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Deploy Finance compared to Drift vaults

Drift vaults and Deploy Finance both let you back a trading strategy without running it yourself, but they place your funds differently while that strategy runs. Drift pools depositor funds into a vault a delegate trades on behalf of everyone in it. Deploy Finance agents trade from your own individually held wallet.

Compare Drift vaults and Deploy Finance​

Drift vaultsDeploy Finance
Product modelPermissionless, manager-led vaults on Solana; anyone can launch or deposit into oneCurated autonomous agents that trade from a self-custodial wallet
CustodyFunds are pooled into a shared vault; the delegate can place and cancel orders but not withdraw depositor principal directlyFunds stay in your own wallet, not pooled; the agent holds a scoped, revocable session key
FeesVault managers commonly charge a performance fee, often cited in the 20–30% range, above a high-water mark, plus a possible management feeNo subscription, no management fee, no performance cut on your deposits
WithdrawalRequires a redemption request, then a custom notice period commonly cited around 1–7 days, before funds are releasedNo fixed lock-up documented; revoke access, exit the strategy, and withdraw to your own address
Strategy controlWhichever strategy the vault's delegate chooses to runYou choose Income: Funding Rates or Superstar; the agent executes that defined mandate
Best fitUsers who want to back a specific vault manager's track record on Solana perpetualsUsers who want their capital individually held while a defined agent trades it

What are Drift vaults?​

Drift is a decentralized perpetual exchange on Solana. Its vaults program lets a manager, called a delegate, trade a shared pool of depositor funds. The delegate can only place or cancel orders on behalf of the vault — they cannot withdraw depositor principal directly — but the funds themselves are pooled, not individually held per depositor.

How Drift vaults work​

  • Depositors fund a vault a delegate manages; the delegate's only power over the pool is placing and cancelling orders.
  • Withdrawing requires submitting a redemption request and then waiting out a custom notice period, commonly cited around 1 to 7 days, before funds are released — a control meant to prevent vault runs during volatile periods.
  • Vault managers commonly take a performance fee on profits above a high-water mark, often cited in the 20–30% range, and may also charge a management fee across the vault.
  • Your result depends on the delegate's trading and the vault's aggregate book, not a position sized and managed just for you.

Deploy Finance: individually held, no performance fee​

Deploy Finance runs autonomous trading agents funded and settled in USDC, with no manager standing between you and the position. The live agents are Income: Funding Rates and Superstar.

Deploy Finance's live features​

  • Income: Funding Rates: a market-neutral agent that seeks returns from perpetual funding spreads while managing its hedge.
  • Superstar: a directional agent that takes long or short positions under its defined strategy.
  • Self-custodial agent wallet: funds stay in your own wallet, never pooled with other users. The agent receives a scoped, revocable session key and cannot transfer or withdraw funds.

Where a Drift vault pools your capital with every other depositor's under a delegate's discretion, a Deploy agent trades from your own wallet under your own allocation, following a fixed, publicly described mandate rather than a delegate's open-ended discretion — and takes no performance fee.

Sign in with email or Google, fund the wallet with USDC, and choose an agent. No delegate sits between you and the position, and stepping back does not require filing a redemption request and waiting out a notice period — you revoke the session key directly.

When should you choose Deploy Finance or Drift vaults?​

Choose Deploy Finance when:

  • You want your capital individually held rather than pooled with other depositors under a delegate's discretion.
  • You want no performance fee taken on the agent's results.
  • You are specifically evaluating a market-neutral funding strategy or a separately defined directional strategy.
  • You want to avoid a multi-day redemption notice period on withdrawal.

Choose Drift vaults when:

  • You have evaluated a specific vault delegate's track record and want to back their discretionary strategy.
  • You are comfortable pooling capital with other depositors and accepting a redemption notice period.
  • You want Solana perpetual-market exposure through a manager-led vault rather than a fixed agent mandate.

Different structures: A Drift vault pools capital under a delegate's discretion and typically charges a performance fee. Deploy's agents trade individually held funds under a fixed, published mandate with no performance fee. No integration between the products is implied.

Choose the approach that matches the job​

Choose Drift vaults if you want to back a specific manager's discretionary strategy on Solana perpetuals and are comfortable pooling capital and accepting a redemption notice period. Choose Deploy Finance if you want a fixed agent mandate executed from your own wallet, with no pooling, no performance fee, and no notice period.

Two ways to use Deploy Finance​

Income: Funding Rates

Choose this agent if you want a published funding-spread mandate rather than a delegate's discretion and a cut of your profits.

Superstar

Choose this agent for a directional stance defined up front, rather than whichever direction a vault manager takes this month.

Learn more​

Start with Deploy Finance​

Create a self-custodial Deploy Finance wallet and review the live agents.