Aave holds much larger locked capital, while Uniswap generates higher fee flow relative to its TVL. Watch V4 upgrades and volume shifts for the next signal.

Aave and Uniswap serve different roles in DeFi, lending and swaps. Aave posts far higher total value locked and active borrow demand, while Uniswap posts stronger recent swap fee flow versus its liquidity. These differences shape which token can run first.

Here is a quick comparison between Uniswap vs Aave to help you understand which has more impact on the DeFi market. 

On-Chain Fundamentals: Lending Scale Versus Fee Momentum

Aave’s deployed liquidity sits around $71.4B, with roughly $28.4B borrowed, giving the protocol a large lending scale and cash flow exposure. 

Uniswap’s combined TVL sits about $5.57B, and the protocol collected about $129M in fees over 30 days.

Put another way, Uniswap’s 30-day fees equal roughly 2.32% of its TVL (annualized ~27.8%), while Aave’s 30-day fees equal roughly 0.14% of its TVL (annualized ~1.67%). 

These ratios show Uniswap produces more immediate fee flow per unit of locked capital, while Aave controls much larger absolute capital and borrowing activity. 

RECOMMENDED: Prediction: $1,000 Investing in Uniswap Could Be Worth What in a Year?

Price Action And Technical Signals To Watch

UNI trades around $7.6, AAVE trades around $270, so watch percent moves rather than nominal price. 

Scan 4-week and 50-day moving averages, RSI divergence, and MACD cross for early breakout signs. 

For AAVE, rising borrow demand or shrinking TVL can lift price momentum. For UNI, rising DEX volume and a sustained increase in 30-day fees often precede strong runs.

Uniswap vs Aave: Catalysts And Risk Factors

Uniswap V4 introduces hooks that let builders customize pools and fee behavior, which can lift volumes if widely adopted. 

Aave’s V4 hub and spoke upgrade aims to add modular lending markets, a potential multi-quarter catalyst when released. 

Risks include protocol-specific governance changes, liquidity shifts, and broad market volatility.

Conclusion

Aave leads on raw scale and lending activity, making it the more defensive pick; Uniswap can outperform quickly if V4 features and higher swap volume push fee income up. Watch TVL, borrow growth, 30-day fees, and volume for the next signal. 

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