River vs Swan Bitcoin: Which is Best? [2025]


Key differences
- River offers no fees for recurring buys, while Swan Bitcoin charges a flat 0.99% fee for all purchases.
- Swan offers no fees for the first $10,000 in purchases.
- Swan offers a Swan IRA for retirement investing, while River does not.
- River offers the ability to earn interest on USD but paid in BTC.
River vs Swan Bitcoin Fees Calculator
We built this fee calculator to help you compare the fees of River and Swan Bitcoin.
Enter the amount you want to buy and we'll show you the estimated fees for each exchange.
River vs Swan Bitcoin in Comparison
Description

River is a trusted Bitcoin-only exchange based in the USA.

Swan is a US-based Bitcoin-only exchange focused on making Bitcoin investing safe & simple.
Supported Countries

USA

United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands
Supported Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin-only

Bitcoin-only
Fees

- Order Size: Up to $1,000,000 | Fee: 1.00%
- Order Size: >$1,000,000 to $5,000,000 | Fee: 0.70%
- Order Size: >$5,000,000 to $15,000,000 | Fee: 0.40%
- Order Size: >$15,000,000 | Fee: 0.25%
- Order Size: All recurring buy orders | Fee: 0.00%

- Purchasing Fees: 0.99% for all purchases and sales.
- No inactivity, withdrawal, overdraft, custody, or fiat withdrawal fees.
- IRA Fees: Small monthly fee
Payment Methods

ACH, Bank Account, Wire Transfer

ACH, Bank Account, Wire Transfer
Do These Exchanges Allow you To Earn Interest on Crypto?

3.8%
Earn 3.8% interest on FDIC-insured cash, paid out in Bitcoin. No fees or minimums. Withdraws allowed anytime.

Mobile App Ratings

iOS Rating: 4.8 Official rating from the iOS App Store as of November 18, 2024.
Android Rating: 4.9 Official rating from the Android Play Store as of November 18, 2024.

iOS Rating: 4.8 Official rating from the iOS App Store as of November 18, 2024.
Android Rating: 4.3 Official rating from the Android Play Store as of November 18, 2024.
Storage

River holds client Bitcoin in full reserve with no lending. They built their own custody systems from the ground up to minimize third-party dependencies. Security includes regular independent audits, mandatory 2FA, real-time notifications, 24/7 monitoring, and bcrypt password hashing. Users can verify holdings via Proof of Reserves.

Swan encourages users to store their Bitcoin in cold storage. Swan does not charge its users any withdrawal fees.
Have These Exchanges Been Hacked Before?

No. Has never lost customer funds in any way.

Swan Bitcoin was affected by a data breach at HubSpot in March 2022, which also impacted BlockFi, NYDIG, and Circle. The breach involved unauthorized access to user information stored in HubSpot, but internal systems and treasuries were not compromised. Additionally, in August 2022, Swan Bitcoin experienced a data leak due to a phishing attack on its newsletter provider, Klaviyo. This incident led to the exposure of email addresses and some user data, but no evidence of misuse has been found.
Official Site


Exchange Review

"I really like the app so far. It does what it's supposed to and paired with the desktop web app, I could not personally ask for more. Great customer service and lots of upcoming features in the pipeline from my understanding."
- Real user review from iOS App Store, Android Play Store or Trustpilot

No review available
"Stackin' sats with Swan! With Swan you can stack your precious sats and withdraw on a schedule to your cold storage. Swan is about education for its customers and offers a wide variety of articles, podcasts etc in the app. Dashboard allows you to view your total bought, current balance, available sats to withdraw, a smash buy button etc."
- Real user review from iOS App Store, Android Play Store or Trustpilot
Swan Bitcoin vs River Comparison
Fee Structures
Swan Bitcoin charges a flat 0.99% fee for all purchases, with no fees on the first $10,000, making it cost-effective for smaller transactions. River's fees start at 1.00% and they also offer a 0% fee for recurring buys.
Feature Set
River stands out with Bitcoin mining services and ability to earn interest on USD but paid in BTC. Swan Bitcoin offers a Swan IRA for retirement investing, but no mining or Lightning Network support like River.
Geographic Availability
Swan is available in all 50 states, while River is available in 48 states (excluding New York and Nevada).