ChangeNow vs Shapeshift – Which One is Right for Me?

ChangeNow and Shapeshift are among the most popular cryptocurrency swap services that allow users to exchange one coin to another, almost instantly. Both services provide a user-friendly interface and list dozens of altcoins. However, there are some differences between them as well, so we’d like to address the nuances of each platform and see which service best suits your needs.  

How Long Have ChangeNow and Shapeshift Been Around?

Shapeshift was founded in 2013 by Erik Voorhees as a crypto-to-crypto exchange platform. It has gradually grown into one of the most popular non-custodial crypto swap services.  

ChangeNow was established in 2017 and benefited from the release of Bitcoin Gold in late 2017, is the first crypto exchange to support this fork. Since then, the service has expanded to other altcoins and has become an entire ecosystem that includes other great features besides the crypto swap solution. 

While Shapeshift is much older, ChangeNow has already created a loyal client base across the world thanks to its fast-response service and various relevant partnerships that propelled it to the top. Thus, both services can be trusted. 

Supported Coins

ChangeNOW allows users to access Bitcoin and more than 170 altcoins for exchange services that have no limits. Users can buy or sell cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Ripple’s XRP, ZCash, Tron, EOS, Stellar’s XLM, Dogecoin, Ethereum Classic, Binance’s BNB, USDT, NEO, Dash, and more. You can check the full list here.

Shapeshift supports over 50 coins, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Dash, Ethereum Classic, Basic Attention Token (BAT), and more. Unfortunately, Shapeshift doesn’t display a full list of coins to non-registered users. 

Besides the supported coins, both ChangeNow and Shapeshift have native tokens, called NOW and FOX, respectively. The coins allow users to access the platform services and enjoy several other perks. 

The fiat option is available with both exchange platforms. Thanks to a partnership with Indacoin, ChangeNOW enables its users to buy cryptocurrency with Visa or MasterCard. Shapeshift offers the fiat option through a partnership with Simplex, a trusted service that is associated with Binance, KuCoin, and mycelium, among others. 

While both swap platforms support a wide range of altcoins to trade, ChangeNOW is the winner here due to the greater number of listed coins. Besides, unlike Shapeshift, which has some transaction limits, ChangeNOW allows users to swap as much as they want. 

Fees 

ChangeNOW claims that it doesn’t charge any additional or hidden fees, which makes its swap service attractive. Users can see the final price on the platform before making the transaction. 

Shapeshift also doesn’t charge any exchange or service fee, except for the miner fee. However, even though there is no upfront fee with Shapeshift, some users have complained that the exchange rates are relatively poor. 

Interface

ChangeNOW provides an intuitive interface that can be used even by those who have no experience with cryptocurrencies. The five-step process, which occurs on the home page, is briefly described here. 

Shapeshift offers a similarly user-friendly interface. However, the drawback is that only registered users can access it. With ChangeNOW, you can start exchanging cryptocurrencies without any registration and from anywhere in the world. Also, the fact that there is no maximum amount for cryptocurrency exchange on ChangeNOW is another big plus for the platform. 

Additional Products

Besides the crypto swap service, ChangeNOW offers more products, like Now Nodes, Lightning Now, and NOWPayments. The latter is an API solution for merchants to allow cryptocurrency payments. NOWPayments might expand into an international payment infrastructure used in stores worldwide. The service comprises many features and supports dozens of coins. 

Lightning NOW is another great product. It represents a blockchain node that ensures instant transactions and payments. The service resembles the Lightning Network on Bitcoin. 

Shapeshift doesn’t provide additional services besides its crypto swap solution, though it is associated with crypto security service KeepKey and coin analysis tool Coincap. 

Final Verdict

While both platforms provide fast and convenient crypto swap solutions, ChangeNOW would probably be the right choice thanks to its no-limit and no-registration access. Besides, the platform hosts over 170 cryptocurrencies, compared to 34 cryptocurrencies currently on ShapeShift

Shapeshift is also a great candidate. It is a well-established service that has been around for many years.