Drift Review
Apache-2.0 core; live docs now serve a fork
of 10
Drift's protocol-v2 repository is Apache-2.0 and audited by Trail of Bits and Neodyme. Its official documentation URL now redirects to Velocity, a self-described fork, so the fee and mechanism figures below are read from that redirected site and flagged as such.
No money changes hands. This is a non-commercial project: no advertising, no sponsored placements, and no affiliate or referral links. Links to the services below earn us nothing. Every overall score is the plain average of the criteria shown on the page, so you can check the arithmetic yourself — see our rating methodology and how the site is funded.
Core licence
Apache-2.0 (drift-labs/protocol-v2)
Fees (served docs)
0.035% taker, -0.0025% maker rebate, base tier
Funding
Hourly, with a floor and a dead-zone
Liquidation
Liquidator, insurance-fund and protocol cuts; insurance backstop
Auditors
Trail of Bits, Neodyme; OtterSec in progress
Scores
Each criterion carries equal weight. The overall score is the average of these 5 scores — (6.0 + 7.0 + 9.0 + 7.0 + 7.0) ÷ 5 = 7.2.
Pros
- protocol-v2 core repository is Apache-2.0, a recognised open-source licence
- Audited by Trail of Bits and Neodyme, with reports linked and dated
- Funding, liquidation and insurance-fund waterfall documented in structure
- Entry-tier fees available on the served documentation: 0.035% taker, small maker rebate
Cons
- The official docs URL redirects to Velocity Protocol, a self-described Drift v2 fork, so figures are not read from a canonical Drift-branded page
- OtterSec audit is noted as in progress rather than complete
- Fee and mechanism figures should be treated with that redirect caveat
The licence is solid and verifiable
Drift's genuine core repository, drift-labs/protocol-v2, carries Apache-2.0, and the documentation names Trail of Bits and Neodyme as auditors with dated reports. On code openness and audit disclosure, Drift is among the stronger entries here.
An honest complication with the documentation
Drift's official docs URL now 307-redirects to Velocity Protocol, a site that self-identifies as a fork of Drift Protocol v2. The fee, funding and liquidation figures in this review were read from that redirected Velocity documentation, not from a canonical Drift-branded page, because a canonical one could not be reached. We have scored them, but flag the caveat prominently rather than present forked-site figures as Drift's own. The licence and audit facts, by contrast, come from Drift's real repository and carry no such caveat.
How it compares
Jupiter Perps
Fees documented, core program closed
Gains Network
Granular fee schedule, core licence unconfirmed
Paradex
Low maker fee published, wider docs unreachable
Aevo
Fees and liquidation tiers published, code unverified
Orderly Network
Apache-2.0 core with three named auditors
Ostium
MIT-licensed with six named audit reports
GMX
Imbalance-based fees, five named auditors
dYdX
AGPL-licensed core with a published liquidation cap
Hyperliquid
Hourly funding and liquidations documented in full
Sources
Scored from published primary sources rather than hands-on use. Every figure above comes from one of the pages below, on the date shown. Manufacturers change prices and specifications without notice — if something here no longer matches the source, tell us and we will correct it.
- 1.Drift protocol-v2 — LICENSE (Apache-2.0) — checked
- 2.Drift documentation (redirects to Velocity) — trading fees — checked
- 3.Drift documentation (redirects to Velocity) — audits — checked
Frequently asked questions
Is Drift open source?
Yes. The drift-labs/protocol-v2 core repository carries the Apache-2.0 licence, audited by Trail of Bits and Neodyme.
Why does this review flag Drift's documentation?
Drift's official docs URL now redirects to Velocity Protocol, a self-described fork of Drift v2. The fee and mechanism figures here are read from that redirected site, so we flag them rather than present them as read from a canonical Drift page.
Nothing here is financial advice. Editorial policy · How we score · How we're funded.