# Bitget Alternatives, Scored, With the Leverage Ladder Read in Full

Updated: 24 September 2026; Terms read 18 September 2026; Books checked to 22 September 2026; The Switch Guide editors

Among bitget alternatives with a public order book, Lighter scores highest on the six criteria this
guide fixed in advance, at 25.3 of 30, on the strength of its
fee and its book. EVEDEX documents 200x on BTC, ETH and SOL to $50,000 of notional, and finishes
6th on the same formula.

## Where each venue lands

Weights, fixed 22 September 2026 before a venue on this site was scored: Book depth we measured 28 · Who holds the collateral 22 · Cost of a round trip 18 · Markets on offer 14 · Record so far 12 · Whether the door opens 6. Method in full: https://doliacats.com/methodology

Ordered by the overall switch score.

| No. | Venue | Score of 30 | Maker / taker | Perp markets | BTC leverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighter | 25.3 | 0% / 0% | 214 | 50x, 2% margin |
| 2 | edgeX | 23.2 | 0.040% / 0.045% | 172 | 100x to $1 million |
| 3 | Extended | 23.1 | 0% / 0.025% | 325 | 50x to $4 million |
| 4 | Aster | 23.0 | 0% / 0.040% | 578 | 200x to 400 USDT |
| 5 | ApeX Omni | 21.2 | 0.020% / 0.050% | 125 | 100x to $100,000 |
| 6 | EVEDEX | 19.6 | 0.015% / 0.045% | 52 | 200x to $50,000 |

## Before you move

1. The score and the ladder disagree, and both are printed: Lighter leads at 25.3 of 30, while EVEDEX documents 200x on BTC and scores 19.6.
2. Same headline, different offer: Aster also documents 200x on BTC, but only up to 400 USDT of notional, and 100x up to $800,000.
3. Biggest position at a three-figure multiple: edgeX holds 100x to $1 million and 75x to $3 million.
4. Leverage is a distance, not a feature: at 200x the initial margin is half a per cent of the position, so half a per cent against you is the whole of it.

## What we measured ourselves

BTC perpetual order books read every 10 minutes in the hours between 07:10 and 23:58 UTC on 22 September 2026; every figure is the median of the successful readings.

| Venue | Round trip on $10,000 | Depth within 10 bps | Impact of a $100,000 order | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighter | $0.00 | $17.4 million | 0.70 bps | 93 |
| edgeX | $9.00 | $29.1 million | 0.02 bps | 94 |
| Extended | $5.00 | $7.7 million | 0.06 bps | 93 |
| Aster | $8.00 | $14.8 million | 0.56 bps | 94 |
| ApeX Omni | $10.00 | $1.8 million | 0.36 bps | 94 |
| EVEDEX | $9.00 | $18.9 million | 2.06 bps | 94 |

## Step 1 — The ladder, band by band

The table above is the formula's answer. This one runs the other way: what a $10,000 position is
allowed on each venue, and what that leaves between the entry and the liquidation.

| Venue | Cap, and the notional it holds to | A $10,000 position | Margin behind it | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVEDEX | 200x to $50,000 | 200x | $50 | 0.5% |
| Aster | 200x to 400 USDT | 150x | $67 | 0.67% |
| edgeX | 100x to $1 million | 100x | $100 | 1% |
| ApeX Omni | 100x to $100,000 | 100x | $100 | 1% |
| Extended | 50x to $4 million | 50x | $200 | 2% |
| Lighter | 50x, a flat 2% margin | 50x | $200 | 2%, less a 1.2% maintenance level |

Every venue publishes a maximum and almost none means it at size. The EVEDEX 200x band holds to
$50,000 of notional, with the multiple set per contract below that and no second band in print. The
Aster 200x band ends at 400 USDT and its schedule runs on to 100x at $800,000. Both are true and
describe different products.

Read the last column as a distance rather than a feature. Funding comes out of that same margin
while the position is open, and on a cross-margin account a loss in one market can liquidate
another. None of it is scored: the cap carries no points in the six criteria, which is why it
orders this table and not the one above it.

## Venue 1 — [Lighter](https://lighter.xyz), move here for a flat margin requirement with no ladder at all (25.3 of 30)
Lighter publishes a 2% initial margin on BTC and no notional tiers, which works out at 50x whatever
the size — the plainest statement of risk on this page. It costs 0% maker / 0% taker on a standard
account, holds a median $17.4 million within 10 basis points, and documents an exit through
Ethereum if the sequencer stops ([Lighter docs](https://docs.lighter.xyz/about-lighter/technical-architecture-lighter-core.md), checked 18 September 2026).

