Convex vs Aura Finance: differences explained
Written by Convex Guide Editorial Team
· Fact-checked · 5 min read
Convex vs Aura: Curve vs Balancer, CVX vs AURA, cvxCRV vs auraBAL, vote locking and incentives — a clear comparison of the two boosters.
Same idea, different DEX
Convex and Aura use the same "boost-as-a-service" model. Convex aggregates veCRV for Curve; Aura aggregates veBAL for Balancer. Aura launched in 2022 and openly adopted Convex's design.
Token by token
- CVX ↔ AURA: governance and reward tokens minted alongside CRV / BAL.
- cvxCRV ↔ auraBAL: liquid wrappers of permanently locked veCRV / veBAL.
- vlCVX ↔ vlAURA: 16-week vote-locked tokens controlling gauge votes.
Where the yield comes from
Both pass boosted emissions to LPs and take a platform fee that is shared between wrapper stakers, lockers and the treasury. Exact fee splits differ — check each protocol's docs.
Which one to use
The choice depends on where your liquidity is: Curve pools (stablecoins, ETH/LSD pairs, crvUSD) point to Convex; Balancer pools (weighted pools, composable stable pools) point to Aura.
Key takeaways
- Convex = Curve; Aura = Balancer.
- Same token design: reward token, liquid wrapper, vote lock.
- Pick by where you provide liquidity.
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