Orca vs Simpleswap: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Orca and Simpleswap This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on September 9, 2025

Orca

Simpleswap

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United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

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India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Orca is ideal if:

Builds on Solana’s fast, low-fee network, making it a great fit if you want quick, cost-effective token swaps.
User-friendly interface and tools like “Magic Bar” and Fair Price Indicator simplify DeFi for both beginners and seasoned users.
Concentrated liquidity (Whirlpools) offers efficient yield-earning potential—ideal if you seek to provide liquidity with precision.

Simpleswap is ideal if:

Great for quick, no-registration swaps: Ideal if you want to exchange coins swiftly and privately, without creating an account or going through KYC.
Perfect for privacy-focused users: Its non‑custodial design helps you maintain full control over your assets throughout the transaction.
Suited for users exploring a wide range of coins: Offers an expansive selection of crypto assets—from mainstream to lesser-known altcoins—making it handy for flexibility and experimentation.

Orca isn’t ideal if:

Limited solely to Solana’s ecosystem—which may not suit users looking to trade assets across other blockchains.
Lacks advanced trading tools and detailed charting, making it less appealing for those who rely on technical analysis.
Concentrated liquidity (Whirlpools) introduces increased risk of impermanent loss for liquidity providers.

Simpleswap isn’t ideal if:

Not for beginners needing fiat on-ramps: If you don’t already own crypto, SimpleSwap doesn’t support seamless fiat-to-crypto purchases without extra partner steps.
Limited for advanced traders: No margin, futures, charting tools, or sophisticated order types—only basic instant swaps.
Less suitable during network congestion: Transactions can slow when blockchains are busy, affecting speed and predictability.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Orca doesn’t use traditional maker/taker models—spot trading occurs through liquidity pools structured via Automated Market Maker (AMM) mechanics, where pool creators set fixed or adaptive fee tiers (ranging roughly from 0.01% to 2%) that apply to all trades, and those fees are shared between liquidity providers, the protocol treasury, and a climate fund.

SimpleSwap doesn’t distinguish between maker and taker fees—instead, all costs are embedded within the quoted exchange rate, so there are no separate fee tiers or native-token discounts to worry about.

Futures/Derivatives

Orca is strictly a decentralized AMM-based spot platform on Solana and does not offer any futures or derivatives trading, meaning there are no maker/taker or funding fees to consider.

SimpleSwap does not offer futures or other derivatives at all, so there are no associated maker, taker, or funding fees to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Because Orca routes trades through concentrated liquidity pools (Whirlpools) via its smart router, traders usually benefit from highly efficient execution and minimized slippage; though exact spreads fluctuate dynamically, these liquid pairs consistently enjoy tight pricing thanks to deep, targeted liquidity.

Spread details aren’t openly published, but market comparisons suggest a mark-up hovering around 1.2%, meaning the price you see already includes a slight premium over market rates.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Orca operates entirely on-chain without direct fiat support—it doesn’t accept or process fiat deposits or withdrawals, meaning no time delays or fees, but you’ll need to convert external fiat to crypto before interacting with the platform.

Fiat transactions are handled via a partner (like Mercuryo), typically using Visa or Mastercard, with fees built into the exchange rate and shown upfront—there’s no platform-stated flat rate or set timing for processing.

On-chain Withdrawals

Orca doesn’t handle withdrawals across multiple blockchains—it functions solely on Solana, so on-chain fees consist only of Solana network transaction costs (typically a tiny, fixed amount of SOL), rather than dynamic variable fees across different networks.

There’s no separate withdrawal fee charged by SimpleSwap—only the blockchain’s own network (gas) fees apply, which vary by network and reflect real-time congestion levels.

Hidden Costs

Orca avoids most hidden fees—there are no inactivity penalties or express KYC charges, and currency conversion only incurs standard swap route costs; the main ongoing cost is network transaction fees and whichever pool fees apply when trading.

There are no inactive-account fees or express-KYC charges; any currency conversion or rate-related cost is already baked into the exchange price, so you face no surprises beyond the displayed rate.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Since Orca doesn’t support fiat on-ramps or BTC trading directly, a real-world purchase of €500 worth of BTC would involve using a separate service to convert euros to a Solana-compatible asset (e.g., USDC), then swapping via Orca to your target token—so total cost includes external fiat conversion spread, Orca’s pool fee tier (deducted from the input token), and the minimal Solana transaction fee.

If you exchange €500 to BTC, the platform displays the rate including a small mark-up (around 1–2%) at the time, and then the final BTC received reflects that pricing, minus network fees; there are no extra line-item charges added afterward.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Orca supports approximately 490 tradable coins and over 1,300 trading pairs, with the most active including SOL/USDC, SOL/STSOL, and SOL/MSOL based on volume.

SimpleSwap supports over 1,500 cryptocurrency assets for instant swaps; while there’s no public list of the top 20 by trading volume, it’s safe to infer that mainstream heavyweights like BTC, ETH, USDT-based pairs, and other popular altcoins lead the most frequently exchanged.

Product Range

Orca focuses on spot swapping and liquidity provision—there’s no margin, derivatives, options, ETFs, loans, copy-trading, grid bots, or automatic DCA. It does reward LPs and enables staking of liquidity positions.

SimpleSwap is designed solely for instant, spot crypto-to-crypto swaps and staking through integrated programs; it does not offer margin, futures/perps, options, crypto ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA features.

Liquidity

Orca handles hundreds of millions in daily volume—CoinGecko reports about $440–$540 million 24h across the platform, with deep liquidity especially in major pairs like SOL/USDC.

