# Axiom Fees Explained: Tiers, Cashback, and the Referral Discount

> The real Axiom fee schedule — the 1% base fee, all seven cashback tiers, priority fees vs Jito tips, and exactly how the referral discount stacks on top.

Source: https://lighterpedia.com/guides/fees/axiom-fees-explained

Axiom's fee structure gets misquoted constantly, usually by aggregator sites copying each other rather than checking the actual docs. Here's the real number, the full cashback ladder, and how the referral discount actually stacks — every figure sourced directly from [docs.axiom.trade](https://docs.axiom.trade), verified 2026-08-06.


Axiom's base fee is 1%, not zero. Cashback tiers bring it down to as low as 0.75%, and a referral link takes a further 10% off that. Tier volume thresholds are not published anywhere — you find out by trading.




*Source: [docs.axiom.trade](https://docs.axiom.trade) — used under fair use for educational purposes*

## The Base Fee and Cashback Tiers

Axiom charges **1% gross** on every spot trade. That's reduced by a seven-tier SOL cashback system:

| Tier | Multiplier | Net Fee | Cashback |
|------|-----------|---------|----------|
| Wood | 1× | 0.95% | 0.05% |
| Bronze | 2× | 0.90% | 0.10% |
| Silver | 2.5× | 0.875% | 0.125% |
| Gold | 3× | 0.85% | 0.15% |
| Platinum | 3.5× | 0.825% | 0.175% |
| Diamond | 4× | 0.80% | 0.20% |
| Champion | 5× | 0.75% | 0.25% |

The math checks out cleanly against Axiom's own framing: each tier multiplier times a 5% base cashback rate equals that tier's cashback percentage of the 1% fee. 1× gets you 5% of 1% back (0.05%); 5× gets you 25% back (0.25%).


The volume required to reach each tier is not published — not in the official docs, not by any third party we could verify. Any guide claiming a specific dollar threshold per tier is guessing. Trade and watch your tier status change; that's currently the only way to know.


## The Referral Discount

Signing up through a referral link gets you an automatic **10% discount** on your trading fees, applied on top of whatever cashback tier you're on — no separate code to enter. Our link is [axiom.trade/@axiompe](https://axiom.trade/@axiompe).

On the referrer's side, Axiom pays a three-level commission on the referred user's fees: **30% to the direct referrer, 3% to their referrer, and 2% one level above that**, calculated on Axiom's net fee (after the referee's own discount). Axiom's own documentation walks through the math with a $10,000 trade generating a $100 fee: the direct referrer earns $30, the next level up earns $3, and the level above that earns $2. Payout mechanics beyond that — exact cadence, whether it's automatic or requires a claim — aren't fully documented; DefiLlama's methodology notes describe payouts coming from "referral vaults" that get claimed, which implies a manual step. If you're weighing the referral program as a serious income source, see [our full referral breakdown](/referral).

## Perpetuals Fees

Axiom's perps run on  **[Hyperliquid](https://hyperliquidguide.com)** through a builder-code arrangement, so you pay two layers: Axiom's own **0.01% per transaction**, plus Hyperliquid's base fee (0.045% taker / 0.015% maker at the entry tier, scaling down at higher volume or with HYPE staked). Leverage goes up to 50x. This is meaningfully different math from Axiom's spot fee, so don't assume the 0.75%-to-1% range applies to perps — it doesn't.

##  Priority Fees and Jito Tips

Two separate levers control how fast your transaction lands, and both default to **0.001 SOL**:

-  **Priority fee** pays the Solana validator directly to prioritize your transaction in the block.
-  **Jito tip** pays into Jito's MEV bundle auction — this is also the mechanism behind Axiom's Reduced MEV protection mode.

Raise either when you're racing a fast-moving migration or a launch everyone's trying to buy at once. Lower them on an established token where speed doesn't matter as much as fee efficiency.

## What Costs Nothing

Axiom doesn't charge its own fee on deposits or withdrawals — you pay only standard Solana network gas, typically a fraction of a cent. Perps withdrawals route through Hyperliquid's bridge and generally arrive as USDC within about 5 minutes.

## The Real All-In Cost on a Fresh Launch

Axiom's fee is only one layer of what you actually pay on a Pump.fun-origin token. Stack Axiom's 0.75-0.95% on top of PumpSwap's own fee (1.25% down to 0.30% depending on market cap), plus priority fee and Jito tip, plus whatever slippage the pool's depth forces on you, and a round trip on a fresh launch can run past 4% all-in. That's the honest number competitors who quote a bare "1%" don't mention — it's not unique to Axiom, every terminal routing through the same AMMs pays the same underlying layer, but it's worth knowing before you size a trade on a thin pool.



See [Axiom vs Photon](/compare/axiom-vs-photon) and [Axiom vs GMGN](/compare/axiom-vs-gmgn) for the full competitive picture on fees, sourced from official docs and live DefiLlama data rather than the secondhand numbers most comparison sites repeat. And before you size a trade on a fast-moving launch, set your [MEV protection mode](/guides/trading/axiom-mev-protection-modes-explained) correctly — the priority fee and Jito tip above only cover part of execution quality.

## FAQ

### What is Axiom's trading fee?

1% of the trade, gross. That's reduced by SOL cashback tiers to as low as 0.75% at the top tier, and a referral link applies a further 10% discount on top. Axiom is not a zero-fee platform — if you've read otherwise, that claim belongs to a different exchange.

### How does Axiom's cashback tier system work?

Seven tiers — Wood, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Champion — each paying back a percentage of your trading fees in SOL, from 0.05% at Wood up to 0.25% at Champion. The exact volume thresholds to reach each tier are not published anywhere, official or third-party.

### Does Axiom charge a fee on perps?

Yes, 0.01% per transaction, on top of Hyperliquid's own fee since Axiom's perps run through a Hyperliquid builder-code arrangement. Hyperliquid's base fee is 0.045% taker / 0.015% maker at the entry tier, so the effective combined rate is a bit higher than Axiom's cut alone.

### What's the difference between a priority fee and a Jito tip on Axiom?

Both default to 0.001 SOL and both speed up execution, but they work differently. A priority fee pays the Solana validator directly to prioritize your transaction. A Jito tip pays into Jito's MEV auction, which is also how Axiom's Reduced MEV protection mode routes trades. Raise either on a fast-moving launch where you need to win a speed race.

### How much can I save with the Axiom referral discount?

10% off your trading fees, applied automatically when you sign up through a referral link — no code to enter separately. It stacks on top of whatever cashback tier you're on, so a Champion-tier trader referred in pays less than 0.75% times 0.9.

### Does Axiom charge deposit or withdrawal fees?

No fee from Axiom itself — you pay standard Solana network gas, which is typically a fraction of a cent. Perps withdrawals route through Hyperliquid and typically arrive as USDC in about 5 minutes.