypto fund. Thirty-day perps hit AVNT because staking unlocks more rewards. $AVNT trades on major exchanges with a $500 million market cap.
Disclaimer: This document is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed in this document are not, and should not be taken as, investment advice or recommendations. Recipients should do their own due diligence, taking into account their specific financial circumstances, investment objectives and risk tolerance, which are not considered here, before investing. This document is not an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned.