When initiating an automated cryptocurrency swap, selecting the right rate type can save you money depending on current market volatility and network congestion.
Floating Rate (Float)
A floating rate means the final amount of crypto you receive fluctuates based on live market pricing at the moment your deposit receives required network confirmations.
- Fee: Lower platform fee (0.1%).
- Best For: Stable market conditions, high liquidity pairs, or fast confirmation networks (LTC, SOL).
Fixed Rate (Fixed)
A fixed rate guarantees the exact payout amount calculated when you create the order, freezing market fluctuations for a dedicated time window (typically 15–20 minutes).
- Fee: Standard rate lock fee (1.0%).
- Best For: Volatile markets, high price swings, or slower confirmation networks like Bitcoin during high mempool load.
Which One Costs Less? A Real-World Check
Bitcoin's average block time is roughly 10 minutes and historical data shows the network frequently processes 300,000+ transactions per day during busy periods, making float-rate execution on BTC comparatively slow and volatile (Blockchain.com Charts, 2026). On a faster network such as Litecoin — which targets 2.5-minute block times and consistently clears large daily volumes — float rates stay accurate for the shorter confirmation window (Litecoin Network Documentation, 2026).
As a rule of thumb from our order data: float execution on fast chains (LTC, SOL, TRX) routinely beats fixed rates by close to the full 0.9% fee gap in stable markets, while fixed rates protect users on BTC and volatile majors. The 0.1% float fee versus 1.0% fixed fee difference is the single largest cost variable on any swap.
Compare live rate types on routes like LTC to XMR, or see the full catalog of supported coins and networks.
About the Author
SanSwap Analytics is the data and trading infrastructure team at SanSwap, covering rate mechanics, liquidity, and order execution analytics.