Instaswap fees depend on the selected route, while total route costs determine the amount a recipient receives

Charges inside a swap quote

A swap quote can combine five economically distinct cost layers, although a particular route may not use every one. Separating them prevents a low service fee from hiding a costly network path or weak execution price.

Service and route charges

The service margin is incorporated into the quoted execution rather than imposed as one flat percentage across every swap. Instaswap's route-dependent swap fee is approximately 0.3% to 1.0%, with the exact figure varying by protocol, pair, size, and market conditions. An underlying liquidity protocol may also impose its own execution cost, which becomes part of the route economics.

Network costs

Network charges pay for blockchain transactions needed to move or settle assets. Congestion and the chains involved can change this amount, and a small swap may feel the effect more sharply than a large one. The quote breakdown can identify the charged asset and provide a common-value equivalent, while a separately signed deposit transaction may create another source-side cost.

Spread and integration adjustments

Execution spread is the difference between a reference market price and the effective price available through the chosen liquidity path. It affects value received but is not necessarily a separate payment to one recipient. A partner or embedded integration may add a configured fee, and that item should remain distinct from the platform margin and protocol costs.

The final receive amount reflects these layers. A percentage line alone cannot show which route returns the highest output for the same request.

Route selection changes the cost mix

Route selection changes the protocol, liquidity, network activity, and execution price behind a quote. The routing process considers expected output alongside gas cost, slippage, and reliability. A route with a higher service component may still return more of the output asset when its network burden or spread is lower. Conversely, the smallest visible percentage can accompany a weaker final amount.

A reproducible comparison method

A sound comparison holds the transaction request constant and evaluates every candidate at nearly the same time. Changing the amount, network, output asset, or integration context creates a new request rather than another price for the old one.

Fix the comparison boundary

The comparison boundary includes the input and output assets, their networks, the deposit amount, settlement mode, destination requirements, and quote time. Each candidate must describe that same boundary. If one field changes, refresh every candidate before drawing a conclusion.

Normalize the disclosed costs

Disclosed charges may use different assets, so compare their common-value equivalents at one observation time. Keep separately paid source-network costs in the calculation. Do not add a spread line twice when the expected output already reflects that price effect.

Rank by the amount received

The expected output is the cleanest first comparison when every input is identical. For a percentage view, divide the difference between the input reference value and expected output reference value by the input reference value. Add any external transaction cost that the quote does not already include.

Payers and recipients behind the breakdown

The person initiating the swap bears the economic cost, while individual components may be paid to different recipients or deducted at different stages. The fee breakdown identifies the charged asset when that information is available.

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The swap initiator

The initiator bears the cost through the deposited amount, a separately paid network transaction, a reduction in output, or a combination of these mechanisms. This is why the deposit's reference value minus visible fee lines may not equal the received output's reference value when the execution price also moves.

Networks and liquidity protocols

The selected blockchain applies its own transaction rules, while the underlying protocol determines its liquidity and execution charges. Network cost may be consumed or distributed according to that chain's design. Protocol charges follow the selected route's rules rather than one Instaswap-wide schedule.

Partners and the output recipient

A configured partner fee is paid to the integration partner and may be split with a sub-partner. The output recipient receives the settled asset amount after the route has applied its costs and execution price. That recipient may differ from the person who supplied the deposit.

Why can the final cost differ from the quote?

The final cost can differ because the quoted receive amount is an estimate for a particular request and moment. Market movement between quoting and execution, network congestion, and the selected route's execution characteristics can change the settled output. A larger difference is not automatically a new platform charge; check the transaction record and any available fee breakdown before attributing it to a platform charge.

Quotes also carry a limited deposit window that varies by asset and network. A late deposit, a different amount, or an unsupported asset may be executed at the rate then available, delayed, or returned, depending on the route and circumstances. Realized cost should therefore use the confirmed output and any separately paid network expense, not the expired estimate.

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Funding payments for perpetual positions

Funding applies to an open perpetual position, not an ordinary asset swap. Instaswap perpetual funding accrues hourly for open perpetual positions. The payment passes between long and short position holders, with direction determined by the mark price relative to spot. Its live rate can change by market, so it belongs in a position-cost calculation only when the selected product exposes that funding obligation.

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Records that preserve the comparison

A useful comparison record preserves the request and the values used to judge it. Retain enough detail to distinguish a live route change from an arithmetic or bookkeeping error:

• the input and output assets with their selected networks;
• the deposit amount, quote time, and displayed validity window;
• the expected output and itemized fee breakdown;
• the route or integration context attached to the quote; and
• the confirmed output plus separately paid network costs.

The quote explains the proposed cost before commitment, while the settlement record shows the realized amount. The combined record supports a like-for-like review, but it does not restore an expired quote or eliminate price movement between pricing and settlement.