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Uniswap

The DEX that invented the model everyone else copied.

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By the Orca Crypto teamUpdated 2026-09-28How we check this5 min read
The short answer

The DEX that invented the model everyone else copied. Uniswap turned market making into a formula. Anyone can create a market for any pair without asking permission, and it still has the deepest onchain liquidity on Ethereum.

What it is

Uniswap turned market making into a formula. Anyone can create a market for any pair without asking permission, and it still has the deepest onchain liquidity on Ethereum.

PropertyDetail
Launched2018
ModelAutomated market maker, v2 constant product and v3 concentrated liquidity
ChainsEthereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, Unichain and more
CustodySelf custody. Your funds never leave your wallet until the swap executes
Account requiredNone. You connect a wallet

The UNI token

LiveCoinGecko
Price
$8.6
-8.13% 24h
Market cap
$5.34B
24h volume
$1.03B
Rank
#23

Prices as of September 29, 2026, replaced by live figures as the page loads. Prices move constantly and are for orientation only.

A governance token is not the exchange, and holding one is not required to use the other.

Using it safely

  1. Reach it from a bookmark

    Type the address or use a saved bookmark. Fake front ends served through search ads are the single most common way wallets get drained.

  2. Check the network

    Your wallet and the site must be on the same chain, or your balance will appear to be zero.

  3. Verify the token contract

    For anything other than a household name, paste the contract address from an official source rather than picking from a search list.

  4. Set slippage tight

    0.1 to 0.5 percent on major pairs. If a token demands far more, that is information about the token.

  5. Approve the exact amount

    Avoid unlimited approvals where the interface lets you choose. Review old ones periodically.

  6. Read the transaction on an explorer

    Every time, at first. It builds the instinct that catches problems later.

What it costs

Two separate costs apply to every swap, and beginners often only notice one.

  • The pool fee, typically 0.01 to 1 percent depending on the pair and the tier. This goes to liquidity providers.
  • Network gas, which depends entirely on which chain you are on and has nothing to do with the DEX.

On Ethereum mainnet gas usually dominates. On Base or Solana it effectively disappears, and the pool fee is the whole cost.

Honest risk assessment

  • Smart contract risk. Even audited, heavily used contracts have been exploited before.
  • You are responsible for every approval you grant, and they persist until revoked.
  • There is no support, no reversal and no recovery for a mistake.
  • Prices come from pools, so thin liquidity means severe price impact on larger trades.
  • Anyone can list any token. A matching name and logo proves nothing.

Other places to make the same trade

Routing differs, fees differ, and the pool you get filled from differs. These cover the same ground.

Where to go next

Compared head to head

The question people actually ask is not "what is this" but "this one or that one". Each of these ends with a pick and the reasoning behind it.

First time on Uniswap?

We can walk through it live, on a cheap network, so the first swap you do alone is actually your second.

Common questions

Which Uniswap version should I use?
The interface routes you automatically, so in practice you do not choose. Version two is a simple constant product pool, version three concentrates liquidity into price ranges for better pricing, and version four adds hooks that let pools carry custom logic.
Is Uniswap safe to use?
The core contracts are among the most audited and battle tested in crypto. The realistic risks are reaching a fake front end, buying a token that is a scam, and setting slippage too wide.
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