ASTER and APX surge on airdrop farming, while HYPE and LIGHTER grow through organic value. Are incentives enough for long-term success?
HYPE and LIGHTER have demonstrated substantial organic growth as the crypto market advances. However, others, like ASTER and APX, are facing scrutiny for relying heavily on airdrop incentives.
While these farming strategies can boost short-term volume, their long-term sustainability remains uncertain. The real question is whether ASTER and APX are driven by genuine user interest or short-term speculative trading.
Airdrop Incentives Behind ASTER and APX’s Growth
ASTER and APX have gained significant trading volumes, but most of this activity is driven by airdrop farming. Aster alone has surpassed 650B in trading volume within just one week of launch.
However, much of this is tied to the anticipation of airdrop rewards, rather than organic demand. This trend suggests that the current price increases and volume surges may be short-lived.
New player has entered the perp dex arena: $APEX
Have to imagine that @benbybit has done the math on how much $ASTER airdrop incentive has boosted price & volume…and how they could use Mantle treasury to achieve something similar…
Aster mkt cap: $3.3B
Aster airdrop… pic.twitter.com/mo9wLZWwDF— Luke Martin (@VentureCoinist) September 27, 2025
Airdrop farming can create a temporary illusion of demand, but once the incentives end, the market may correct itself. Many traders focus on these rewards and quickly move on when the incentives run out. As a result, the real value of these tokens may be overestimated in the short term.
HYPE and LIGHTER Gaining Through Organic Growth
In contrast, HYPE and LIGHTER have attracted attention for their strong products and organic user bases. These tokens focus on real-world applications and long-term value, making them appealing to genuine investors.
HYPE has reached a $14B market cap by focusing on building sustainable ecosystems, rather than relying on temporary incentives.
$HYPE and $LIGHTER stand out with strong products.
The newer perp dexes like $ASTER and $APX are cannibalizing themselves with oversized incentives. Hard to see them as long-term competition.$ASTER can keep pushing incentive-driven volume for now. Their biggest catalyst is… https://t.co/XuRPeOUpmP
— Crypto Stream (@CryptoStreamHub) September 27, 2025
Both HYPE and LIGHTER have seen steady growth in their communities. Their user base is driven by the product’s value, not just by short-term incentives. As a result, these tokens have gained more credibility within the market.
Sustainability of ASTER and APX: What’s Next?
The question remains whether ASTER and APX can maintain momentum after the airdrop phase ends.
While their initial success may look promising, their future depends on offering real value to users. If these platforms cannot transition from farming-driven growth to sustainable user adoption, they may struggle to retain their market position.
For ASTER and APX to stay competitive, they need to focus on building a loyal user base. This requires more than just token rewards; it involves creating useful, lasting products. Without this shift, these tokens may face difficulties once the market’s speculative interest fades.
In contrast, HYPE and LIGHTER have established themselves through genuine growth. Their long-term success shows that building a strong product is key in the crypto world. ASTER and APX now face the challenge of proving that they can evolve and offer more than just farming incentives.
