Bitcoin Forum

Ive used ChangeNOW Godex and SimpleSwap in the past few years but lately things dont seem right. More slippage unclear fee breakdowns and strange delays even though the sites say exchanges will happen instantly. I just tried to trade BTC for USDC and I got a lot less than I thought I would even after paying the network fees. Is it just the market going up and down or are these platforms getting harder to understand?
Has anyone else seen this pattern? Or am I just bad at timing?
What are your favorite swap services that are still quick and dependable in the middle of 2025? Are there any hidden gems that no one is talking about yet?

There's enough smoke about ChangeNOW that it must be safer for you to avoid it and anything related with the service altogether. Godex's profile (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=1960024), at least on this forum, is full of red trusts. There's also an existing flag (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;flag=3398) against them. SimpleSwap (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=2056315) is also distrusted here.

There's a platform called OrangeFren (https://orangefren.com/) that offers you instant swap options. It's an aggregator actually. It has an announcement thread (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5409616.0) here on the forum. The creator (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3440279) is both active and trusted.

The good thing about the service is that you can compare rates, get informed about various platforms' kycnot.me grades, get a heads-up as regards KYC/AML, and so on. But, most importantly I guess, there are certain platforms listed there where your trade is fully guaranteed by OrangeFren itself.

I don't vouch for them. Do your research. But you might find your hidden gem there.

Avoid ChangeNOW!

They’re not safe. Lots of people say after you send them crypto, they suddenly ask for full ID checks, then stop replying and never give your money back. This keeps happening, and because they’re based in places with weak rules, it’s almost impossible to get your funds back. Don’t use them.

I like instaswap services as well but some are good at reaping people off through their gas fee or transaction fee, which makes me ask myself if I really want to keep doing this or I'm just been lazy.

It doesn't take too long since I gave Trust wallet inbuilt swap a try and I love it, I think you should consider trust wallet as your insta swap pal, you can change BTC to USDT or USDC even in different chains like ETH or BNB chain.

I have gotten past using instaswap because of past experience with changelly and few others but doing this inside your very own crypto wallet is a breeze with Trust wallet.

As others have suggested, you need to avoid ChangeNOW. I don't used this platform but as you have said, there could be a lot of slippage right now that it become a bad experienced for newbies trying this services.

I can't recommend you any swap services though, as the one that I might give you might not work out with you. Although there are a lot of them in the crypto space, competitive are tough. But I will suggest that at least try some of them that you will fit your need and then stay with them.

Best of luck to you.

With the fall of eXch, a big hole has been left in this type of service, although there are still some older options
In the past I used Fixed Float: https://ff.io/
However, today I don't know exactly how the service is doing, but it was reliable, just as I used Changelly for a while: https://changelly.com/

I know they're different services, but in some cases it's better to use an exchange without KYC for some trades, and MEXC and BINGX still allow you to use them without KYC for trades Crypto > Crypto
If you want fiat money they require KYC

Don't know if it's considered hidden gem but I've been using Boltz mostly for BTC to Lightning Swap/Reverse Swap when it was integrated to Electrum.
After it's dropped as Electrum's default swap server, I switched to eXch's BTC (on-chain) to BTC lightning swap.
But since eXch was shutdown, I've recently tried to use their service directly in their website and it's fast considering it involves lightning network transfer.
They are also listed in kycnot.me website with the highest rating of 10.

Don't count this as a vouch for that service though, DYOR.

Thanks for warning everyone about ChangeNOW. It is really important for people to know dangers in crypto and what you and others have shared points to serious problems.

That way they ask for ID after you send money then stop talking and keep your funds looks like scam and because they are in places with weak rules it is very hard to get your money back. Your strong advice to avoid ChangeNOW is vital message for others and we should always do our homework before using any crypto service especially if it is not well regulated.

So far, I use the gas zip  (https://www.gas.zip/) site to use their swap service, and the last time I used it was still safe and fast, but even so it is better not to use such a service with money that can not be willing to lose, use it in moderation, because it could be in the future something bad happens to the swap service site, and we don't know when it is. Some time ago I made a thread on the Beginner & Help board regarding the site I mentioned, maybe you can visit and pay attention to it: Alternatives for Exchanging Tokens or Coins from one network to another  (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5538698.msg65299155#msg65299155)

More reports about ChangeNOW,

ChangeNOW is a SCAM exchange that has been illegally holding my 1.38M Zilliqa (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5344863.0)
ChangeNow.io (Evercode Lab) - Scam. Illegally holding of 100 BCH (11 bitcoins) (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4619534)
[SCAM EXCHANGE] CHANGENOW.IO trying to steal my 3 BTC (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5356594.0)
2,5 BTC ($100K) SCAM Changenow exchange (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5359412.0)

