Network fees: why the same swap costs more on some coins
Every chain charges to move coins, and that fee does not depend on the amount. What it means for small and large swaps.
Every blockchain charges a fee to include a transaction. That fee goes to miners or validators, not to us. It depends on how busy the network is and how much space your transaction needs, not on how much money you move.
How it varies by chain
- Bitcoin: fees rise and fall with demand for block space. Quiet times are cheap, busy times can be expensive.
- Ethereum: fees are paid in gas. Token transfers, like USDT ERC20, use more gas than a simple ETH transfer.
- Tron, Solana, TON, Litecoin and BNB Chain are usually much cheaper per transfer.
Two fees on every swap
The first is the one you pay to send your deposit. Your wallet shows it before you confirm. The second is the one we pay to send you the new coins. That one is built into the rate, so the amount we show already has it taken out.
What it means for you
On small swaps, the second fee takes a bigger share. That is why very small swaps come out worse in percentage terms, and why swaps have minimums. On large swaps it becomes negligible. On Swapea, the percentage against the market already includes everything. Try different amounts on the swap page to see the effect live.
Questions
Who pays the network fee on a swap?
You pay the fee to send your deposit from your wallet. The fee to send you the new coins is included in the rate, which is why we show the amount after all fees.
Why is the minimum per swap higher on some coins?
Mostly because of network fees. If sending you the coins costs a few dollars, a very small swap would lose most of its value to the fee.
