Crypto has become a buzz word.

Imagine there’s a hot new token. You want to immediately move from the token you already have to that token, without first switching to fiat.

Or maybe the token you are holding is headed for the rocks and you want to quickly switch to a stable coin to cut your losses. Whatever your reason really, swapping is a core blockchain functionality that every crypto user in 2025 should know about.

In the past, swapping crypto used to be a process filled with unnecessary complexities and bad user experience especially for beginners.

But not anymore. Now, anyone can swap crypto in seconds, literally.

Anyone from a professional crypto trader with 10 years of experience to a newbie who just bought his first crypto.

In this piece, we’ll break down what it means to swap crypto, how and where to do it and  what pitfalls  to avoid to help you swap crypto coins fast and easily.

What Does It Mean to Swap Crypto Coins?

Swapping crypto coins just as the name implies, is the ability to exchange one crypto currency for another crypto of similar value.

Say you have Bitcoin but you also want some Ethereum.

Instead of converting some of your Bitcoin to cash and buying Ethereum, you can directly convert all or part of your Bitcoin directly to Ethereum.

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Key Terms Explained (For Beginners)

  • Centralized Exchanges (CEXs)
    These are crypto platforms where a company controls the exchange. You sign up, deposit your money, and they handle your trades. It works kind of like a bank—you don’t fully control your funds until you withdraw them.
  • Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)
    These platforms (like Uniswap or PancakeSwap) let people trade directly with each other using smart contracts—without a middleman. You keep control of your money the whole time.
  • AMMs (Automated Market Makers)
    AMMs are the tech behind many DEXs. Instead of matching buyers and sellers, they use smart contracts and crypto pools to let you instantly swap crypto coins for another.
  • Non-Custodial Wallets
    These wallets (like Trust Wallet or MetaMask) give you full control of your crypto. Only you have access to the keys, so no one else (not even the app) can touch your funds.
  • Fiat
    This just means traditional government-issued money, like Naira, Dollars, or Euros. It’s what you use every day before converting to crypto.

Difference between Crypto Swapping and Crypto Trading

Crypto swapping and trading do not mean the same thing. While swapping involves direct and more or less instant exchange of one crypto currency for another, trading is slightly different.

Crypto trading involves placing orders for a particular cryptocurrency.

On centralised exchanges, you place an order for the crypto you want, using the crypto you have and you are matched with another user looking to trade for the crypto you have.

How is this different from swapping? Crypto trading may take a bit of time while swapping is instant. This is because ‌ trade happens via smart contracts in decentralised exchanges.

You are dealing with smart contracts at this point. So, trades occur instantly at the current market price. No middlemen and at no point do you lose your crypto until the swap is finalised.

So, here are some reasons it would make sense for you to swap crypto coins instead of trading your crypto:

  1. Speed: The foremost reason. You don’t need to wait around for a buyer. The swap process is instant. This can enable you to seize opportunities to maximize profit immediately or cut your losses before it gets worse.
  2. Beginner Friendly: The user experience is better when swapping. No complex order book or third party management involved.
  3. Access to less popular coins: Swapping via an AMM gives you access to a wide range of less popular coins that have not been listed on centralised exchanges yet.

Where Does Crypto Swapping Happen?

coin swap crypto

Crypto Swapping can happen in a wide range of applications.

From swapping directly on custom AMMs via smart contracts or swapping on Over-The-Counter platforms like Breet, there is really a solution for everyone.

With that in mind here are the three most popular swap platform types:

  1. Decentralised Exchanges (DEXs): One of the more popular ways relatively experienced crypto users swap their coins. The swap is controlled via smart contracts and is instant. Depending on the blockchain network of the crypto you are trying to swap, some of the most popular examples are: Uniswap, PancakeSwap and SushiSwap.
  2. Wallets: Crypt swaps can also occur directly on non-custodial wallets. At the background, this is still powered by AMMs which are integrated directly to the wallet to enable seamless swaps. Some examples include: Metamask, Phantom and Trust Wallet.
  3. Swap-specific platforms: This is an umbrella term for all the other different types of  platforms that enable you to swap crypto. Anything from OTC platforms to swap aggregators and other custodial or non-custodial swap services. They are usually great for simplicity, straight forward user experience and more custom to locations. An example is Breet.

So, if you just want to swap crypto coins quickly without jumping through hoops, these are your options.

For You:

Best Platforms and Apps to Swap Crypto Coins

Now that we understand what swapping crypto entails and where it can be done, here are the best platforms to swap crypto coins fast:

1. Breet

Breet Prioritizes simple and user friendly user experience, first on the list is Breet.

It offers instant crypto to crypto swaps with support over 40 different crypto coins. No order books or confusing smart contract interactions. Just pick a pair and swap.

2. Kraken

Next on the list is Kraken. Known in the crypto space for security, Kraken is a centralised exchange that offers crypto swapping functionality via their convert option.

Instead of order book trading, which they also offer, users can convert crypto to crypto instantly. However, its full fledged exchange interface can get overwhelming for beginners.

3. Uniswap

Uniswap is a decentralised exchange. The most popular on the Ethereum and ERC20 space. It makes use of AMMs to facilitate ERC20 token swaps. No sign up, KYC or orderbooks needed.