You know what I mean every swap service nowadays is passing through your hands even when the markets are pretty still. A big part of it is how each platform acquires its liquidity and determines its price some of the smaller bridges or liquidity pools can have significantly different prices and hidden protocol fees, in addition to the fee on the network itself. When the sites advertise instant trades they are only implying that the transaction will be broadcast quickly but the trade may be in a queue or working round through various pools before the transaction is represented as complete. I have seen that a good onchain aggregator can be very useful recently since it discovers the optimal path through tens of pools on the fly. I commonly rely on services that will allow me to compare quotes directly onchain such as oneinch or matcha whilst also monitoring the estimated tolerance of slippage. Later in 2025 I have been trying out some under the radar stuff such as liquidity aggregators on layer two networks or cross chain routers where batched auctioning is used to mitigate sandwich attacks and frontrunning


Timing never ceases to be important but the greatest shock is when the platform itself will also add unaccounted margin. Want something simple and transparent? Try a reputable aggregator and post your own slippage limits onchain. That way, you are able to detect each hop your trade is taking and the cost each protocol is charging. It is a bit more work but in the long run avoids headaches and lost value.

It is interesting how people write about these services here because I exclusively only use ChangeNOW and SimpleSwap and didn't have a single issue to date. What exactly do you think that they are supposed to do if their risk system flags your transaction?

The same thing happens with exchanges, yet somehow people keep singling out the swap services. There are countless nightmare stories for most exchanges on Reddit.

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It is the laws, and slight mismanagement of the companies. As laws become tighter, these services have only two options. Over comply or risk getting shut down. People do not understand just how risky it is to have an under compliant risk assessment system for a financial provider. It is better to have many false positives than many false negatives unless they don't plan on staying in business.  :-\

I don't have favorite swap exchange after eXch was shut down, but I am mostly using Orangefren to find exchanges with best rates.
Orangefren is a great service because it gives you more protection against scam, and they have limited guarantee for some exchanges.
Be careful with most swap exchanges, they can freeze your coins and ask your for kyc verification at any time.

ChangeNOW is from Evercode Lab which is very likely a scammer group behind Changelly, NOWpayments.io, Guarda wallet and more.

ChangeNow.io (Evercode Lab) - Scam. Illegally holding of 100 BCH (11 bitcoins). (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4619534.0)

If you use their platforms and did not have issues, did not lose your money there, you were very lucky but now it is time to withdraw your fund instantly from their platforms after reading the above scam accusations with many proofs

I have used Exodus wallet built in swap feature and while the experience was good the costs were very high.
The fees for swapping BTC to USDT was very high and when I enquired about it they said that it was because of the 2.3% spread and 0.11% slippage.
So may be it could be the timing at times but in general, swap services do cost a little higher.

Yeah thanks for the help i will do my own research on orangefren and similar sites. A lot of sites/exchanges i feel when they go big they scam people and they just put it down as a "hack" and dissappear for a bit.

At the very least, they should provide sufficient explanation why the transaction is flagged. You don't just keep the funds of customers without a detailed explanation why you're doing it, or suddenly require personal explanation without saying why. Second, if you think the transaction shouldn't proceed, reject it, but return the funds to the owner. Why do they have to keep the money to themselves?

Moreover, they're saying they're non-custodial. Well, how can it be when users send the funds to their address? They're saying, the address is a temporary address. Well, to a number of users it wasn't. It became a permanent address because their funds are stuck there forever.

Finally, they should resolve issues. That's basic.

Orangefren is fine and it has gained its reputation through the forum through its activity and people behind its operation and marketing.

Not all of them. Well, the other exchanges that have become big are being targeted by the government as well. They're not only hot in the eyes of the hackers.

But your thoughts are valid because that's what we typically see on them. So, should you use an instant swap you really have to be picky this time and which you trust.

I'm sure the same thing has been said for exchanges. Most experienced members that I know of aren't fond of this kind of practice, whether it occurs on an exchange, instant swap service, casino, or elsewhere. Maybe you haven't seen their posts yet.

It's a shame that a lack of transparency has gradually become the norm nowadays. Not sure what are the reasons for that, hopefully it will get better in the future.

Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing—swap platforms that used to be super fast and transparent now feel slower, have more hidden fees, and the rates just aren’t as clear or competitive as they used to be

Have you considered the following two possibilities. First, they may not be legally allowed to tell you much. Second, if they reveal all the things that flags their system then it becomes easy to bypass it?

I have probably not seen those posts, but what do you want these services to do? As I said in my previous post, it is either over comply or get shut down. Instead of blaming exchanges, why not blame the right entities? The politicians that made these laws?

