How long does a crypto swap take and what slows it down
Most swaps finish in 5 to 30 minutes. What happens in each stage, and the usual reasons one takes longer.
A swap has four stages. Knowing them makes waiting a lot less stressful.
- Waiting. The swap is waiting for your deposit to appear on the network.
- Confirming. Your deposit is on the network and the swap waits for enough confirmations to be safe.
- Exchanging. The coins are swapped.
- Sending. The new coins go out to your wallet.
Your swap page shows each stage live, so you always know where it is.
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 blocks come about every ten minutes on average, and a swap usually needs one or more confirmations. When the Bitcoin mempool is full and you paid a low fee, your deposit can wait for a long time before it is even included in a block.
Other things that slow a swap
- A deposit amount different from what the swap expected.
- A missing memo or tag on coins that need one.
- A compliance check on the deposit. See why swaps get held.
- Congestion on the receiving chain.
Speeding 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 often quicker than sending Bitcoin. You can follow the progress on your swap page or with track swap.
Quick answers
My swap says 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 not moved for well over an hour after your deposit confirmed on the explorer, open a ticket with your swap ID and we will look into it.
Ready to swap? See the live rate. No account needed.
