Curve vs Uniswap
Neutral on-chain benchmarking of execution quality, MEV protection, and overall trade execution.
Protocol Scorecard
Curve and Uniswap 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, Curve posted an execution-quality score of 89.2/100 versus 87.5/100 for Uniswap — a statistical dead heat of 1.7 points. The score blends realized slippage with an MEV/toxicity measure, so a higher number means traders kept more of their expected value. Curve was measured over 47,219 trades and Uniswap over 1,402,918.
The sample sizes differ substantially (Uniswap: 1,402,918 trades; Curve: 47,219), so Curve'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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which has better execution quality, Curve or Uniswap?
They are essentially tied. Curve scored 89.2/100 and Uniswap 87.5/100 in ClearTrace's on-chain benchmarking — a difference within measurement noise.
Does Curve or Uniswap offer better MEV protection?
MEV protection is captured by our toxicity measure, where lower is better. Curve scored a toxicity of 10.8 and Uniswap 12.5, so Curve showed somewhat stronger protection against value extraction such as sandwich attacks over the sample.
Is Curve or Uniswap better for large trades?
For large orders, the venue with deeper liquidity for your pair usually wins on price impact. Both Curve and Uniswap are AMMs, so compare pool depth for your token pair; the live dashboard tracks current execution quality.