Changelly Review 2023: Is It A Good Platform?

Changelly is a globally renowned digital asset swapping platform that is used to anonymously exchange crypto. Its swapping service is one of the best in the market given the low fees and corresponding higher returns. Over the years, Changelly has increased the number of services on offer including Changelly Pro which is a full-featured crypto exchange.

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Our Takeaways

Name	Changelly
Core Services	Buy crypto using credit/debit card, instant crypto-to-crypto
Available Cryptocurrencies	270+
Deposit Options	Credit/debit card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, and cryptocurrency via deposit address
Deposit Fees	None
Trading Fees	0.25% trading fee, 2.5% + financial institution fee for credit/debit card
Withdrawal Fees	None
Fiat Gateway	No
Mobile App	Yes (iOS and Android)

What Is Changelly?

Changelly is one of the most popular crypto swap platforms in the world and is widely known for its instant crypto-to-crypto service. Founded in 2015, Changelly has grown into a team of over 80 employees spread across 3 offices.

The initial focus of Changelly was a premium crypto swapping service, however, it has broadened its horizons by adding new products and services such as an advanced trading interface, Changelly Pro. The platform also provides a fiat gateway so you can purchase up to 270+ cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Monero (XMR), and Litecoin (LTC) using your Visa or MasterCard.

Changelly has partnered with major players in the crypto industry to amplify and complement its products and services. These include Binance, Trezor, Coinomi, Exodus, and ZenGo.

How Does Changelly Work?

Changelly works in a similar fashion as a broker. When a user selects a crypto trading pair to swap, the platform searches its liquidity partners to find the best available rate for the crypto pair. It does this by using a trading algorithm that is integrated into some of the best cryptocurrency exchanges including Binance, Poloniex, and Bittrex. The primary advantage of this is that the user does not have to create an account with several exchanges to find a suitable price, instead, Changelly finds the best rate in a single transaction. 

After the crypto trading pair is selected, an estimated conversion rate is displayed for the user to consider. the rate remains a ‘floating’ estimate until the transaction is confirmed on the blockchain. This is why the exchange rate may differ slightly from the estimated rate that was presented before the confirmation of the transaction.

Once the transaction is completed, the crypto is deposited into the user’s wallet address. it should be noted that Changelly only provides a mechanism to exchange cryptocurrencies for other cryptocurrencies. Digital assets are not stored by Changelly. This means that security breaches of the platform are not likely to result in the loss, damage, or theft of the user’s assets. This creates a safe and secure way of crypto-to-crypto swapping.

Changelly Pros & Cons

Changelly Compared

This comparison table lists other top crypto swapping platforms like Changelly that offer world-class features.

Top Changelly Features You Should Know

No ID Verification Required

Changelly offers a crypto-to-crypto swapping service where the identity of the user remains anonymous. Unlike other crypto swapping platforms such as Exolix, an account with Changelly is needed to be created. Since fiat currencies are not involved in crypto-to-crypto swapping, verification of the user’s identity is not required and the provision of government-issued under Know-Your-Customer (KYC).

The secure and anonymous nature will appeal to people who want to quickly and discretely swap a digital asset for another asset without having to go through the process of verifying their ID.

Changelly users should note, that if a transaction is deemed suspicious then it will be flagged internally. The account owner will then be required to verify their identity and complete the AML/KYC process.

Crypto-To-Crypto Swapping

Since its establishment in 2015, Changelly grew in popularity primarily based on its anonymous crypto-to-crypto swapping service. The crypto swapping process is easy and straightforward and can be completed with the following steps:

1. Select the asset pair to swap and receive (e.g. BTC to ETH) and enter the amount to be swapped. Changelly will automatically calculate the amount of the returned asset (inclusive of trading fees).
2. Opt for either a Floating Rate (small fluctuations depending on the market) or Fixed Rate (fixed for 30 seconds).
3. Deposit funds using the Changelly provided deposit address to initiate the transaction.
4. Receive funds and transfer them to a personal hardware wallet.

Once the transaction is confirmed (around 10 minutes), Changelly will send a confirmation email.

In terms of minimum transaction amounts, Changelly does not have any. However, customers should keep in mind that small transaction amounts should be large enough to cover the cost of the blockchain or network fee. Changelly does not set restrictions on maximum transaction amounts. However, this may be dependent on the capacity of the blockchain and the network fees associated with the user’s hardware wallet.

As an example, the Changelly video below shows how easy it is to exchange Dash.

Low Exchange Fees

Changelly integrates into some of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges and is, therefore, able to access a greater degree of liquidity to its customers. High liquidity generally means that there is less volatility in cryptocurrency prices and the market is more stable. Changelly uses a trading algorithm is used to find the best price on the selected crypto trading pair. 

Buy Crypto With A Credit/Debit Card

Changelly customers are able to purchase crypto using a credit/debit card (Visa & Mastercard), bank transfer, and Apple Pay. The buying crypto panel can be accessed from the widget on the Changelly homepage. The process to buy crypto is as follows:

• Select the fiat currency and the amount to spend.
• Select the crypto to acquire (e.g. Bitcoin) and review the estimated amount of BTC to receive.
• Select country of residence.
• Click on “Buy Now”.
• Review the provided quotes and click on “Buy Now”. Users should note that all fees are included in the quoted prices.

