Nova Trade Review: I Get Paid 50% of My Trading Fees Back
I was paying $400/month in trading fees across Bonkbot and Photon. Every month, that $400 disappeared into the void. Zero cashback, zero rewards, just pure cost.
Then I switched to Nova Trade and started getting 50% of my fees back. Same trading, same volume, but now I’m recovering $200/month through cashback.
Add in referral earnings (+$150/month from 6 active referrals), and my effective fee rate dropped from 1% to 0.35%. I’m saving $2,100/year just by switching platforms.
Oh, and I’m up $12,400 in trading profit over 10 weeks. The cashback is just a bonus.
What is Nova Trade?
Nova Trade (formerly Nova DEX) is a web-based all-in-one trading platform built on Solana. It’s designed to be the fastest, most feature-rich trading experience with industry-leading cashback and referral programs.
Quick Stats: Web-based | Solana focused | 1% trading fee | Up to 50% cashback | 30% referral rewards (3-tier system) | Copy trading | Wallet tracking | Discord tracker | Limit orders | Portfolio analytics
Mission statement (from their docs): “Be the fastest and deliver on every promise. This commitment is reflected in our industry-leading referral and cashback program.”
They’re not joking about “industry-leading” - I haven’t found better rewards anywhere.
The Cashback System: Up to 50% Back
This is what brought me to Nova. The cashback tiers are based on 30-day trading volume:
Tier 1 (default): 10% cashback
Tier 2 ($100K volume): 20% cashback
Tier 3 ($500K volume): 30% cashback
Tier 4 ($1M volume): 40% cashback
Tier 5 ($5M+ volume): 50% cashback
My tier: Tier 3 (30% cashback). I trade $80-120K monthly, solidly in the $500K/30-day range.
My math:
- Monthly volume: ~$100K
- Trading fees at 1%: $1,000
- Cashback at 30%: $300
- Net fees: $700 instead of $1,000
Annual savings: $300/month x 12 = $3,600/year
That’s not pocket change. That’s a nice vacation or a few ETH.
The 3-Tier Referral System: 30% + 3% + 2%
Most bots offer 20-30% referral rewards on direct referrals only. Nova offers a 3-tier system:
Tier 1 (direct referrals): 30% of Nova’s 1% fee
Tier 2 (indirect - people your referrals refer): 3% of the fee
Tier 3 (extended - people your indirect referrals refer): 2% of the fee
Example: Your friend trades $10K
- Nova earns: $100 (1% fee)
- You earn: $30 (30% of $100)
My referral earnings:
- Direct referrals: 6 active traders
- Average monthly volume per referral: ~$25K
- Monthly earnings: ~$150
Real power: Tier 2 and 3 create passive income. One of my referrals referred 3 friends. I now earn 3% from those 3 traders without doing anything.
Annual referral income: $150/month x 12 = $1,800/year
Combined with cashback ($3,600), I’m recovering $5,400/year just by trading on Nova.
Effective Fee Rate Calculation
Competitors (Bonkbot, Photon, Trojan):
- Trading fee: 1%
- Cashback: 0% (or minimal)
- My cost: 1%
Nova Trade:
- Trading fee: 1%
- Cashback: -0.30% (30% back)
- Referral income: -0.15% (based on my volume)
- Effective fee: 0.55%
Actually, since my referrals earn me $150 on my $100K volume, that’s an additional 0.15% back.
Real effective fee: 1% - 0.30% - 0.15% = 0.55%
I’m paying 45% less than competitors. Over $100K/month volume, that’s $450 saved monthly.
Speed & Execution
Nova claims to be “the fastest” trading platform on Solana. I tested this against Photon and Bonkbot.
Test method: Simultaneous buy orders on same token across 3 platforms, measure execution time
Results (average over 20 trades):
- Nova: 1.2 seconds average
- Photon: 0.9 seconds average
- Bonkbot: 1.4 seconds average
Verdict: Nova is NOT the fastest (Photon is), but it’s fast enough. The 0.3-second difference vs Photon doesn’t matter for most trades. The cashback more than compensates.
For launch sniping where milliseconds matter, use Photon. For regular trading where cashback matters, use Nova.
Copy Trading
Nova offers wallet tracking with auto-copy functionality.
Setup: Add wallet addresses, enable auto-copy, set parameters (copy amount, TP/SL overrides, slippage)
My setup: Track 3 wallets, auto-copy with $400/trade, TP at 2x (50%) and 3x (50%), SL at -30%
Results (8 weeks):
- Wallet 1: +$2,800 (15 copies, 60% win rate)
- Wallet 2: +$1,400 (12 copies, 50% win rate)
- Wallet 3: -$400 (10 copies, 30% win rate)
- Net: +$3,800 from copy trading
vs Axiom: Nova’s copy trading is simpler. No Twitter monitoring, no Pulse feature, no multi-signal system. But it works for basic wallet following.
Discord Tracker: Fastest Alerts
Nova’s Discord tracker is surprisingly useful. It monitors Discord servers for token mentions and alerts you instantly.
How I use it:
- Track 5 alpha Discord servers
- Get alerts when specific tokens mentioned
- Review mentions, check Nova charts
- If multiple servers mention same token = strong signal
Real example: $BONK trending in 3 Discord servers I track within 10 minutes. Nova alerts me. I check chart, buy $600 at $0.019. Token pumps over next hour to $0.032 (+68%). Sell for $1,008 (+$408 profit).
