INDEPENDENT · UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
Learn Arcus.
Trade after the bell.
An independent guide to Arcus, the stock-token and perpetuals exchange on Robinhood Chain, written by one active trader with no connection to Arcus, dYdX or Robinhood. Fees line by line, invite codes and the waitlist, Stock Tokens around the clock, and comparisons where every number has a source. Join with code ARCUSGUIDE and Arcus takes 5% off your trading fees.
Independent and unofficial. Arcus is not available in the US, UK or Canada. Nothing here is financial advice.
What Is Arcus?
Arcus is a self-custodial decentralized exchange on Robinhood Chain with two products. Stock Tokens are tokenized US stocks and ETFs that trade spot with no Arcus fee, many of them around the clock. Perpetual futures cover crypto, single stocks, index ETFs and commodity ETFs, with leverage of up to 50x on SPY according to the public Arcus markets API (read October 2, 2026). Collateral is USDG, a dollar stablecoin issued by Paxos.
Arcus describes itself as “the next chapter for the team that built dYdX”. It is built by dYdX Labs, the trade name of dYdX Trading Inc., with Robinhood Crypto as a strategic investor, and it runs separately from dYdX Chain, which keeps operating. Perps match on an off-chain order book whose results an appchain re-verifies and a contract on Robinhood Chain settles; Arcus's own help center compares the design to dYdX v3 on StarkEx. Our Arcus and dYdX explainer sets out which company does what.
Perpetuals are still in beta. Taker fees are halved and maker fees are zero at most tiers, which puts the base taker rate at 0.0225%, per Arcus's fee-tier table. Access is the catch: perps need an invite code or a waitlist slot, and Arcus restricts the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and sanctioned regions. The full walkthrough is in What Is Arcus?.
KEEP MORE OF EVERY TRADE
5% off every Arcus trade, from day one
Join with code ARCUSGUIDE and Arcus applies its referral discount, shown in the app as 5% off all trading fees, on top of beta pricing that already starts at 0.0225% taker. It costs nothing and stays on your account. The code can only be added early, before your volume passes Arcus's cutoff, and it cannot be swapped later, so it pays to set it at signup. The referral page shows the arithmetic and how we are paid.
Get 5% Off Arcus FeesEVERYTHING YOU NEED
Explore Our Guides
Getting Started
Sign in, fund your account with USDG, get perps access through an invite code or the waitlist, and place a first trade.
Explore guides →
Trading Features
Stock Tokens and equity perps around the clock, order types, cross and isolated margin, and how off-hours pricing works.
Fees & Savings
Maker and taker rates during the beta, the 30-day volume tiers, and what the referral discount takes off.
Exchange Comparisons
Sourced, side-by-side comparisons against Hyperliquid, dYdX, Lighter and the other venues Arcus gets measured against.
Ecosystem
Robinhood Chain, USDG, pTokens, points, and the dYdX connection, explained without the hype.
Security & Safety
Self-custody, wallet hygiene, and how to spot the fake Arcus domains and tokens already circulating.
Troubleshooting
Deposits that have not arrived, withdrawals, region blocks, invite codes and other common snags.
GET STARTED
Three Steps to Your First Trade
Sign in with an email or a wallet, fund your account, and you can trade Stock Tokens straight away. The beginner's guide walks through every screen.
Get 5% Off Arcus FeesJoin with code ARCUSGUIDE
Open Arcus through the referral link and sign in with email, Apple or a wallet such as MetaMask or Rabby. The code attaches at signup and takes 5% off your fees from then on.
Fund with USDG
Deposit from another chain, an exchange account or a card. Arcus converts it to USDG, the dollar stablecoin used for collateral, and charges no deposit fee of its own.
Trade spot now, perps when invited
Stock Tokens trade immediately in eligible regions. Perps need an invite code or a waitlist slot; our invite-code guide covers both routes.
HOW IT STACKS UP
Arcus vs. Hyperliquid and Lighter
Arcus's beta taker fee is half of Hyperliquid's, makers pay nothing, and it lists its own equity, index and commodity perps. Hyperliquid and Lighter trade far more volume and let anyone trade perps today.
 Arcus |  Hyperliquid |  Lighter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base taker fee | 0.0225% (beta) | 0.045% | 0% Standard, with a 300 ms taker delay; paid tiers from 0.005% |
| Base maker fee | 0% (beta) | 0.015% | 0% Standard |
| Fee after the beta | 0.045% taker / 0.015% maker | No beta pricing | No beta pricing |
| Equity perps | Arcus lists its own: 34 equities, 4 index ETFs, 4 commodity ETFs | Via builder-deployed HIP-3 markets such as trade.xyz | Yes, on its separate Robinhood Chain exchange |
| 30-day perps volume | $4.11B | $207.8B | $55.3B (both deployments) |
| Perps access | Invite code or waitlist | Open | Open |
| Token | None (points program) | HYPE | LIT |
Base-tier perpetual fees from each venue's own documentation: Arcus, Hyperliquid and Lighter, before referral, staking and volume discounts. Arcus market counts from the Arcus markets API. 30-day perpetuals volume from DefiLlama. All read October 2, 2026.
START READING
Popular Guides
How to Trade on Arcus: Complete Beginner's Guide
Sign in, fund with USDG, trade a Stock Token, then get perps access and place a first order.
Arcus Invite Codes and the Perps Waitlist
How invite codes are earned and redeemed, how the waitlist works, and what a referral link does not do.
Arcus Fees Explained
Every maker and taker tier, beta and standard, with worked examples and the referral discount.
Arcus vs Hyperliquid (2026)
Fees, markets, liquidity and access, with every number sourced.
Trading Stocks 24/7 on Arcus
Stock Tokens, equity perps and how pricing changes when US exchanges are closed.
What Is Arcus?
The two engines, who builds it, the markets, and the trust trade-offs, in one page.
JUST ADDED
Recently Published
Arcus Invite Codes and the Perps Waitlist: How to Get Perps Access (2026)
How to unlock Arcus perps in 2026: how invite codes are earned and redeemed, how the waitlist ranks you, and why a referral link alone does not open perps.
Arcus Referral Code ARCUSGUIDE: 5% Off Trading Fees (2026)
Join Arcus with referral code ARCUSGUIDE and Arcus shows 5% off your trading fees, for good. How to apply it, the deadline, and how Arcus referral rewards pay.
How to Trade on Arcus: Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)
Step-by-step Arcus tutorial: check eligibility, sign in, add code ARCUSGUIDE, fund with USDG, buy a Stock Token, unlock perps and place your first perp order.
How to Deposit and Withdraw on Arcus (USDG, Cards, Bridges)
Fund Arcus from a wallet, Coinbase, card or Apple Pay. What USDG is, typical deposit costs and minimums, and how the two-step Perps to Spot withdrawal works.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Trade Arcus for 5% less
Join with code ARCUSGUIDE and Arcus takes 5% off your trading fees on every perp you trade, for as long as you trade. Stock Tokens are already fee-free on Arcus, and you can buy them the day you sign up.