MaxFi vs Beefy vs Gamma vs Arrakis: Which LP Manager Earns More?
A direct comparison of the 4 major DeFi LP managers on Base. Pool coverage, fee models, rebalancing methods, and real performance data.
Choosing an LP manager comes down to three questions: how many pools can you access, what fees do you pay, and how does it handle rebalancing? This post compares MaxFi against Beefy Finance, Gamma Strategies, and Arrakis Finance on each.
Pool Coverage
The number of pools determines your yield opportunities. More pools means more chances to find high-APR positions.
| Platform | Pools on Base | DEXes Covered | Degen Token Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| MaxFi | 93 | Aerodrome, Uniswap V3, PancakeSwap | 56 tokens including meme/AI |
| Beefy | ~30 | Aerodrome, Uniswap V3 | Limited |
| Gamma | ~15 | Uniswap V3 | Minimal |
| Arrakis | ~10 | Uniswap V3 | Blue chips only |
MaxFi covers 52 Aerodrome Slipstream pools with AERO gauge rewards, 29 Uniswap V3 pools, and 8 PancakeSwap pools with CAKE rewards. This includes 40+ degen/meme/AI token pools that no competitor touches.
Why does degen coverage matter? Those pools generate 500-4,000%+ APR due to high volume relative to liquidity. If your manager only covers blue chips, you're capped at 100-500% on the best day.
Fee Model
This is where platforms differ the most.
| Platform | Fee Structure | On a $10K deposit earning $5K |
|---|---|---|
| MaxFi | 15% performance fee on earnings only | You keep $4,250, MaxFi earns $750 |
| Beefy | 0.5% deposit + 0.1% withdrawal + harvest fees | Variable, ~$300-600 depending on compounding |
| Gamma | 10% performance fee | You keep $4,500, Gamma earns $500 |
| Arrakis | Custom per vault | Varies by deployment |
MaxFi charges nothing if you don't earn. No deposit fees, no withdrawal fees, no management fees. 15% of earnings only. This aligns incentives: MaxFi makes money when you make money.
Beefy's fee structure looks small per transaction but compounds. Frequent harvesting (which Beefy does to auto-compound) triggers harvest fees on each cycle. On a high-APR degen pool with daily harvests, those fees add up.
Rebalancing Method
How the manager repositions when price moves out of range.
| Platform | Method | Slippage | MEV Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| MaxFi | Zero-swap asymmetric deposits | None | None |
| Beefy | Token swaps via DEX | 0.1-3% per rebalance | Yes |
| Gamma | Token swaps via DEX | 0.1-2% per rebalance | Yes |
| Arrakis | Token swaps via DEX | 0.1-2% per rebalance | Yes |
MaxFi never swaps your tokens during rebalancing. It uses asymmetric deposits to reposition around the new price. This eliminates three costs that every other manager pays:
- Swap slippage: 0.1-3% per rebalance depending on liquidity depth
- MEV extraction: Sandwich bots front-run rebalance swaps, extracting value
- Swap fees: Another 0.05-1% per rebalance in DEX fees
On a blue-chip pair that rebalances weekly, the annual savings from zero-swap rebalancing are 2-5% of your position. On a degen pair that rebalances daily, the savings are 20-50%+ annually.
This is MaxFi's core technical advantage. Competitors can't replicate it without rewriting their vault architecture.
Impermanent Loss Reduction
Zero-swap rebalancing directly reduces impermanent loss. Here's why:
Traditional rebalancing swaps token A for token B at the new price. This locks in the loss from the price move. You sell low and buy high every single rebalance.
MaxFi's asymmetric deposits don't execute that swap. Your tokens stay in the same ratio they were in. The position gets recentered without converting one asset to another.
In backtests over 365 days, this produces ~50% less impermanent loss compared to swap-based rebalancing on the same pool with the same range width.
Automation Quality
| Feature | MaxFi | Beefy | Gamma | Arrakis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-rebalance | Chainlink Keeper (20 min checks) | Strategy-dependent | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-harvest | Yes | Yes (auto-compound) | Varies | Varies |
| Range optimization | 3 strategy presets per pool | Fixed per vault | Fixed per vault | Custom per deployment |
| Withdraw anytime | Yes, no lockup | Yes | Yes | Varies |
MaxFi uses Chainlink Automation to monitor all 93 pools every 20 minutes. When a position goes out of range, it rebalances automatically. Each pool has three strategy presets (conservative, moderate, aggressive) with tick-spacing-aligned range widths.
The Backtester
MaxFi provides a free backtesting tool. Pick any of the 93 pools, set your range width and rebalance threshold, and see exactly what your deposit would have returned over 365 days of real price data.
No other LP manager on Base offers this. You can verify the numbers yourself before depositing a single dollar.
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30 seconds. Completely free. No signup required. Pick any pool, choose your market outlook, and see exactly what your deposit would have returned using 365 days of real data.
Run Backtest Now →When to Use Each
MaxFi is the best choice when you want:
- Access to degen/meme/AI token pools (93 pools, 56 tokens)
- Zero-swap rebalancing (lower IL, no slippage, no MEV)
- Performance-only fees (pay nothing if you don't earn)
- Verifiable backtests before depositing
Beefy makes sense if you want:
- Auto-compounding across multiple chains
- Broad multi-chain coverage beyond Base
- Simpler "set and forget" vaults
Gamma is reasonable if you want:
- Proven track record on Uniswap V3
- Conservative range management
- Multi-chain presence
Arrakis is designed for:
- Protocol-owned liquidity management
- Custom vault deployments
- Institutional LP needs
Summary
| MaxFi | Beefy | Gamma | Arrakis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pools on Base | 93 | ~30 | ~15 | ~10 |
| Fee model | 15% perf only | Deposit + withdrawal + harvest | 10% perf | Custom |
| Rebalancing | Zero-swap | Swaps | Swaps | Swaps |
| Degen tokens | 56 tokens | Limited | Minimal | None |
| Backtester | Free, 365 days | No | No | No |
| IL reduction | ~50% less | Standard | Standard | Standard |
MaxFi covers more pools, charges only on earnings, and uses zero-swap rebalancing. If you're providing liquidity on Base, those three advantages compound.
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This comparison reflects publicly available information as of March 2026. Fee structures and pool counts may change. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All DeFi protocols carry smart contract risk. Do your own research before depositing funds. This is not financial advice.