- Getting in: Wallet signature.
- Worth moving: A flat 2% initial margin with no tiers to read; 0% maker / 0% taker on a standard account with $17.4 million of depth behind it.
- Worth knowing: 300 ms of added latency on takes at the free rate; No published bug bounty programme.
- Not for: anyone who needs more than 50x on BTC.

## Venue 2 — [edgeX](https://pro.edgex.exchange), move here for a three-figure multiple on a seven-figure position (23.2 of 30)
edgeX documents 100x on BTC up to $1 million of notional and 75x up to $3 million, the most leverage
at size here. Behind it sits the deepest book on this page,
$29.1 million within 10 basis points, and a documented withdrawal that works without the
operator ([edgeX docs](https://pro.edgex.exchange/en-US/home), checked 18 September 2026). Entry fees of 0.040% maker / 0.045% taker are the price of all
that.

- Getting in: Wallet or MPC login.
- Worth moving: 100x to $1 million and 75x to $3 million of notional; The deepest BTC book here, $29.1 million within 10 basis points.
- Worth knowing: 0.040% maker / 0.045% taker at the entry tier; No bug bounty programme published.
- Not for: small accounts paying the entry-tier maker rate.

## Venue 3 — [Extended](https://extended.exchange/), move here for a modest multiple that holds to eight figures (23.1 of 30)
50x on BTC up to $4 million of notional and 25x to $8 million — a modest multiple carried to a large
position, even though the headline number is the lowest here, level with Lighter. One rate applies to every account,
0% maker / 0.025% taker, and every transaction is validated and settled on Starknet
([Extended docs](https://docs.extended.exchange/about-extended/technical-architecture), checked 18 September 2026). The bug bounty pays up to $500,000.

- Getting in: Wallet signature, EVM or Starknet.
- Worth moving: 50x held to $4 million of notional, and 25x to $8 million; 0% maker / 0.025% taker for every account, with a $500,000 bug bounty.
- Worth knowing: 278 of its 325 markets have no public order book; No forced withdrawal in the documentation we read.
- Not for: traders who came specifically for a three-figure multiple.

## Venue 4 — [Aster](https://www.asterdex.com), move here for the same headline number on a much smaller position (23.0 of 30)
Aster's Pro order book documents 200x on BTCUSDT, and the band ends at 400 USDT of notional; 100x
runs to $800,000. Its separate Shield Mode reaches far higher with a cap on profit per position and
is not an order-book product. With 578 contracts, 0% maker / 0.040% taker at the
entry tier and a 0.01 bps median spread, level with Lighter at the tightest on this
page, leverage is not the reason to be here.

- Getting in: Wallet signature or email.
- Worth moving: 578 perpetual contracts at 0% maker / 0.040% taker; 100x documented up to $800,000 of notional.
- Worth knowing: The 200x band covers only 400 USDT of notional; Operator-run chain with closed core code and no documented forced withdrawal.
- Not for: anyone reading the headline multiple as the offer.

## Venue 5 — [ApeX Omni](https://omni.apex.exchange/), move here for 100x with the easiest way in (21.2 of 30)
A 1% initial margin holds to $100,000 of notional, so 100x on BTC is real up to that size and
tightens above it. Matched trades go to the zkLink rollup ([ApeX Omni docs](https://docs.zk.link/architecture/transactionflow), checked 18 September 2026),
which documents a forced withdrawal to layer 1. You can arrive with an email address and still keep
the keys, and the terms shut out fewer countries than anything else scored in this guide. Entry fees
are 0.020% maker / 0.050% taker.

- Getting in: Wallet, or email with a Privy wallet.
- Worth moving: 100x on BTC up to $100,000 of notional; Forced withdrawal to layer 1, and email sign-in that leaves the wallet yours.
- Worth knowing: 0.050% to take, the highest rate on this page; A median $1.8 million of resting BTC depth, the thinnest book here.
- Not for: frequent takers and large market orders.

## Venue 6 — EVEDEX, move here for 200x on BTC, ETH and SOL, with $50,000 of notional printed beside it (19.6 of 30)
The top multiple is 200x, shared by BTC, ETH and SOL, and it holds to $50,000 of notional.
Elsewhere, 100x covers XRP, Tether Gold, silver and crude oil, 75x covers 24 markets and 50x
another 18, US stocks and SPY among them (EVEDEX trading terms, checked 18 September 2026).
Margin is posted in USDT, cross only. Since 18 July 2026 a
$500,000 ADL Protection Reserve Fund has stood behind profitable positions that would otherwise be
auto-deleveraged.