You just need to connect your wallet and swap in seconds (depending on network congestion). It’s best for more experienced blockchain users and is not beginner friendly

4. PancakeSwap

This is another decentralised exchange. However, PancakeSwap is built for the Binance Smart Chain ecosystem.

On the technical level it works very similar to Uniswap with AMMs and smart contracts but uses comparatively lower fees as a result of being on the BNB chain.

4. Metamask

A completely different platform from the others mentioned is Metamask. Metamask is a cryptocurrency wallet with a built-in swap feature.

This swap feature is an aggregator of other DEXs like Uniswap or other ERC20 DEXs and works in a similar fashion, just in-app.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Swap Crypto Coins on Breet  in Seconds

coin swap crypto

Here’s how to swap crypto coins on Breet, in seconds:

  1. Sign up/Login on Breet: The first step is to complete the standard sign up/ login flow and complete your KYC. 
  2. Select Your Swap Pair: Then next, click the swap tab and choose the crypto you want to swap from and the crypto you want to swap to. Enter the amount you’re swapping and you’ll instantly see how much you’ll get.
  3. Add your wallet: Now you’d want to enter the wallet address you want the swapped crypto to be deposited. Note that on Breet, you can choose either a fixed rate or a floating rate which depends on market conditions.
  4. Double check details: Now, double check all the swap details like amounts and wallets are correct and click continue.
  5. Send your crypto: Now you should send the exact amount of crypto you specified for the swap earlier to the wallet address provided or via the QR code. Makes sure to double check the blockchain network before sending

After your deposit has been confirmed on the blockchain, you immediately get your swapped crypto into the wallet address you specified.

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Things to Check Before Swapping Crypto Coins

Swapping crypto, especially on beginner friendly platforms, is pretty straight forward when you get the hang of it but it can also go south very quickly. Here are some safety tips and things to look out for before swapping crypto: 

  1. Fees/ Network congestion: It’s smart to time your swaps during periods of low network congestion especially when you’re doing Ethereum swaps as gas prices can rise up to $100 in extreme cases of network congestion.
  2. Token, Blockchain Network/ Wallet compatibility: It’s always important to  make sure the wallet address you provide for swaps can in fact receive the specific crypto that is being sent to you. For example, USDT on the BNB Smart Chain is different from USDT on Ethereum and trying to send them interchangeably can lead to lost crypto.
  3. Security: This really cannot be over emphasised. Before clicking the final send button, especially if you’re on the web, check URLs and specific transaction details. Make sure you don’t swap crypto coins on shady sites that request wallet access especially if you’re not a pro.

Benefits and Risks of Instant Crypto Coins Swap

Here are some of the advantages of instant crypto swaps:

  1. Transaction Speed:  The most obvious benefit is speed. Interacting directly with smart contracts or a platform designed for instant crypto swaps brings the settlement time to, almost always, less than 5 minutes. You don’t have to wait around for barter traders.
  2. No Middlemen: When swapping on decentralised exchanges, it completely cuts out middle men and you swap directly against a liquidity pool.
  3. Privacy: DEXs that power these swaps are non-custodial so you keep your keys and don’t need to perform a KYC for them.
  4. Simplicity: Swapping on third party platforms, like Breet, specifically designed for it, provides a beginner friendly entry point for users looking to swap their crypto without the confusing user interface on CEXs.

These benefits come with a few drawbacks. Some of which are:

  1. High Fees: Because the swap is instant, gas fees are default set to support that. Especially during periods of high traffic and network congestion. Gas prices may be expensive.
  2. Slippage: Swapping directly against a liquidity pool means the prices for the crypto pair you’re trying to swap updates in real time. The fixed price swap functionality on Breet handles this.
  3. Failed Transactions: As default, gas prices are set relatively high to match the speed instant swaps provide. These gas prices are however customisable. So, setting a low gas fee for your swap can cause a failed transaction and that failed transaction still costs you gas. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Swapping Crypto Coins

What is the Best Crypto to Swap?

There is really no “best” crypto currency to swap to. It all comes down to your own use case and financial goals.

The most popular crypto to swap to however would be stable coins like USDC and USDT

Can You Swap Crypto for Free?

No. There is almost always a fee for swapping crypto either a fee from the blockchain network or a platform fee

Is There a Fee for Swapping Crypto?

Yes. There are generally two types of fees for swapping crypto depending on the platform’s infrastructure: the blockchain fee and a platform fee.

Can You Make Money By Swapping Crypto?

Yes. It definitely is possible to make money swapping crypto. Usually if there is an arbitrage opportunity which can cover the fee you spend and leave enough for profit.

Conclusion

Even though swapping crypto coins is a core blockchain functionality, it used to require technical knowledge.

Now, it has been made a lot easier by the numerous beginner friendly tools made for instant swaps.

Whether you want to use a DEX and interact directly with smart contracts or you prefer the convenience of using a custom swap tool like Breet, there is something that works for everyone.

However, make sure to follow best practices like checking URLs on the web, double checking transaction details and blockchain network compatibility before swapping to ensure you and your funds remain safe and secure.

And when you’re ready to swap crypto coins seamlessly, Breet is still the best option for a seamless crypto to crypto swap.

Author

  • David Ifebueme

    I'm David. I write Web3 stuff that just makes sense. When I'm not doing that, I'm building something cool on-chain.