amBrain

HollaEx vs OpenDAX: two crypto exchange kits, two different bills

Published Sep 23, 2026Facts checked: Sep 22, 2026

Short answer

HollaEx today sells a hosted exchange: a two-week trial and an Enterprise Cloud plan at a 15% revenue share, with no self-hosting repository in its public GitHub organisation. OpenDAX is the reverse: an Apache-2.0 core you can fork, last pushed in December 2023, a user interface licensed for non-commercial use only, and a paid perpetual licence, Aurora, for production. Choose HollaEx to launch fast and share revenue, OpenDAX if your own engineers will maintain the code, and your own engine if neither maintenance model fits your plans.

On this page

What each kit is in 2026

HollaEx describes itself as "a complete crypto exchange kit" and its HollaEx Kit as exchange software that "adheres to the CCXT crypto exchange API standard"[1]. Its pricing page shows two offers: an Operator Trial, free for two weeks and subject to approval, with a dedicated server and live trading, deposits and withdrawals on HollaEx cloud; and Enterprise Cloud, with unlimited users, 200+ assets, KYC and AML plugins, a market-making bot and a 15% revenue share[2]. The separate on-premise pricing URL redirects to the same page with HTTP 301[3].

Self-hosting now depends on code that is not publicly visible. The HollaEx CLI README describes a "CLI tool to run and interact with HollaEx Kit based exchanges" with Docker or Kubernetes and links to github.com/hollaex/hollaex-kit[4]; that address returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-22, and the hollaex organisation lists no kit repository[5]. Fixed monthly prices for HollaEx appear in third-party material: AlphaPoint, a competitor, lists "Cloud Basic: $900/month" and "a free, open-source version for teams comfortable with self-hosting" in a January 2025 comparison post[6]. HollaEx's own pricing page shows neither[2].

OpenDAX is Openware's open-source exchange stack. Its core repository is Apache-2.0 and was last pushed on 2 December 2023; the Barong component (Apache-2.0) on 21 December 2023; Peatio (MIT) on 9 April 2023; none is archived[7][8]. The BaseApp user interface "only allows Non-Commercial use": "You cannot use it for a live platform without getting a commercial license"[9]. The commercial product, OpenDAX Aurora, is a "Perpetual Software License" with "only one-time payment", deployed "on your Cloud or Baremetal hosting", with "Access to Source Code"; no price is published[10]. Openware says it has been "a Yellow company and a solution provider for Yellow Network" since December 2021[11].

Comparison table

HollaExOpenDAX (core and Aurora)Own matching engine
Code and data ownershipExchange runs on HollaEx cloud[2]; the kit repository linked from the CLI returned 404 on 2026-09-22[4][5]Core Apache-2.0, Peatio MIT, forkable[8]; BaseApp UI non-commercial only[9]; Aurora includes "Access to Source Code"[10]Your code, your order book, your data
Cost model15% revenue share, unlimited users; trial free, subject to approval; no USD price published[2]Core free; commercial BaseApp licence on request[9]; Aurora one-time payment, amount not published[10]Build cost plus hosting, custody, KYC and people; no revenue share
Time to launchTrial exchange with a dedicated server on HollaEx cloud[2]; the vendor says "Start your exchange in minutes"[1][2]Minimum VM of 8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU and 300 GB disk, Docker, Docker Compose and Ruby for the core[12]; the rest depends on your teamScoped per project; the longest of the three
Lock-in: term, notice, migration15% revenue share on the plan; term and notice not on the pricing page[2]; hosted on vendor cloud; the Kit follows the CCXT API standard[1]No contract on the core; no upstream push since the 2023 dates above[8]; Aurora terms beyond "Regular Software Maintenance" not published[10]No vendor contract; dependency on your own team
CustomisationPlugins, admin API, up to 20 custom tokens, fiat controls[2]Full code on the core; Openware offers to sell BaseApp themes you build through a partnership "provided a revenue sharing"[9]Any order type, fee model or market you specify
Compliance and data residencyKYC and AML plugins; cloud region not published[2]You host it; Aurora on your cloud or bare metal[10]You choose where it runs and you produce the evidence
Latency and scaleNot on the pricing pageAurora: the vendor states its OpenFinex engine "handles millions of trades per second"[10]Designed and measured for your load; see a matching engine in Rust
Exit costMoving users, balances and wallets off a hosted venue; export terms not publishedCore: no contract under Apache-2.0[7]; Aurora exit terms not published[10]None contractual

Stay with a kit if…

  1. 1.You want a live exchange before you have an engineering team. HollaEx's trial runs trading, deposits and withdrawals live on its cloud[2], and the published Enterprise Cloud price is a revenue share rather than a fixed fee.
  2. 2.Your own engineers will maintain a fork. The OpenDAX core is Apache-2.0[7], and its README asks for a minimum VM of 8 GB RAM and 4 vCPU[12]. Budget a commercial UI licence or write your own front end, since BaseApp is non-commercial only[9].
  3. 3.One venue with standard spot markets is the whole plan. If your advantage is listings, community or region rather than the engine, a kit gives you the engine you do not compete on.