- Getting in: Wallet signature.
- Worth moving: 200x on BTC, ETH and SOL up to $50,000 of notional, and 100x on XRP, Tether Gold, silver and crude oil; A $500,000 reserve fund against auto-deleveraging, in place since 18 July 2026.
- Worth knowing: Cross margin only, so every position draws on the same balance; Positions reach Arbitrum in periodic batches rather than trade by trade; No bug bounty listed on CertiK Skynet, checked 18 September 2026; Only that top band carries a published notional limit; nothing is printed above it.
- Not for: traders who want one position ring-fenced from the rest of the account.

## In their own words

> "High Leverage - Up to 100x on selected major pairs (e.g. BTC-USDT, ETH-USDT)." — ApeX Omni documentation, Perpetual contracts, open interest and leverage, 18 September 2026. https://apex-pro.gitbook.io/apex-pro/apex-omni/perpetual-contracts-open-interest-and-leverage
> "All transactions are validated and settled on Starknet, ensuring transparent and verifiable state transitions." — Extended documentation, Technical architecture, 18 September 2026. https://docs.extended.exchange/about-extended/technical-architecture
> "Currently, our platform operates in cross margin mode." — EVEDEX documentation, Cross margin, 18 September 2026.
## FAQ from people mid-switch

### What is a good alternative to Bitget?

For leverage that holds at a real position size, EVEDEX documents 200x on BTC, ETH and SOL to
$50,000 and edgeX 100x to $1 million. For cost, Lighter at 0% maker / 0% taker. For depth, edgeX
again, at $29.1 million within 10 basis points of the BTC mid price.

### Which exchange has the highest leverage?

Of the six here, EVEDEX and Aster both document 200x on BTC, but the bands differ: EVEDEX holds it
to $50,000 of notional and Aster to 400 USDT. Above those sizes Aster keeps publishing bands, down
to 100x by $800,000, while EVEDEX publishes no further one.

### How risky is 100x leverage?

A 100x position runs on 1% margin, so all of it sits one per cent from the price: move that far the
wrong way and it is gone, with the maintenance requirement closing the trade first. Funding comes
out of that same balance while the position is open, shortening the distance further.

### What is the maximum leverage on a perp DEX?

Among order-book venues, 200x on BTC is the ceiling we found, on EVEDEX up to $50,000 and on Aster
up to 400 USDT. Oracle-priced venues go further — Jupiter Perps documents 250x on three markets —
but those are not order books and are not scored here.

### Does higher leverage mean more profit?

It multiplies both directions equally and shortens the distance to liquidation. At 20x a 5% move
against the position takes the margin; at 200x, half a per cent does. The position size, not the
multiple, is what decides the money at stake.

### Why did my position get liquidated before the price hit my liquidation level?

Usually maintenance margin and funding. The liquidation engine acts when account equity falls below
the maintenance requirement, not when the margin reaches zero, and any funding charged while the
position was open has already come out of the same balance. On a cross-margin account, another
position's loss can push it over the line.

### What is cross margin?

One balance backs every open position, so a loss in one market can pull a liquidation in another. Five
of the six venues here run it by default, and EVEDEX documents cross margin only, with margin posted in
USDT. It makes the account, rather than the trade, the unit of risk.

### What is auto-deleveraging?

When a liquidation cannot be filled at any price, the venue closes profitable positions on the other
side to balance the book, and the trader who was right is cut short. EVEDEX has kept a $500,000 reserve
fund against that since 18 July 2026, which reduces those cases rather than ending them.

### Is high leverage banned anywhere?

Access rules differ by jurisdiction rather than by multiple, and every venue on this page names the ones
its terms shut out. Read the lines that apply where you live before depositing, because a venue that
will not serve you can close the door after the money has arrived.

### Can I change leverage after opening a position?

On an order-book venue you can usually add margin, which lowers effective leverage and moves the
liquidation price further away. Taking margin back out below the maintenance requirement is refused.
Under cross margin the whole balance already stands behind the position, so the cushion matters more
than the ladder.

## Where every figure on this page came from

One of the six numbers is ours and five are quotations. Depth is measured here, in the window this
page names. Fees, markets, ladders, sign-in, who the terms refuse and audit history were lifted from
each venue's own documentation and terms on 18 September 2026. The rule that weights them was
settled on 22 September 2026 and is set out on [how we rate](/methodology). Placement on this guide is paid
for; the order of the table is not.

Three things this guide cannot do. It cannot watch a venue behave: custody, the route out, who gets in
and the record come off pages the venue wrote itself; silence costs points without proving anything.
It cannot price your trading: the fees here are what a new account pays, before volume tiers and
rebates. And only BTC was read, so anything narrower is thinner than it looks.

The Switch Guide editors, 24 September 2026. Corrections, say which step it is on and what the venue actually publishes: editorial@doliacats.com

This guide is paid to publish, and a venue you are being walked towards may be the one who bought the walkthrough.