The best app to short stocks depends on whether you need real securities access or price exposure. Brokerages let eligible users short actual shares. Options and inverse ETFs provide regulated alternatives. Stock perpetual futures provide long or short USDC-settled exposure without owning or borrowing shares. 10X focuses on the perp route through Hyperliquid from iPhone.
Traditional short selling requires a brokerage account, margin approval, borrow availability, and market-hour access.
That is why many traders use substitutes: puts, inverse ETFs, CFDs, or perps.
| Method | What you trade | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Short shares | Borrowed stock | Requires broker approval and borrow |
| Put options | Options contract | Expiration and premium decay |
| Inverse ETFs | Fund share | Daily reset effects |
| CFDs | Broker derivative | Counterparty risk |
| Stock perps | USDC-settled derivative | Funding and liquidation risk |
Perps make shorting a button, not a borrow process. You pick the market, tap short, choose size, and post margin.
That does not make the risk smaller. It makes access simpler. The liquidation price still matters more than the entry price.
No. 10X supports perpetual futures on Hyperliquid, not borrowed shares.
No. A stock perp is a derivative that tracks price. Shorting shares means borrowing and selling actual stock.
Perps do not require choosing a strike or expiration.
Liquidation. If the price rises enough against your short, your position can be closed automatically.
Yes. Perps let you short supported crypto markets.
Download the iOS app or open the desktop app. Self-custodial. No KYC. 150+ markets.
Last updated 2026-05-17