• Enter in the BTC wallet address.
• Fill in your personal information including billing, residential address, and card details.
• Enter in the verification code sent to your mobile and verify your identity.
• Execute the transaction and check the wallet to ensure that the Bitcoin has been transferred.

Advanced Trading with Changelly Pro

Creating An Account & KYC

A valid email address and strong password are required to create a Changelly Pro account. Like all other exchange protocols, users will need to verify their identity with the Changelly Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process.

Depositing Funds

Depositing fiat currencies into the Changelly Pro wallet is not supported. Users will need to deposit cryptocurrencies into their wallets using credit/debit cards, bank transfers, or Apple Pay.

Margin Trading

Changelly Pro provides users with the ability to maximize their profit potential with margin trading. The trader will need to commit to a total order value which is known as the margin. For Changelly Pro, the maximum available leverage is 10x, and 5x for some cryptocurrency trading pairs. When opening a leveraged trading position, the liquidation price is automatically determined. If the market price of the digital asset exceeds the limit, then the position is automatically liquidated.

Perpetual Futures Trading

Futures trading is a new feature introduced on Changelly Pro and is currently in a beta testing phase. Cryptocurrency futures are contracts representing the value of a certain cryptocurrency. When a futures contract is made, the associated cryptocurrency is not owned. However, a contract is in place with the trader agreeing to buy or sell a particular cryptocurrency at a later date.

Changelly Fees

Deposit, Withdrawal, Trading & Credit Card Fees

A 0.25% trading fee will apply to all crypto-to-crypto transactions which are fairly reasonable compared to other exchanges like Binance (0.1%) and Swyftx (0.6%). Purchasing crypto using a credit/debit card will incur a Changelly fee of 2.5% plus any fee that is directed by the financial institution (approximately 5%). 

Deposits or withdrawals do not incur any fees, however, a blockchain network fee will apply with the amount dependent on network congestion.

Exchange Rates Versus Other Platforms

Changelly is able to find the best crypto swapping pairs by integrating them into several cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. This means that greater liquidity is able to be accessed and the Changelly trading algorithm can provide a competitive fixed rate to convert cryptocurrencies by choosing the best price on the market.

Changelly fees are not stated during a transaction and are therefore not transparent to the customer. Their fees are included within the transaction price which means that the amount received will be slightly less than the market value.

We compared the amount of Changelly swapped crypto received against other crypto-to-crypto conversion platforms including Exolix, ChangeNOW, SwapSpace, and SimpleSwap. At the time of writing, and based on the BTC-ETH trading pair example below, Changelly provides one of the best returns.

CRYPTO SWAPPING PLATFORM	AMOUNT SWAPPED	AMOUNT RECEIVED
Changelly	0.1 BTC	1.5100355 ETH
Exolix	0.1 BTC	1.47954032 ETH
ChangeNOW	0.1 BTC	1.5038142 ETH
SwapSpace	0.1 BTC	1.5136331 ETH
SimpleSwap	0.1 BTC	1.50203513 ETH

Accepted Countries

ID verification is not required and crypto exchanging transactions are able to be completed anonymously. Since users are able to complete crypto-to-crypto transactions anonymously, Changelly is able to be used in any country.

Customer Support & Reviews

Changelly offers a comprehensive knowledge base that provides its customers with troubleshooting tips on commonly asked questions including transactions, wallet, 2FA, and Changelly Pro. Customers who are not able to find answers to their queries can contact the Changelly support team via the submission of a ticket or through the live chatbot. 

Based on approximately 2,200 customers reviews on TrustPilot, Changelly has an excellent rating of 4.4/5.0. 79% of customer feedback was rated as good or excellent. The very positive feedback and ratings correlate with the platform’s trustworthiness in the market.

Does Changelly Offer A Mobile App?

Changelly offers its customers a mobile app that is compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices. The app allows buying, selling, and exchanging crypto for crypto, however, Changelly Pro is not supported. The app is visually intuitive and easy to use. Based on 3,000 reviews on Google Store, the app has a rating of 4.8/5.0.

Customers should note that the range of supported fiat currencies (via credit/debit card) supported on the app to buy crypto is limited to the EUR, GBP, and USD. Users seeking to utilize other fiat currencies will need to use the desktop version.

Security Measures

The security measures that Changelly implements are not too dissimilar to those implemented by other crypto-to-crypto platforms like Exolix. Security methods include 2FA which is highly recommended to activate on users’ accounts, email confirmations for major account activities, and withdrawal whitelists.

Does Changelly Have An Affiliate Program?

Changelly offers an affiliate program where users receive 50% of the incurred fees for crypto-to-crypto and fiat-to-crypto transactions. This applies over a 90 day period from the referral’s registration and not over the life of the account like most other affiliate programs.

Alternative Crypto Swapping Platforms

Users who want the best return for their crypto-to-crypto swapping needs might choose SwapSpace or ChangeNOW where the fees appear to be on par with Changelly.

StealthEX has been providing quick and reliable crypto swapping service since its establishment in 2018. It supports over 400+ digital currencies to swap, however, only 9 crypto to buy using fiat (via Visa/MasterCard).

Our Verdict

Due to its low trading fees and access to significant liquidity through its partners, Changelly is one of the top crypto-to-crypto swapping platforms on the market. The easy-to-use interface is similar to its competitors, however, the ability to purchase crypto using a credit/debit card is a unique market differentiator.

Changelly will appeal to beginner and experienced users who value their privacy and want to swap smaller amounts of crypto.