Comparing swap services by their headline fee is misleading. Two services advertising “0.5%” can deliver very different amounts. What counts is how much arrives in your wallet compared with the market value of what you sent.

The four parts of the cost

  • Service fee. What the service earns. On noaml it is a flat 0.25%, already deducted in the quote.
  • Spread. Some services advertise “no fee” but quote a worse rate than the market. The difference is a fee in disguise.
  • Network fees. You pay the fee to send your deposit. The fee for sending your payout is covered by the quote on noaml.
  • Slippage. For large orders, the market price moves as the order fills. Floating rates pass small movements on; very large orders go to our desk to avoid this.

A worked example

Say BTC trades at $100,000 and you swap 0.01 BTC to USDT. Market value: $1,000. With a 0.25% fee, you would receive about $997.50 in USDT. A service with a hidden 1.5% spread and “0% fee” would deliver about $985. The only reliable comparison is the final “you get” number at the same moment.

How to pay less

  • Swap above the minimum ($200) so fixed network fees are a small share.
  • Send from cheaper networks when you can: USDT on TRON or LTC instead of ERC-20 tokens during busy hours.
  • Avoid double conversions. A direct BTC to ETH swap is cheaper than BTC → USDT → ETH.
  • Use the calculator to compare pairs before sending.

Questions people ask

Does noaml charge a withdrawal fee?

No. There is no account and no withdrawal; the payout network fee is covered by the quote.

Why is the rate different from the price on my exchange?

Prices differ slightly between venues, and our quote includes the 0.25% fee. The calculator shows both the market value and what you get.

Are fees lower for large swaps?

The percentage is the same, but large orders go to the manual desk, which avoids slippage.