Embedded vs External Wallet

Aura supports two distinct account types. The choice mainly affects custody and how your trading wallet is managed — fees are the same on both paths.

Embedded wallet (new Aura account)

When you sign in with Google, Apple, or email, Aura creates a dedicated embedded wallet via Privy. This wallet is used exclusively for your Hyperliquid and Polymarket activity.

What this means:

• Trading is always gasless — no HYPE or POL needed. Your deposit and bridge transactions are sponsored too, so you pay no network gas (if you top up the embedded wallet by sending in from a separate external wallet, that outside transfer pays its own chain gas)
• Zero Hyperliquid builder fees until $1B lifetime volume (Aura is set as your referrer when you enable trading)
• You don't need a pre-existing crypto wallet
• The embedded wallet is custodied by Privy's key management infrastructure

What it doesn't mean:

• You are not locked in — Privy lets you export your private key from account settings
• Aura cannot access your wallet without your authorization

External wallet (bring your own)

Sign in with MetaMask, Rabby, WalletConnect, or any EVM-compatible wallet. Aura uses your wallet for authentication and for signing the one-time setup steps (agent key, unified mode, referral, builder fee approval). All trades after setup are handled by the agent key — your external wallet is never prompted for individual orders.

What this means:

• You retain full self-custody — Aura has no access to your external wallet
• Funds in your external wallet are never touched
• Same zero-fee path: enabling trading sets Aura as your referrer, so builder fees are zero until $1B lifetime volume*
• Trading is always gasless — no HYPE or POL needed to trade. Depositing or bridging in from your wallet does pay that chain's normal gas (for example, an Arbitrum deposit needs a little ETH on Arbitrum). This funding gas is not sponsored for external wallets — only embedded wallet deposits are

* Two exceptions: if your Hyperliquid account already had a different referrer before joining Aura, the 0.001% builder fee applies from the start (Hyperliquid referrals are permanent and can't be replaced); and past $1B lifetime volume the fee applies to every account.

Which should I use?

Both paths use the same Hyperliquid agent key for trading and get the same zero-fee path. The main difference is the custody model:

* Aura is set as your Hyperliquid referrer when you enable trading. A 0.001% fee applies only if your Hyperliquid account already had a different referrer beforehand, or once you cross $1B lifetime volume.

See Fees & Costs for full fee details.