Back in 2017, if you wanted to trade a new Ethereum token right after its ICO, there was one place most people turned to: EtherDelta. It wasnât fancy. It wasnât fast. But it let you trade directly from your wallet-no bank, no middleman. That was revolutionary at the time. Today, EtherDelta doesnât even load anymore. But its ghost lives on in ForkDelta, a community-run fork that still works, barely, in 2025. If youâre thinking about using it, hereâs the real story-no marketing fluff, just what happened, whatâs left, and whether itâs worth your time.
What EtherDelta Was (And Why It Mattered)
EtherDelta launched in early 2017 by Zack Coburn. It wasnât built to compete with Coinbase or Binance. It was built to bypass them. At a time when centralized exchanges were getting hacked left and right-Mt. Gox, Bitfinex, others-EtherDelta offered something radical: you kept your keys. Your ETH, your tokens, your money stayed in your MetaMask or Parity wallet. The exchange just matched buy and sell orders using a smart contract on Ethereum. No deposits. No withdrawals. Just trades.
That simplicity made it the go-to for early ERC-20 tokens. If a new project raised money through an ICO, EtherDelta was often the first place you could trade it. By late 2017, it listed over 240 tokens. At its peak, it handled $187 million in trading volume in a single month. It wasnât just popular-it was essential.
The Crash: December 24, 2017
Then came the attack.
On December 24, 2017, hackers didnât break into the smart contract. They didnât steal code. They took over EtherDeltaâs domain name server. One simple DNS hijack redirected users from etherdelta.com to a fake site that looked identical. Thousands of users logged in, approved transactions, and sent their ETH to the hackersâ wallet. At least 308 ETH-worth $154,000 back then-vanished overnight.
Worse, rumors spread that Coburn had sold the platform. Within days, a new ICO popped up on the same site-no whitepaper, no team, no transparency. The community lost trust. By February 2019, the interface stopped updating. No new trades. No new tokens. EtherDelta was dead.
ForkDelta: The Communityâs Lifeline
But the smart contract? That was still running. Immutable. Unchangeable. So the community did something smart: they forked it. ForkDelta was born. Same contract. Same rules. Same 0.3% fee. But now, it ran on a new website, maintained by volunteers.
As of December 2025, ForkDelta still works. You can still trade over 200 ERC-20 tokens. Itâs the only DEX left that still supports obscure tokens from projects that vanished years ago. If youâre trying to sell a token no one else lists-say, something from a 2017 ICO thatâs now worth pennies-ForkDelta might be your only option.
How It Works (The Hard Way)
Using ForkDelta isnât like using Binance. Itâs not even like Uniswap. Hereâs what you actually have to do:
- Install MetaMask or another Ethereum wallet.
- Buy ETH and send it to your wallet.
- Go to ForkDeltaâs website.
- Connect your wallet.
- Deposit ETH into the smart contract (thatâs a separate transaction).
- Deposit your ERC-20 token into the contract (another transaction).
- Place your buy or sell order.
- Wait 15-60 seconds for it to confirm, depending on Ethereum congestion.
- When your order fills, withdraw your funds (another transaction).
Thatâs eight steps. Three transactions just to get started. Each one costs gas. If you mess up the timing, your transaction fails. You lose gas. You lose time. And you might not even realize it until your balance drops.
According to a 2024 study by CaptainAltcoin, new users take an average of 2.7 hours to complete their first trade. Thatâs not a typo. Two hours and forty-two minutes. Most of that time is spent figuring out why their transaction failed, why the order book looks broken, or why they canât find the token theyâre looking for.
Why Itâs Still Used (By a Few)
Despite all this, people still use ForkDelta. Why?
Because itâs the last standing DEX that still lists micro-cap ERC-20 tokens. Uniswap, SushiSwap, Curve-they all curate their listings. They drop tokens that donât have volume. ForkDelta doesnât care. If a tokenâs contract is on Ethereum, you can trade it.
Reddit user u/EthereumVeteran told me in a 2023 post: âIâve made 37x on three different tokens just by buying them on ForkDelta right after their ICO.â Thatâs the draw. For experienced traders hunting for hidden gems, itâs still the only place that doesnât gatekeep.
