Top 5 DEXs with Lowest Swap Fees

Traders seeking the top DEXs with the lowest swap fees have plenty of options in 2025, where protocol charges often dip below 0.1% on efficient chains like Solana or BSC. This comparison ranks platforms by effective trading costs, factoring in both protocol fees and typical network expenses for real world value. You'll find detailed breakdowns of 10 leading choices to match your swap needs, from stablecoin trades to multichain routing.

1inch stands out as a DEX aggregator that scans dozens of protocols across more than 10 blockchains to deliver the cheapest swaps without charging its own protocol fee. Users connect a wallet and get routed through the best path, often saving 20-50% on combined costs compared to single DEX trades. This makes it ideal for complex or cross chain swaps where liquidity splits matter.

Fee structure: Zero protocol fee means you only pay underlying DEX rates (typically 0.1-0.3%) plus minimized gas through smart routing. High volume trades on low gas chains like Polygon or BSC can total under $0.50 for $10,000 swaps.

• Routes to deepest liquidity, cutting slippage on illiquid pairs.
• Supports gasless swaps via fusion mode on select chains.
• Chi gas token refunds up to 50% on Ethereum.
• Potential front running risks in high volatility markets.
• Limited to supported aggregations-no native farming.

Test small swaps first to verify routing savings, and enable limit orders for maker rebates on integrated DEXs.

Curve: Stablecoin Swaps at Minimal Cost

Curve Finance excels in stablecoin exchanges with fees ranging from 0.04% on optimized pools to 0.4% during volatility, leveraging stable asset math to minimize slippage. Deployed on Ethereum, Arbitrum, and others, it draws deep liquidity for pairs like USDC USDT, often totaling under 0.1% effective cost on L2s.

• Concentrated stable pools yield near zero slippage for large trades.
• CRV rewards boost LP returns beyond fee savings.
• Multi chain deployment keeps gas low on Arbitrum.
• Higher fees activate only in extreme imbalances.
• Best paired with veCRV locking for fee discounts.
• Volatile pairs suffer compared to stables.

Lock CRV tokens for up to 50% fee reductions if providing liquidity, but watch for impermanent loss in non stable pools.

Nomiswap: Fees Backed with Cashback

Trading charges: Nomiswap hits 0.08-0.1% per swap on BSC and Ethereum, but offsets this with direct cashback to users, netting effective rates near zero for frequent traders. High APY farming pools compound these returns, making it a go to for yield hunters on budget chains.

Volume tiers drop base fees further, with BSC gas often under $0.10 total. Cashback arrives in NOMI tokens, redeemable or stakable for extra gains.

• Cashback scales with trade volume-up to 20% return.
• Integrated farming without leaving the platform.
• Low BSC entry keeps total costs tiny.
• Token dependency adds price risk to rewards.
• Smaller liquidity than giants like Uniswap.

Stake cashback immediately into farms to maximize compounding, avoiding spot sales during dips.

dYdX: Order Book Precision on Low Fee Chain

dYdX operates as a full order book DEX on its Cosmos based L2 chain, delivering maker fees of 0.05% and taker at 0.1% for perpetuals and spots. Network gas stays predictably low at fractions of a cent, appealing to active traders who avoid AMM slippage entirely.

• Perpetual futures with up to 20x leverage at tight spreads.
• No KYC, pure self custody model.
• Volume rebates for makers over $1M monthly.
• Focuses more on derivatives than simple spots.
• Chain specific-bridge fees to enter/exit.
• UI suits pros over casual swappers.

Place limit orders to capture maker rebates, and monitor chain status for rare congestion spikes.

Uniswap: Flexible Pools Across L2s

Uniswap V3 offers customizable fee tiers from 0.05% for stable pairs up to 1% for exotics, with concentrated liquidity slashing effective costs on Arbitrum or Polygon where gas dips below $0.20. It dominates Ethereum swaps with unmatched volume, ensuring tight spreads on popular tokens.

Traders pick pools by risk-low fee for stables, higher for volatiles. LPs concentrate capital for 4,000x efficiency gains.

• Huge liquidity reduces slippage on $10K+ trades.
• Multi L2 support beats mainnet gas.
• Fee switching per pool matches volatility.
• Higher tiers eat into exotic token profits.
• MEV risks persist on Ethereum.

Preview swaps on L2 versions first, as mainnet fees can exceed 1% total during peaks.

Apex Omni: Zero Spot Fees with CEX Tools

Apex Omni delivers 0% fees on spot trades, shifting to 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker for futures on its decentralized setup backed by Bybit's team. Copy trading and bots add value without extra costs, mimicking CEX ease on chain.

