Guide · 4 min read
Crypto swap fees explained: what you actually pay
By the AltoSwap team · Reviewed and updated · Editorial policy
Short answerA swap quote already contains its costs: the exchange's spread, the network fee for paying you out and any service commission. The amount you are quoted is the amount you receive. The one cost outside the quote is the fee your own wallet charges to send the deposit. To compare two services, compare the amount received for the same amount sent, not the fee percentages they advertise.
What is inside the quote
- The spread: the difference between the market price and the price the exchange gives you. This is how the exchange is paid.
- The payout network fee: the cost of sending the new coins to your address. It is taken out before the amount is quoted.
- The service commission: the share that goes to the service that arranged the swap. On AltoSwap it is included in the rate and never added on top.
What is not in the quote
Your own wallet's fee for sending the deposit. It is paid to the network of the coin you send, and it must come on top of the swap amount, not out of it. If your wallet takes its fee out of the amount, less arrives than the swap expects.
Why a zero-fee swap is not free
A service that advertises no fee earns through the spread instead. Neither way of charging is better in itself. What matters is the number at the end: how many coins arrive in your wallet.
How to compare fairly
- Use the same amount and the same pair on each service, at the same moment.
- Compare the amount you receive, after all fees.
- Check whether the figure is fixed or an estimate. A fixed amount that is slightly lower can be worth more than an estimate that may move.
- Check what happens if the swap fails: where the refund goes and whether documents can be demanded first.
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