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Think about it logically. If it were possibly to make a very competitive, very transparent exchange or swap service, don't you think that someone would have made it already? Since competitors are not emerging to seize on these weaknesses, that means there is a solid reason why that is not happening.

I would be careful if i were you, there are a lot of complaints about Exodus wallet and their in-built swap feature, sometimes they process people's swap request using selective scam exchanges, and the customers are left stranded and have to wait months requesting to get their money back, that is if they ever will. This is one of such cases were Exodus routed a customers swap request with N. Exchange:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5540242.msg65337645#msg65337645

That said, this is not to mention another obvious downside that Exodus is a closed source wallet too.

Don't use a platform for swap if that is your first experience with them, instead, before using them, you have to research about them, try to make findings on how they have been operating and check some of their revies, now that this platform has been confirmed to be unreliable, we should desist form using them and also let other newbies to get this information and be well informed before they turned to be a victim of these scammers, that is why this forum is most relevant in passing across all vital information about cryptocurrency to other users across the world for safety.

Yes ofcourse, after finding that out about their high fees I avoided their swap feature.
Thank god, I didn't swap my BTC for ETH otherwise I would have been at risk of getting my funds stuck too.
I haven't found any good swap feature after that but looking at this thread I see there are few options.

You tell that to the people who have lost life-savings, life-changing amounts to these scam exchanges. You tell that to the clueless customers who forever wondered what happened to their hard-earned money. They got no proper explanation, no response even. 

The possibilities you're talking about are the most convenient ways for these scammers to steal money. Forget about legalities. I'm sure these behaviors and alibis can't stand in a court of law. If only it's easy to bring these scumbags to court.

Yes, I will gladly tell them because they are the ones at fault. Deal with it, stop running away from responsibility. Read the terms of service before you send your money away to somewhere. If you believe that you have been wronged, then go ahead and sue. I wonder why practically no allegedly scammed party tries to sue.  ::)

Everything is the user's fault, nobody was forcing them to do this. If you don't understand the risks of your actions, you are entirely to blame. Nobody else but you. It may sound harsh, but this is the reality of it. Don't want to get scammed? DYOR and start getting properly educated before you use something.

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You should consider the topic in a more profound way, rather than making a superficial judgement of it.

If you believe there is no good reason for things to be this way, open your swap service and destroy the competition.

I don't know if you're currently or used to be a developer, staff, part of the team, or whatever of an exchange, but I don't agree with your view. You'll probably stick to it. I'm not here to convince you otherwise, anyway. But I don't think it's fair; to be guaranteed that your funds are safe, for example, but were suddenly frozen for no reason at all.

Cases were filed, although most of the time, it isn't practical to do so considering how costly it is to really pursue a company based in the Bahamas or Seychelles for a mere $500 or $1,000 or $5,000.

Let's just agree to disagree I guess if you really think everything's the user's fault. But you must have heard of FTX, QuadrigaCX, Cryptsy, and many others. There's fraud. There's mismanagement, lack of security, negligence, and the like, but, yeah, the users are the ones at fault.

I couldn't agree more.
What's happening is they're displaying that fancy "no-KYC" banner just to attract customers while enforcing it silently under the hood.
If a Swap Service doesn't have a choice but to enforce KYC requirement, they shouldn't advertise themselves as "no-KYC exchange" or at least mention it in their TOS that the user complied with.
An honest exchange should be transparent on what they're enforcing. (even though it's hard to find like a single line in the exchange's terms of service, that still counts)

There are two cases here:

• It's the user's fault if he didn't read the service's TOS, Privacy Policy or FAQs where it's stated the above.
• Or the service is a scam/honeypot/mismanaged if the user doesn't agreed to a TOS that they may enforce "ShotGun KYC".

I have not used ChangeNOW Godex or the SimpleSwap before so I can not talk about their reputation but if you haven't been having a regular smooth services as before, it could be network congratulations which had caused the delay of processing your transactions and transaction fees would increase for miners to facilitate on the network transaction otherwise, your transactions will be delayed longer than what you got when you got higher charged.
Also note that exchange values of bitcoin varies severely in due time. So there is always a price change when dealing with an exchange vendor.

I can understand some people such as traders losing money on an exchange, but for the rest not really. This goes against the basics of Bitcoin. Not your keys, not your coins. If you have kept coins on an exchange, then you have used Bitcoin wrongly. Harsh, but the reality. In a different but similar way you can imagine the following. One night you decide to leave the door to your house unlocked. Nothing happens. You decide to do it again because locking the door is annoying and takes precious time. Nothing happens for a great many nights. Then one night you get robbed, and you blame everything and everyone that you got robbed besides yourself. Do you understand taking responsibility now?