Consider leaving the kits if…

  1. 1.The revenue share outgrows the platform's value to you. Symptom: the platform line grows every month you grow. At 15%[2], every $100,000 of revenue in scope sends $15,000 to the vendor, month after month.
  2. 2.Someone asks who maintains your exchange code. Symptom: a bank, an auditor or a regulator asks for the change history of the code that holds client orders, and the upstream repository was last pushed in 2023[8]. On a fork, every security fix since then is yours.
  3. 3.Your product needs what the kit does not ship. Symptom: a second venue, derivatives or a new fee model means changing an architecture your team did not design and does not fully know.

Migration path in four steps

  1. 1.Export and reconcile. Take users, balances, deposit addresses, order and trade history and KYC references. Reconcile every internal balance against on-chain wallets before anything moves.
  2. 2.Replay before you switch. Feed historic order flow through the new engine and compare fills and fees. Deterministic replay is how the matching engine design is tested.
  3. 3.Move market makers first. HollaEx says its Kit adheres to the CCXT standard[1]; if the new venue offers a CCXT-compatible API too, market makers' connectors change little. Give them a sandbox and a date.
  4. 4.Cut over market by market. Announce a withdrawal window, freeze the old venue, keep its history read-only, and close the plan or the fork.

Cost drivers of building your own

Cost driverWhat drives itPublic reference point
Matching engine and order bookOrder types, fee model, self-trade rules, replay testingDesigning a matching engine in Rust
Pre-trade riskBalance, limit and fat-finger checks on every orderPre-trade risk checks inside the order path
Market data distributionOrder-book fan-out to every connected clientL2 market data under bursts
Wallets and custodyHot and cold wallets per chain, key management, reconciliationHollaEx bundles an "Exchange wallet"[2]; on your own stack it is a system or a contract of its own
KYC and AMLPriced per verificationSumsub: $1.35 per verification with a $149 minimum monthly commitment, or $1.85 with AML and a $299 minimum[13]
LiquidityMarket makers at launchHollaEx bundles a market-making bot[2]; on your own venue it is a contract with a market maker
User interfaceWeb and mobile front endsBaseApp requires a commercial licence for a live platform[9]
OperationsMonitoring, incident response, security reviewsNo public reference; scoped per project

Frequently asked questions

Some libraries are: hollaex-node-lib (MIT) and hollaex-apidoc (Apache-2.0) are public in the hollaex organisation[5]. The HollaEx Kit repository that the CLI links to returned 404 on 2026-09-22[4], and the pricing page offers cloud plans only[2].

Enterprise Cloud is a 15% revenue share with unlimited users; the two-week Operator Trial is free, subject to approval[2]. Fixed monthly prices seen elsewhere, such as "$900/month", come from AlphaPoint's January 2025 comparison post[6], not from HollaEx's current page.

Public dates answer this better than opinions: the core repository was last pushed on 2 December 2023, Barong on 21 December 2023 and Peatio on 9 April 2023, and none is archived[8]. Openware sells Aurora with "Regular Software Maintenance"[10] and describes itself as a solution provider for Yellow Network[11].

The Apache-2.0 core, yes[7]. The BaseApp interface, no: its licence "only allows Non-Commercial use", and a live platform needs a commercial licence from Openware[9].

When the order book, the fee logic or a second venue is the business, and a revenue share or a fork you maintain alone costs more than owning a design you know.

About amBrain

  • amBrain is a Yerevan, Armenia software engineering company building low latency trading platforms, matching engines, and real-time bidding systems in Rust.
  • A mini-exchange running in production on MOEX colocation.
  • The client keeps full ownership of the product and the code, except our reusable components.

Product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to identify their products. No vendor named here reviewed or endorsed this page.

Sources

  1. [1]HollaEx, Home page. Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026
  2. [2]HollaEx, Pricing. Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026
  3. [3]HollaEx, On-premise pricing URL (redirects to /pricing). Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026
  4. [4]HollaEx, CLI README (the linked hollaex/hollaex-kit repository returned HTTP 404 on 2026-09-22). Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  5. [5]GitHub, Hollaex organisation repository list. Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  6. [6]AlphaPoint blog, AlphaPoint vs. HollaEx: A Comprehensive Comparison of White-Label Crypto Exchange Solutions (a competitor's description of HollaEx plans), Jan 16, 2025. Third-party source · checked Sep 22, 2026
  7. [7]GitHub, Openware/opendax, licence Apache-2.0. Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  8. [8]GitHub API, Repository metadata for openware/opendax, openware/barong and openware/peatio (licence, pushed_at, archived). Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  9. [9]GitHub, Openware/baseapp README, licence section. Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  10. [10]Openware, OpenDAX Aurora product page. Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026
  11. [11]Openware, Organisation profile on DEV. Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026
  12. [12]Openware, OpenDAX README, 2-6-stable branch (minimum VM requirements and setup). Official documentation · checked Sep 22, 2026
  13. [13]Sumsub, Pricing. Vendor's own page · checked Sep 22, 2026

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