• Grid bots automate low fee strategies.
• 5% affiliate discounts stack savings.
• Prediction markets expand beyond swaps.
• Futures dominate-spot liquidity thinner.
• Newer platform means less battle tested.
• Vaults share profits from copied trades.

Use affiliate links for instant 5% off, and test bots on small positions to dial in parameters.

PancakeSwap: Budget Multichain Ecosystem

Each PancakeSwap trade pulls 0.2-0.25% on BSC or Ethereum, with CAKE payments trimming another 0.025%. Beyond swaps, it bundles farms, lotteries, and NFTs on cheap chains where total costs hover at 0.3% including gas.

V3 pools concentrate liquidity like Uniswap, boosting efficiency for LPs. Multi chain growth hits Aptos too.

• CAKE discounts for every swap.
• Full DeFi suite in one app.
• BSC gas under $0.15 average.
• BNB ties raise centralization flags.
• Lower depth on non BSC pairs.

Hold CAKE for ongoing discounts, and rotate into high yield farms post swap.

Raydium: Solana Speed at Flat Rates

Raydium charges a straightforward 0.22% per swap on Solana, where sub cent gas keeps totals around $0.25 even for $1,000 trades. Hybrid AMM order book model grabs Serum liquidity for better fills on fast, cheap Solana tokens.

Openbook integration adds CLOB precision without fee hikes. Farms pair swaps with RAY rewards.

• Lightning Solana confirms under 1 second.
• AcceleRaytor launches boost new tokens.
• Flat fee-no tier surprises.
• Solana outages hit occasionally.
• Token focus skews to memes/SOL ecosystem.

Batch swaps during low network use for peak speed, avoiding midday congestion.

OKX DEX: Dynamic Routing for Real Savings

OKX DEX aggregator dynamically routes across 10+ chains, landing total costs under 0.3% by splitting trades-$10,000 USDC swaps often hit $10-15 all in. No fixed protocol fee; it optimizes gas and liquidity in real time.

• Previews full cost before approval.
• Hybrid CEX/DEX access if needed.
• Multi chain dodge for high gas pairs.
• Relies on external DEX reliability.
• UI favors OKX wallet users.
• Audits back security claims.

Enable auto routing for hands off lowest fees, and compare manual paths for custom pairs.

Orca: Simple Solana Swaps

Base rate: Orca takes 0.3% on Solana whirlpools, with gas pennies making it straightforward for quick token flips. User friendly pools guide beginners to fair launch tokens without deep DeFi knowledge.

Aquafarms offer instant yields post swap. Concentrated liquidity tightens spreads on popular pairs.

• Intuitive mobile first design.
• Whirlpool model cuts IL risks.
• Solana's low base amplifies value.
• Higher flat fee than Raydium.
• Limited to Solana ecosystem.

Start with whirlpools for concentrated gains, scaling up as you track performance metrics.

Understanding Swap Fees on DEXs

Swap fees on DEXs split into protocol cuts (0.05-0.3% typical) and blockchain gas, which varies wildly-Solana at $0.01 versus Ethereum's $5+ peaks. Aggregators like 1inch or OKX minimize both by pathing through efficient routes, while single chain DEXs shine on cheap networks like BSC.

• Stablecoin pools (Curve) often halve effective rates via low slippage.
• Maker rebates reward patient limit orders on dYdX or Uniswap.
• Native token discounts-CAKE on PancakeSwap-stack 10-25% off.
• Gas spikes during hype; time trades off peak.
• Total cost previews prevent surprises on all top platforms.

DEX vs CEX Fees Differences

DEXs average 0.1-0.5% protocol fees excluding gas, undercutting CEX taker rates of 0.2-1% but adding self custody responsibility. CEX predictability suits fiat ramps, while DEXs win on privacy and niche tokens-no KYC needed.

Choose DEX for control and yields, CEX for ease-hybrids like OKX bridge both.

How to Pick and Use Low Fee DEXs

1. Connect a wallet like MetaMask or Phantom-ensure seed phrase backup first.
2. Check gas prices on explorers like Solscan or Etherscan before swapping.
3. Use aggregators (1inch, OKX) for previews; manual DEX for specific pools.
4. Opt for limit orders on order book DEXs like dYdX to earn maker fees.
5. Bridge to cheap chains (BSC, Solana) via official portals for ongoing trades.
6. Stake rewards or native tokens for discounts-CAKE, CRV examples.
7. Verify token contracts to dodge rugs; paste into aggregator searches.
8. Start small ($50-100) to test routing and withdraw immediately.
9. Batch multiple swaps during low gas windows for efficiency.
10. Track totals with tools like DeFiLlama for fee benchmarks.