DEXes · Review
ActiveUniswap V4 Review 2026: Hooks and Multichain Liquidity
Uniswap V4 is the latest version of the Uniswap decentralized exchange, adding customizable pool logic called hooks on top of V3's concentrated liquidity. It is a large, multichain DEX with roughly $1.17 billion in TVL, but costs and hook risk need checking.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
8.5/10
Excellent
Our verdict on Uniswap V4
8.5/10Uniswap V4 suits traders and liquidity providers who want a large, established DEX across many chains and who are comfortable with self-custody. Its main strength is deep liquidity (about $1.17 billion TVL) combined with hooks that allow customized pools. The main caveat is that fees are not published publicly and hooks add extra smart-contract risk, so check each quote, token address and any hook-enabled pool before committing funds.
Score breakdown
How Uniswap V4 scores
- Security
- 8.5/10
- Ease of use
- 8.5/10
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- n/a
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Uniswap V4?
Uniswap V4 is the newest version of the Uniswap decentralized exchange. DefiLlama says it inherits the capital efficiency gains of Uniswap V3 and adds flexibility through hooks and gas optimizations across the lifecycle of actions. It has been listed on DefiLlama since 29 January 2025.
The data shows about $1.17 billion in total value locked, down 1.3% over seven days. It is listed on 22 chains, including Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche and Unichain, as well as newer networks such as Monad, MegaETH and Tempo.
The official interface lets users swap crypto from a wallet, and its homepage describes it as a DeFi platform trusted by millions. That user figure is a marketing claim and is not verified. DefiLlama lists UNI as the token and two audits.
How Uniswap V4 works
Uniswap is an automated market maker. Instead of an order book matching buyers and sellers, users trade against liquidity pools funded by other users, called liquidity providers. A pricing formula adjusts the price as the pool's balance shifts.
V4 inherits the capital-efficiency design of V3, where liquidity can be concentrated, and adds hooks. A hook is custom code attached to a pool that runs at set points, which lets developers build pools with features beyond the standard design. DefiLlama also notes gas optimizations across the lifecycle of actions.
For a trader, the experience is selecting two tokens, seeing a quote and confirming in a wallet. For liquidity providers, the trade-off is earning swap fees in exchange for exposure to price moves and impermanent loss.
7 features
Key features
01
Customizable hooks
V4 lets pools attach custom logic through hooks, allowing different pool behavior without forking the whole protocol.
02
Concentrated liquidity
It keeps the capital efficiency gains of Uniswap V3, where liquidity providers can focus capital within chosen price ranges.
03
Gas optimizations
DefiLlama describes gas optimizations across the entire lifecycle of a swap or liquidity action.
04
Wide chain coverage
The protocol is listed on 22 networks, including Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon and Unichain.
05
Non-custodial swaps
Users connect their own wallet and trade directly from it, without depositing funds with a company account.
06
Large liquidity base
Public sources show about $1.17 billion in TVL, which points to substantial liquidity for swaps.
07
UNI token
Public sources list UNI as the token associated with the Uniswap protocol.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Large liquidity base of roughly $1.17 billion in TVL per DefiLlama.
- Wide multichain coverage across 22 networks.
- Hooks allow flexible pool designs beyond a standard AMM.
- Builds on V3's concentrated liquidity and adds gas optimizations.
- Non-custodial: users trade from their own wallet.
- Two audits are listed on DefiLlama.
Watch out for
- Swap fees and total cost are not published publicly, so users must check the quote in the interface each time.
- Hooks add flexibility but also add smart-contract risk, because each custom hook is extra code that may not be audited.
- Liquidity providers face impermanent loss and need to manage price ranges with concentrated liquidity.
- Spread across 22 chains, which means liquidity and risk differ from network to network.
- Self-custody means no support desk to reverse mistaken swaps or sends to wrong addresses.
- TVL fell 1.3% over seven days in the data, a reminder that liquidity moves with the market.
Uniswap V4 fees
On this type of DEX, a swap fee is generally set per pool and paid to liquidity providers, and you also pay the network gas fee of the chain you use. Any interface fee, if one applies, is not stated publicly.
Users can see the expected cost, price impact and gas estimate in the swap screen before confirming a trade. Compare quotes across chains, since gas costs differ widely between Ethereum and layer-2 networks.
Is Uniswap V4 safe?
Uniswap V4 is a smart-contract protocol and is non-custodial, so there is no company holding your funds in an account. DefiLlama lists two audits. The project does not give audit firms, dates or findings, so check the protocol's own documentation for details.
The main risks are smart-contract bugs, third-party hooks that may carry their own flaws, fake tokens, phishing sites, and wallet errors. Always confirm you are on the official interface and verify token addresses. Regulatory treatment of DEXs varies by country, so check local rules. The project does not mention any specific incident.
7 steps
How to get started with Uniswap V4
- 1
Check that online trading of crypto assets is allowed where you live.
- 2
Set up a self-custody wallet and keep the recovery phrase offline.
- 3
Fund the wallet with the token you want to swap plus a little of the chain's native token for gas.
- 4
Open the official Uniswap interface and connect your wallet.
- 5
Select the network, choose the tokens, and verify the token contract addresses to avoid fakes.
- 6
Review the quote, price impact and fees, then confirm the swap in your wallet.
- 7
If you want to provide liquidity, start small and learn how price ranges and impermanent loss work first.
Who Uniswap V4 is for
Uniswap V4 is for crypto users who already hold a self-custody wallet and want to swap tokens across major networks, as well as liquidity providers and developers interested in customizable pools. Complete beginners can use the swap screen, but should learn about gas, slippage and fake tokens first.
Uniswap V4 FAQs
What is Uniswap V4?
Uniswap V4 is a version of the Uniswap decentralized exchange protocol. It keeps the capital-efficient liquidity design of V3 and adds hooks and gas optimizations, according to DefiLlama's description.
What are hooks in Uniswap V4?
Hooks are pieces of custom code attached to a liquidity pool that can run at points in a pool's life, such as before or after a swap. They let builders create pools with different behavior, but each hook adds its own code risk.
Which blockchains does Uniswap V4 support?
DefiLlama lists Uniswap V4 on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche, Unichain, Linea, Celo, and others, 22 chains in total. The homepage mentions Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Unichain and more.
Does Uniswap V4 have a token?
Public sources list UNI as the token. DefiLlama shows the protocol's token as UNI, but public sources do not explain what the token is required for in V4 beyond that listing.
What does it cost to swap on Uniswap V4?
The project does not publish fee figures. Swap fees depend on the pool, and users also pay network gas. The quote shown in the swap interface before you confirm is the place to check the real cost.
Is Uniswap V4 safe?
DefiLlama lists two audits for Uniswap V4, and the protocol is non-custodial. Risks remain, including smart-contract bugs, third-party hooks, and user error, so use funds you can afford to lose.
Compare
Uniswap V4 alternatives
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How we checked
Sources
Last updated . Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.