Balancer vs Curve
Neutral on-chain benchmarking of slippage, revert rates, and overall execution quality.
Balancer and Curve are effectively tied on ClearTrace's on-chain slippage benchmark, 92.5 vs 91.5 out of 100 (within measurement noise), so the better choice comes down to the specific token pair and trade size. (data as of July 15, 2026)
Protocol Scorecard
| Balancer | Curve | |
|---|---|---|
| Slippage Score (0-100) | 92.5 | 91.5 |
| Trades Analyzed | 7,916 | 35,487 |
Balancer and Curve are both decentralized exchanges (AMMs), where trades execute directly against on-chain liquidity pools. The comparison comes down to pool depth, fee tiers, and how exposed each venue's order flow is to MEV such as sandwich attacks.
Across the trades ClearTrace benchmarked, Balancer posted a slippage score of 92.5/100 versus 91.5/100 for Curve — a statistical dead heat of 1.0 points. The score reflects realized slippage only — derived from median slippage versus a 1-minute VWAP, where a higher number means lower slippage. MEV exposure and revert rates are tracked as separate metrics. Balancer was measured over 7,916 trades and Curve over 35,487.
The sample sizes differ substantially (Curve: 35,487 trades; Balancer: 7,916), so Balancer's score reflects a narrower slice of activity and may move as more volume is observed.
On current data the two are effectively tied — within measurement noise, either is a reasonable choice, and the better option often comes down to the specific token pair and trade size. We recalculate these scores on every data refresh; see our methodology for how they are derived.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which has better execution quality, Balancer or Curve?
They are essentially tied on our slippage score. Balancer scored 92.5/100 and Curve 91.5/100 in ClearTrace's on-chain benchmarking — a difference within measurement noise.
Does Balancer or Curve offer better MEV protection?
ClearTrace publishes a slippage-based score and per-aggregator revert rates — not a per-aggregator MEV-protection score. On slippage, Balancer was tighter (~7.5 bps vs ~8.5 bps). For MEV specifically, the dashboard surfaces detected sandwich activity as a separate metric.
Is Balancer or Curve better for large trades?
For large orders, the venue with deeper liquidity for your pair usually wins on price impact. Both Balancer and Curve are AMMs, so compare pool depth for your token pair; the live dashboard tracks current execution quality.