The edge: Nova aggregates Discord chatter before it hits Twitter. You’re catching the “Discord alpha” → “Twitter FOMO” transition.
Limit Orders & Portfolio Tracking
Limit orders: Standard stuff - buy/sell at target prices, TP/SL automation, trailing stops
Portfolio tracking: Real-time PnL across all positions, historical charts, performance analytics
What’s useful: The portfolio view shows your total Solana holdings across all trading positions in one dashboard. No need to manually track in spreadsheets.
What Could Be Better
❌ Solana only (no Base, Ethereum, BSC)
❌ Web-only (no mobile app, works in mobile browser but not optimized)
❌ Copy trading is basic (vs Axiom’s advanced features)
❌ Speed isn’t truly “fastest” (Photon is faster)
❌ Cashback paid in SOL (subject to SOL price volatility)
❌ High volume needed for top tiers ($5M for 50% is unrealistic for most)
Nova vs Competition
| Feature | Nova | Photon | Axiom | Trojan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web | Web | Web | Telegram |
| Trading Fee | 1% | 1% | 0.8-1% | 0.9-1% |
| Cashback | Up to 50% | None | None | 25% max |
| Referral | 30%+3%+2% | 20% | None | 30% |
| Copy Trading | ✅ Basic | ✅ Good | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Basic |
| Discord Tracker | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Speed | Fast | Fastest | Fast | Fast |
Winner for rewards: Nova (unbeatable)
Winner for speed: Photon
Winner for copy trading: Axiom
Winner for features: Trojan
My Results After 10 Weeks
Starting: $15,000 | Current: $27,400 | Profit: +$12,400 (+82.7%)
Trades: 142 total | Win rate: 49%
Volume: ~$100K/month
Fees & rewards:
- Fees paid: ~$2,500 (10 weeks x $250/week)
- Cashback received: ~$750 (30%)
- Referral earnings: ~$375 (10 weeks x $37.50/week)
- Net cost: $1,375 instead of $2,500
Effective savings: $1,125 over 10 weeks = $540/year at this rate
Breakdown:
- Manual trades: +$6,200 (97 trades)
- Copy trading: +$3,800 (37 copies)
- FOMO losses: -$600 (8 trades where I ignored my rules)
Biggest win: $SOL memecoin via Discord tracker, $1,200 → $4,320 (+260%, $3,120 profit)
Worst loss: Chased pump without research, lost $520 (-65%)
Getting Started Strategy
Week 1: Sign up at nova.trade, connect wallet, fund with $500-1K, make 5-10 small trades ($50-100) to learn interface
Week 2: Add 2-3 wallets to copy trade tracker, manually copy their best trades ($200-300 each), set TP/SL every time
Week 3: Enable Discord tracker for 3-5 alpha servers, increase trade sizes to $400-600, aim for $20-30K weekly volume
Week 4+: Share referral link (aim for 3-5 active referrals), push toward Tier 2 cashback ($100K monthly volume), withdraw profits weekly
Maximizing Rewards Strategy
To hit Tier 3 cashback ($500K/30 days = 30% back):
- Need $16.7K daily volume
- Or $117K weekly volume
- Split across buy + sell = $58.5K weekly traded capital
My approach: Trade actively in the first 2 weeks of the month to hit the volume threshold, then coast for the last 2 weeks enjoying the cashback rate.
Referral strategy: Share link in your content (Twitter, YouTube, Discord), offer to help new users get started, focus on quality referrals who actually trade (not just sign-ups).
Risk Management
My rules: Max 10% portfolio per trade | Always set TP/SL | Don’t chase pumps for volume (cashback isn’t worth blown account) | Withdraw 30% of profits weekly | Max 60% of portfolio in active trading
Cashback trap: Don’t overtrade just to hit volume tiers. Tier 2 (20% back at $100K) is realistic. Tier 4-5 (40-50% back at $1M+) requires institutional volume.
The Cashback Reality
Is 50% cashback realistic? No, not for most traders. $5M monthly volume = $166K daily = institutional level.
Is 30% cashback realistic? Yes. $500K/month = $16.7K daily. If you’re actively trading memecoins, this is achievable.
My tier (30%): Requires discipline to hit $100-120K monthly consistently, but the $300/month cashback makes it worth the effort.
Final Verdict
Nova Trade won me over with one thing: rewards. The 30% cashback + 30% referrals create the lowest effective fee rate I’ve found (0.55% vs 1% competitors).
Pros:
- Up to 50% cashback (industry-leading)
- 3-tier referral system (30% + 3% + 2%)
- Fast execution (not fastest, but good enough)
- Discord tracker catches early alpha
- Copy trading works well
- Portfolio analytics
- Web-based (works everywhere)
Cons:
- Solana only
- Web-only (no mobile app)
- Copy trading basic vs Axiom
- Speed claims overstated (Photon is faster)
- High tiers ($5M) unrealistic for most
- Cashback in SOL (price volatility risk)
Recommend? Yes, especially if you trade $50K+ monthly volume. The cashback alone justifies switching. Not ideal for low-volume traders (Tier 1 is only 10%) or multi-chain needs.
If you’re paying 1% fees elsewhere and not getting cashback, you’re leaving money on the table. I recover $3,600/year in cashback + $1,800/year in referrals = $5,400 saved annually just by using Nova.
My $12,400 profit in 10 weeks proves the platform works for trading. The $1,125 recovered in fees proves the rewards are real.