SimpleSwapvsChangeNOW
Rates & Routing

Neither is cheaper on every pair: rates, routing and speed compared

Neither SimpleSwap nor ChangeNOW is cheaper across the board. Both fold costs into the quoted rate, and the better quote shifts with the pair, the amount and the minute. The real difference is upstream: SimpleSwap aggregates 20+ CEX and DEX providers per order, while ChangeNOW is a direct instant exchange citing 15+ liquidity sources.

Updated · 4 min read

Asset coverage

SimpleSwapChangeNOW
Swappable assets
2,800+
1,500+
Trading pairs
3.2M+
2.25M+

Fiat on-ramp. SimpleSwap: via Mercuryo, Simplex, Guardarian and other partners. ChangeNOW: 47 fiat currencies via partner providers.

  • Majors on both: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and stablecoins on the common networks.
  • The gap is the long tail. SimpleSwap added 450+ assets over the past year on Solana, Sui, Base, KAIA, Linea and Ronin.
  • Only swap top coins? Either list is enough. The count matters for newer tokens on newer chains.

How routing differs

How a service sources liquidity matters as much as how many assets it lists.

SimpleSwapaggregator
  1. Your orderpair and amount
  2. Compares 20+ providersCEX and DEX quotes, per order
    CEXDEXCEXDEXCEX…
  3. Best executable routechosen at that moment
  4. Your walletfinal estimate delivered
ChangeNOWdirect instant exchange
  1. Your orderpair and amount
  2. ChangeNOW exchangebest available rate across 15+ CEX and DEX sources
  3. Your walletexchange delivered
Provider counts are the figures each platform publishes. The route you get depends on the pair, size and moment.
SimpleSwap

SimpleSwap: an aggregator

  • Compares quotes from 20+ centralized and decentralized providers for each order.
  • Sends the swap to whichever provider can execute at that moment.
  • A pair that is thin on one venue can be filled on another.
  • Publishes that on most floating swaps, the estimate lands within 99.998% of the amount delivered.
ChangeNOW

ChangeNOW: a direct exchange

  • Says it finds the best available rate across multiple liquidity sources.
  • Its asset-listing materials name 15+ CEX and DEX sources.
  • Independent aggregator reviews in 2026 classify it as an exchange, not a rate-comparison layer.
  • Does not publish an estimate-accuracy figure.

Cross-chain swaps: both handle bridging in the background. ChangeNOW also sells a standalone bridge, while SimpleSwap keeps it inside the normal swap, so BTC to SOL looks the same as USDT to USDC.

Fixed or floating

Both services offer both rate types, and they work the same way on each.

Floating rate

  • The price settles at execution.
  • What you receive can move with the market between deposit and confirmation.
  • Good for: fast chains and calm markets.

Fixed rate

  • The price is locked for a set window: 20 minutes on SimpleSwap.
  • The lock costs a slightly wider spread.
  • Good for: slow deposit chains and moving markets.

Fees

Neither service shows a separate trading commission at checkout. Everything is already inside the rate you see before you confirm.

What is inside the quote, on both services
  1. Service feefrom 0.2% on SimpleSwap
  2. Liquidity spreadset by the route
  3. Routing costsvenues and bridging
  4. Outgoing network feeto send you the coins
=The amount you are quoted to receive
Not included: the network fee your own wallet charges when you send the deposit.
  • SimpleSwap: service fee starts from 0.2% and changes with the pair, liquidity, market conditions and your loyalty level.
  • ChangeNOW: the rate depends on the assets, liquidity, network costs and market conditions. No single percentage covers every exchange.

SimpleSwap loyalty tiers

  1. from5%
    Bronze
    fee discount
  2. from10%
    Silver
    fee discount
  3. from15%
    Gold
    up to 20% in enhanced mode, 0.1% USDT cashback
  4. from20%
    Platinum
    up to 40% in enhanced mode, 0.4% USDT cashback
  • Tiers are based on all-time volume and never expire.
  • Gold and Platinum can switch to an enhanced mode: no cashback, deeper discount.
  • ChangeNOW pays cashback in its NOW token and ties extra perks to ChangeNOW Pro.

Speed: an average versus a range

Published swap time, in minutes
ChangeNOWaverage, all swaps
about 1 min
SimpleSwapSolana, Polygon
under 1 min
SimpleSwapBitcoin, Ethereum
10–30 min
SimpleSwapall pairs, per its FAQ
1–60 min
0102030405060
A dot is an average; a bar is a range. They measure different things.
  • Two different metrics. An average folds every order into one number. A range by network shows what to expect on the chain you actually use.
  • Same limit on both: a swap can't finish before the deposit chain confirms it, and a compliance check can pause an order on either platform.
  • Tracking on both: every order gets an ID with live tracking from deposit to delivery.