AI Trading Bots vs. a Native AI Exchange
Most AI trading bots are wrappers: software that sits on top of someone else's exchange and trades through an API key you hand over. Everstrike is the other kind: an exchange with AI strategies built in.
That one structural difference decides what you pay, what you have to trust, and how many systems sit between your idea and a fill. This page explains the difference, compares Everstrike with Coinrule and 3Commas, and is honest about when a wrapper is the better choice.
How an order travels
With a wrapper, your strategy passes through a bot platform holding your API key before it reaches the exchange. On Everstrike, the AI and the order book are the same system.
Side by side
Coinrule and 3Commas charge a subscription and leave exchange fees on top. Everstrike charges per AI check and nothing to trade.
| Everstrike | Coinrule | 3Commas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Exchange with built-in AI strategies | Wrapper on connected exchanges | Wrapper on connected exchanges |
| Strategy input | Plain English | Plain English, Python or Pine Script | Bot templates (DCA, grid, signal) plus AI assistant |
| Cheapest live trading | Pay per AI check: $0.001 per check on one market (default model); $2 free credit | $29.99/mo (Investor) | $20/mo (Starter, spot only) |
| Futures | Perps included | Via connected exchanges | Pro plan, $50/mo |
| Options | Perpetual options, floating strike | No | No |
| Trading fees | 0% maker and taker | Exchange fees on top | Exchange fees on top |
| Custody | Your wallet, or managed CEX mode | Funds stay on your exchange | Funds stay on your exchange |
| API keys handed to a third party | None | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | $2 credit, live | Paper trading only | Free trial, plus a demo account |
Prices from each vendor's published plans, checked November 2026. Annual billing lowers both subscriptions.
Looking for a Coinrule alternative?
Coinrule is the closest product to Everstrike's idea: you describe a strategy in plain English and it runs 24/7. The difference is where it runs. Coinrule turns your description into code that trades on an exchange you connect, so you manage an API key and pay that exchange's fees.
Everstrike may suit you better if:
- You want to start small. Coinrule's live trading starts at $29.99 a month. An hourly, single-market Everstrike strategy costs about 2.4¢ a day in AI checks on the default model.
- You'd rather not hand out API keys. Everstrike strategies trade on Everstrike's own order book.
- You want options. Everstrike offers perpetual options alongside perps.
Coinrule may suit you better if you want to automate trading on an exchange you already use, or across stocks and ETFs through a broker.
Looking for a 3Commas alternative?
3Commas is built around bot templates: DCA, grid and signal bots running on 15+ connected exchanges. It's a strong toolkit if those templates match your strategy. Its new QuantPilot product adds plain-language strategy research.
Everstrike may suit you better if your idea doesn't fit a template. Describe the rule you actually want:
- You trade futures on a budget. 3Commas needs the $50-a-month Pro plan for futures; Everstrike perps have no subscription and 0% trading fees.
- You want to see why a trade happened. Every Everstrike AI decision is logged with its action, confidence and reasoning.
3Commas may suit you better if you run many bots across several exchanges and want one dashboard for all of them.
When a wrapper is the better choice
A native exchange only helps if you want to trade on that exchange. Pick a wrapper when:
- Your liquidity or assets live elsewhere. If the market you trade isn't listed on Everstrike, a wrapper can reach it.
- You need one dashboard across many venues. Wrappers are built for running bots across several exchanges at once.
- You trade traditional brokerage accounts. Coinrule connects to brokers for stocks and ETFs; Everstrike's stock exposure is through perps.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to give Everstrike an API key?
No. Everstrike strategies trade on Everstrike's own order book, so there is no third-party API key to create or hand over.
What does an AI strategy cost to run?
Each check costs the model's price once, plus once more for each market the strategy covers. On the default model that is $0.001 per check for one market, so an hourly strategy costs about 2.4¢ a day. Trading itself is 0% maker and taker. New users get $2 in free credit.
Can I see why my strategy made a trade?
Yes. Every AI decision is logged with its action, its confidence and the model's reasoning, and you choose which AI model each strategy uses.
Where do my funds sit?
In your own wallet on Arbitrum One, Base, Ethereum or BSC, or, if you prefer, in the optional managed CEX mode.
Wrapping up
If you want to describe a strategy, see every decision it makes, and pay nothing to trade, a native exchange is the simpler path. If your markets live elsewhere, a wrapper is still the right tool.
See what running an AI strategy costs per month.