How long a crypto swap takes and what slows it down
Most swaps finish in 5 to 30 minutes. What happens at each stage and why one sometimes takes longer.
A swap goes through four stages. Knowing them makes the wait much easier.
- Waiting. The swap is waiting for your deposit to appear on the network.
- Confirming. Your deposit is on the network and the swap is waiting for enough confirmations to be safe.
- Exchanging. The coins are being exchanged.
- Sending. The new coins are on their way to your wallet.
Your swap page shows each stage live, so you always know where it stands.
What sets the pace
By far the biggest factor is the coin you send. Fast chains like Tron, Solana, Litecoin and TON confirm in seconds or a few minutes. Bitcoin produces a block every ten minutes on average, and a swap usually needs one or more confirmations. If the Bitcoin mempool is full and you paid a low fee, your deposit can wait a long time before it even makes it into a block.
Other things that slow a swap down
- A deposit for a different amount than the swap expected.
- A missing memo or tag on coins that need one.
- A compliance review of the deposit. Read why some swaps get held.
- Congestion on the destination chain.
How to speed it up
Pay a normal network fee when you send. Send the exact amount shown. If you are in a hurry, sending a fast coin is usually quicker than sending Bitcoin. You can follow the progress on your swap page or with track my swap.
Questions
My swap has been on confirming for a long time. Is something wrong?
Usually not. The swap is waiting for the network to confirm your deposit. Bitcoin can take an hour or more when fees are high and blocks are slow.
When should I ask for help?
If the swap has been stuck for well over an hour after your deposit shows as confirmed in the explorer, open a ticket with your swap ID and we will look into it.
