Network fees explained, why the same swap costs more on some coins
Every chain charges to move coins, and the fee has nothing to do with the amount. What that 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 differs by chain
- Bitcoin fees rise and fall with demand for block space. Quiet periods are cheap, busy periods can be expensive.
- Ethereum fees are paid in gas. Token transfers like ERC20 USDT cost more gas than plain ETH transfers.
- Tron, Solana, TON, Litecoin and BNB Chain are usually far cheaper per transfer.
Two fees in every swap
The first is the fee you pay to send your deposit. Your wallet shows it before you confirm. The second is the fee we pay to send you the new coins. That one is inside the rate, so the amount we show is already after it.
What it means for you
On small swaps, the second fee is a bigger slice. That is why very small swaps look worse in percentage terms, and why swaps have minimums. On larger swaps it becomes a rounding error. On SwapPrivate, the percentage against market already includes all of it. Try different amounts on the swap page to see the effect live.
Quick answers
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 built into the rate, which is why we show the amount after all fees.
Why is the minimum swap amount 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.
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