Itâs also the only place where you can trade tokens from projects that were abandoned, hacked, or disappeared. If youâre trying to recover a token you bought in 2018, ForkDelta might still have it.
The Big Problems
But hereâs the truth: ForkDelta is a relic.
Speed: Trades take 15-60 seconds. Binance does 1.4 million trades per second. Youâre not just slow-youâre glacial.
Liquidity: The average order book depth for ETH/USDT on ForkDelta is 15 ETH. On Uniswap V3, itâs 85 ETH. That means your buy order might not fill, or youâll pay a huge price slippage.
Security: The smart contract is secure. But the website? Itâs still vulnerable to DNS hijacking. The 2017 attack proved that. No oneâs fixed the web interface since. If youâre not using a bookmarked link or a verified blockchain explorer, youâre risking your funds.
Interface: The design hasnât changed since 2017. Buttons are tiny. Labels are unclear. The order book looks like a spreadsheet from 2005. A 2023 usability study found 78% of new users took over 30 minutes to complete their first trade. Most gave up.
Support: Thereâs no customer service. No live chat. No email. The only help is a Reddit subreddit with 12 new posts a day and an average response time of 8.3 hours. Most users say they had to watch YouTube tutorials just to deposit funds.
Who Should Use It?
Letâs be clear: most people should avoid ForkDelta.
If youâre a beginner? Donât touch it. Youâll lose money on gas fees and frustration.
If youâre trading Bitcoin, Solana, or even BNB? Forget it. ForkDelta only works on Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens.
If youâre looking for low fees, fast trades, or a clean interface? Go to Uniswap, SushiSwap, or even a centralized exchange like Kraken.
But if youâre an experienced trader who:
- Knows how to read a blockchain explorer,
- Understands gas fees and timing,
- Has a specific ERC-20 token you need to trade thatâs not listed anywhere else,
- And youâre okay with slow, clunky, risky tools,
-then ForkDelta might still have a use for you.
Whatâs Next for ForkDelta?
There are no updates. No new features. No mobile app. No team. The last code commit on its GitHub was September 14, 2021.
Its market share has collapsed from 15% in 2017 to less than 0.1% in 2025. Delphi Digital predicts itâll drop below 0.05% by 2026. By 2028, most experts believe its volume will be near zero.
But it wonât disappear. Because the smart contract is immutable. As long as Ethereum exists, ForkDelta will keep running. Itâs a museum piece now-functional, but not meant for daily use.
Itâs like a 1990s fax machine still working in a corner of an office. No one uses it anymore. But if you need to send a document that only that machine can handle? Youâll still use it.
Final Verdict
EtherDelta is dead. ForkDelta is alive-but barely.
Itâs not a crypto exchange you choose. Itâs a crypto exchange you tolerate. For niche use cases, itâs still the only game in town. For everyone else? Itâs a trap waiting to drain your gas fees and your patience.
If youâre thinking about trying it, ask yourself: Do I really need to trade this token here? Or is there a better way?
Chances are, there is.
Is ForkDelta still safe to use in 2025?
The smart contract behind ForkDelta is secure and hasnât been compromised since 2017. However, the website itself remains vulnerable to DNS hijacking and phishing attacks. Always use a bookmarked link or verify the URL through a trusted blockchain explorer like Etherscan. Never click links from Reddit, Twitter, or email. Treat it like a high-risk tool-only use it if you know exactly what youâre doing.
Can I trade tokens other than ERC-20 on ForkDelta?
No. ForkDelta only supports Ethereum (ETH) and ERC-20 tokens. It does not support Bitcoin, BNB, Solana, or any non-Ethereum assets. If youâre trying to trade something outside the Ethereum ecosystem, youâll need a different exchange.
Why is ForkDelta so slow compared to other exchanges?
ForkDelta runs on Ethereumâs mainnet and uses an order book model, which requires each trade to be confirmed on-chain. This takes time-typically 15 to 60 seconds per trade. Centralized exchanges like Binance process trades off-chain in milliseconds. Even newer DEXs like Uniswap use automated market makers (AMMs) that settle trades faster than ForkDeltaâs manual order matching.