I do not have anything to do with exchanges, and I hate KYC so you are entirely mistaken about me. I try not to be biased and try to evaluate things that I do not like in an objective way too. You can debate responsibility subjectively to some extent, but you can't subjectively debate the lack of competitors. Why have practically none of these lawsuits ever been won? This isn't just about swap services like ChainNow which I can give you points for being harder to sue. This kind of nightmare stories exist even in regards to the most regulated exchanges like Coinbase. Do you think it is hard to sue Coinbase? If the users are right about these claims, then they should be winning easily. Further, you are completely ignoring my core argument because it is an inconvenient truth.  


The argument was not about this. The argument was whether shotgun KYC is scamming or whether swap services and exchanges are forced to do it like this. I argue the latter with various ways, many people just argue the former with weak reasons. I do agree with you though, it shouldn't be marketed like this and it is wrong. However, most marketing in altcoin land is a scam so you can call it business as usual.  ::)

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The second case is not possible, it does not exist. You accept the TOS when you use a service. If you don't agree with the TOS and you don't want to accept it, then you can't use the service. As such you won't find yourself in such a situation.

I didn't said that they have to manually accept, why would you assume that.
That is the point of my reply, you can consider the marketed "no-KYC" swap service a scam if they do not have any written form that mentioned that they may require KYC data on certain transactions.
My reply isn't being specific on a few instant swap exchanges but about swap services in general.

Hi, @Satofan44

You’re both right in different ways: users should take responsibility for their own security (“not your keys, not your coins”), but it’s also true that many exchanges have failed due to fraud, mismanagement, or negligence, and blaming users alone ignores the real harm caused by these bad actors.

In principle I do agree with you, but in practice I do not. We could basically call almost all marketing a scam, even the largest companies in the world at least partially lying with their marketing. For example, they tend to cheat a lot with benchmarking phones or processors in unrealistic setups and then advertise their products with false data. If a swap service does not require KYC in 99.99% of the transactions, what should it write instead? "Almost never KYC?" :D In an perfect world, this is how marketing would be done. It would be precise, there would be no tricks or special cases but we don't live in such a world.

I'm not talking about any swap service in particular either, aside from sharing that I have had zero issues with the ones that I have used. I would expect that most of them or all of them mention that KYC may be required in certain situations in their TOS. If it is written in the TOS, does that not make it acceptable? As I said, you can't expect perfection from these services in terms of marketing when even the most reputable companies in the world often lie in their marketing.

You are correct. What I mean to say is that before someone blames the exchange they first need to ask themselves whether they are at fault. A normal user has no reason to keep any funds on an exchange. You can get unlucky if the exchange gets hacked or goes down during the time that you tried to make an exchange. However, I'd expect that those are just a tiny minority of very unlucky users. Most users that have been affected are people who regularly store funds on an exchange or those that actively trade. I've never lost any funds in this way because I never held any funds on any exchange.

Like I said, write something like "they may require KYC data on certain transactions." in their TOS, even as small as one phrase.
They can advertise "no KYC" as shameless way as possible, but at least mention the above and they could get out of the "scam exchange" category.
In case the user didn't read the terms of using the service, they can call it his fault.

Before im using with the ChangeNow because its all by recommendation of the trezor if you are do often make an exchange with their swap feature, and then just recently notice its really tooks time to get my asset unlike making a transaction just a few minutes on by them this tooks over an hour gives a lot of frustration by that time so far I'm using with the Changelly as of now smooth with their transaction yet but I will keep observing after this thread initiated.

Alright, we are in agreement with this. It should be noted in the TOS and they can advertise as no KYC as this is about the same level of marketing lies that most companies engage in. I will use ChangeNow as an example to check it again for the purpose of this discussion.

https://changenow.io/terms-of-use/changenow-terms

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. However, actually their TOS is not that long and this is near the top of the whole page. This confirms my statement that it is primarily:
1) User laziness.
2) Refusal to accept responsibility for the consequences of your own actions. If you did not read the TOS and something unexpected goes wrong (but which is part of the TOS), that is your fault, and yours alone..

We can analyze other services, maybe some do not have such things in their TOS but really when they do the fault usually lies with the user. The user has no grounds on which they can claim that the freezing of a transaction is "baseless" because they do not know any single thing about the risk management systems of these services. You need to know how they work to be able to say something like that confidently. Just because a person is emotional and feels like something is not fair, that does not make it "baseless".

I didn't know about ChangeNOW but, after all I've read above, it won't be an option the next time I need to make a swap.

Simpleswap, on the other hand, has worked fine every time I've used it, and you can choose a floating rate or a fixed one to avoid surprises which seems the OP didn't check. But after reading that it hasn't got the trust of the community, maybe not for very little amounts, but I think that I will also think it twice before using their services the next time.

Orangefren seems to be becoming more and more popular: I think that I'll give it a try the next time I have to use an instant swap service.