How WalletExchange Works
WalletExchange is a provider-independent comparison tool for crypto exchange services. This page explains, in plain language, how we rank quotes, how we make money, what happens to your funds, what we store, and why identity requirements differ from one provider to the next.
How we rank exchanges
WalletExchange ranks every quote by one number only: the amount of the destination asset a provider’s quote estimates you will actually receive for the amount you enter. Nothing else moves a provider up or down that ranking — not its verification policies, not its brand, and not any commission it may pay WalletExchange. The “Best rate” label always points at whichever live quote returns the most.
How WalletExchange makes money
WalletExchange may receive a commission from some of the providers we compare when you complete an exchange through their service. Any fee is already included in the quote you see, so the comparison always shows what you would actually receive. For NEAR Intents, WalletExchange sets a 0.4% fee, half of which goes to NEAR Intents; our Affiliate Disclosure explains how it works. This is disclosed on the review step of every exchange before you commit to it. That relationship never determines which provider ranks as “best” — ranking is calculated purely from live quote data before any commission is applied to the comparison.
Non-custodial by design
WalletExchange never takes custody of your funds. When you complete an exchange, your assets move directly between your own wallet and the provider you selected. WalletExchange itself never holds, controls, or has the ability to move your crypto at any point in that process.
What we store
WalletExchange does not require an account to compare rates or use the exchange flow. We keep data to the minimum needed to operate: a recent-exchanges list, if you choose to keep one, is stored only in your own browser and is never sent to WalletExchange’s servers. If you contact support, we use what you send only to help you, and we will never ask for — and you should never send — your seed phrase, private keys, or wallet password.
Identity & privacy requirements vary by provider
Each provider we compare — currently ChangeNOW, SimpleSwap, StealthEX, SideShift, Exolix and NEAR Intents — sets its own identity-verification and compliance policies, and these can vary by transaction size, the assets involved, or your jurisdiction. We publish what we have been able to verify about each provider’s policies directly from their own published terms, with sources and review dates, in the “Privacy & provider details” panel on every quote. Read the specific provider’s own terms before relying on anything summarized here.
Who writes WalletExchange
WalletExchange is run by Hamish Webb, who is responsible for everything published on the site, including the Learn articles and provider reviews. Hamish uses the swap services WalletExchange compares, and new providers are tested with real, small swaps before they go live here: for example, a USDT-to-ETH swap through NEAR Intents on 30 September 2026. You can find out more about Hamish at hamishwebb.com.
Editorial standards
- Sourced from the providers themselves. What we say about a provider’s identity checks, restrictions and fees comes from its own published terms, policies or API documentation, linked with the date we reviewed it.
- Tested first-hand. Rates, minimums and examples in our articles come from WalletExchange’s own live quotes and test swaps, with the date they were taken.
- Dated, so you can judge how current it is. Every article and provider summary shows the date it was last reviewed. Providers can change their terms at any time, so before you swap, check the provider’s own terms, which are linked in every quote.
- Checked for changes every month. Each month the site automatically re-reads every provider page we cite as a source and flags any change in wording, so we can see when a provider updates its terms.
- AI-assisted, human-approved. We use AI tools to help research and draft articles. Every article is checked against its sources and approved by Hamish before it is published.
- Independent of payment. Quotes are ranked only by what you receive, and our KYC ratings follow a published method. Neither is affected by whether a provider pays us.
- Corrections. If you spot an error, email support@walletexchange.com and we will check it and fix it.