How much does it cost to trade on ForkDelta?
ForkDelta charges a flat 0.3% fee on every trade. But thatâs not the full cost. You also pay Ethereum gas fees for each transaction: depositing ETH, depositing tokens, placing orders, and withdrawing. During high congestion, gas fees can reach $10-$20 per transaction. A single trade can cost you $15-$30 in total fees. Make sure you understand gas before you start.
Is ForkDelta better than Uniswap?
Only if you need to trade obscure ERC-20 tokens that Uniswap doesnât list. Uniswap is faster, easier, has deeper liquidity, and supports more modern features like slippage tolerance and multi-token swaps. ForkDelta has over 200 tokens, but most of them have zero volume. For 95% of users, Uniswap is the better choice. ForkDelta is only better for a tiny niche: traders hunting for dead or forgotten tokens.
Can I use ForkDelta on my phone?
No. ForkDelta has no official mobile app. You can access it through your phoneâs browser, but the interface is not optimized for small screens. Itâs extremely difficult to place orders or read the order book on a phone. Always use a desktop or laptop if you plan to trade on ForkDelta.
What happened to the original EtherDelta team?
Zack Coburn, the original creator, disappeared after the December 2017 attack. Rumors suggested he sold the platform to unknown parties who launched a fraudulent ICO. He has not made any public statements since. The original EtherDelta website is offline. ForkDelta is entirely community-run with no ties to the original team.
Does ForkDelta support layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum or Optimism?
No. ForkDelta only works on Ethereum mainnet. It does not support any layer-2 networks. This is one of its biggest limitations today. Layer-2 DEXs like Uniswap on Arbitrum offer faster trades and gas fees under $0.10. ForkDelta canât compete on speed or cost.
11 Comments
ForkDelta is a relic but it's the only place I can still trade my 2017 DappToken. Gas fees hurt but at least my keys are safe. No middleman. No shutdowns. Just the chain.
Simple. Clean. Functional.
It is imperative to note that the structural vulnerabilities of ForkDelta's web interface represent an unacceptable risk profile for any rational actor engaged in digital asset management. The persistence of DNS-based attack vectors in 2025 is not merely negligent-it is indefensible. One must question the ethical responsibility of maintaining such a system without remediation.
lol who still uses this? it's like trying to stream Netflix on a dial-up modem. the UI looks like it was designed in 2012 on a Windows XP laptop. if you're not crying from gas fees and failed txns you're not doing it right đ
YESSSS this is the real crypto spirit đȘđ„ no corporate overlords just pure decentralization even if it's clunky as hell. I made 10x on a token no one else even remembers and it felt like winning the lottery with duct tape and hope đ€đ
I used ForkDelta last week and lost $200 in gas because I didn't know I had to approve the token first. Why does this still exist? Who is funding this? Are you guys getting paid to keep this alive? I'm so mad I'm crying right now đ
This isn't just a DEX. It's a trap set by the global elite to drain small investors. They let it run so people think they're decentralized but really they're just giving up their ETH to shadow ops who control the DNS. You think this is about crypto? It's about control. Watch your back.
I swear if one more person tells me 'it's just for niche tokens' I'm going to scream. If it's this broken why don't you just archive it? You're not preserving history you're just being lazy and pretending it's noble.
There's something poetic about it. A ghost in the machine. A digital fossil. We built it to escape centralization and now we cling to it not because it's good but because we remember what we were trying to become. Maybe the real failure isn't ForkDelta. It's that we stopped building better things.
Uniswap is for sheep đ ForkDelta is for wolves đș I traded my 2018 DogeCoin clone for 1.2 ETH last month. No one else has it. That's power. That's freedom. đđ
If you're going to use ForkDelta, always check the contract address on Etherscan before connecting your wallet. I've seen people get phished because they clicked a Reddit link. Also, use a separate wallet with only a little ETH for testing. Don't risk your main portfolio. And please, please, don't trade on mobile. It's a nightmare.
Ah yes, the 'I'm too cool for Uniswap' crowd. You're not a pioneer. You're just stubborn. And you're paying $15 in gas to trade a token that's worth $0.02. Congrats. You're the human version of a spinning wheel in a casino.