Exact liquidity metrics like 24-hour trading volume or order-book depth aren’t published, but SimpleSwap sources liquidity from multiple partner exchanges, enabling smooth execution for BTC and ETH swaps via aggregation rather than a unified internal book.

Tools

Orca offers core AMM functionality—no limit, stop, OCO orders or alerts—though it includes handy UI features like the “Magic Bar” and Fair Price Indicator, and there’s SDK, developer APIs (TypeScript), and native Solana wallet integration.

The platform is minimalist—neither limit nor OCO orders are available beyond fixed-and-floating rate swaps; it lacks advanced charting or alerts, though it does offer integration tools like APIs and widgets rather than a native TradingView interface.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Orca does not officially restrict any regions—however, users are advised not to access the platform if local laws deem it prohibited.

Since SimpleSwap doesn’t offer derivatives, there are no region-based limitations on those products specifically, but its fiat-to-crypto service is restricted in a set of countries flagged by regulatory or partner limitations.

Innovation

Orca enables permissionless pool launches (via token-creation tools), supports concentrated liquidity with Whirlpools, and offers Double-Dip pools (earning dual rewards)—but it doesn’t include launchpads, launchpools, or separate flexible vs locked earn options.

While SimpleSwap doesn’t run launchpads or launchpools, it does innovate in passive earning via its loyalty and affiliate programs, offering flexible cashback and staking-like benefits rather than locking funds into fixed-term products.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Orca is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol built on Solana with no central operating company handling custody; governance and UI are supported by an autonomous protocol structure, not a traditional corporate entity.

SimpleSwap is operated by SimpleSwap Limited, established in 2018 and based in George Town, Cayman Islands, functioning under that jurisdiction while also listing a U.S. office in San Francisco for support operations.

Licenses/Registration

Orca does not hold industry-standard exchange licenses like VASP or MiCA, given its decentralized architecture—there is no regulatory registration as it doesn’t engage in fiat transactions or centralized trading.

The platform operates under money transmitter licenses where applicable, respecting relevant regulatory frameworks without explicitly holding licensing such as VASP registration or MiCA compliance, though its services may vary regionally to meet local requirements.

Custody

The platform is fully non-custodial—users always retain control of their assets in their own wallets. Orca does not hold user funds, nor does it provide formal proof-of-reserves or cold storage backing, since liquidity is deposited by users in smart contracts.

As a non-custodial exchange, SimpleSwap never holds user assets, reducing exposure to custodial risks; the platform does not currently offer public Proof of Reserves, cold reserve percentages, or external audit disclosures.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Orca does not currently offer formal insurance or compensation funds for user losses; instead, it relies on strong security design and audit practices to safeguard the protocol and users’ liquidity.

There is no public program offering insured coverage or asset protection funds—security relies on infrastructure practices like SSL encryption and secure transaction channels rather than third-party insurance.

Incident History

Orca has maintained a clean security record over its history—no hacks, fund losses, or regulatory sanctions have been recorded since its launch, and the team celebrates its continuous uptime and safety focus.

SimpleSwap has maintained a clean record—no documented security breaches, funds seizures, or regulatory enforcement actions appear in public sources, reflecting a history free from major incidents.

Risk Controls

Access is secured via users’ wallets; there are no built-in features like two-factor authentication, whitelists, or sub-account structures. Orca promotes a zero-trust design and encourages secure wallet use without centralized API permission controls.

The platform enforces strong security protocols including SSL encryption, optional two-factor authentication for added account safety, and compliance-driven KYC escalation in higher-risk cases; however, features like address whitelists, sub-accounts, granular API controls, or anti-phishing mechanisms are not prominently offered.

Transparency

The protocol publishes regular security audits and adheres to standards like ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 for information security and quality management, offering clear documentation—but it does not offer monthly financial reports, formal SLAs, or public on-chain dashboards beyond smart contract visibility.

SimpleSwap does not provide regular reporting like monthly reports or SLAs, nor does it maintain public wallet addresses; its transparency relies on its non-custodial structure and clear service terms rather than open reserve disclosures or performance metrics.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Orca is fully on-chain and does not accept direct fiat deposits via bank transfer, cards, or e-wallets—users must first convert fiat to crypto outside the platform, typically via a centralized exchange or on-ramp service.

SimpleSwap supports fiat deposits exclusively through its partner Mercuryo, typically via Visa or Mastercard, including virtual, debit, and credit cards, zero stated minimums or maximums, and instant payment processing, though processing limits are influenced by third-party policies.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Orca is a decentralized, non-custodial platform with no institutional KYC structure—there are no defined user levels (basic or advanced), identity checks, or trading limits based on KYC.

SimpleSwap enables anonymous crypto-to-crypto swaps without KYC, but using fiat services or large transactions may trigger partner-enforced identity verification (e.g., basic KYC via Mercuryo) depending on risk assessments, without predefined tiers disclosed.

Withdrawals

Limits, Durations & Networks

Since SimpleSwap is non-custodial, withdrawals simply reflect on-chain transfers to your wallet, with no platform-imposed limits; completion typically takes between several minutes up to an hour depending on network load and chosen blockchain.

Customer Support

Users can open support tickets directly in the Orca UI, and also reach out via Discord or Telegram; requests are verified via wallet signature, and responses appear in the UI live ticket chat.

SimpleSwap offers 24/7 live chat and email support with generally fast response times, backed by a detailed FAQ and blog guides that serve as a robust self-help resource.

Languages & Localization

Orca’s documentation and FAQs are available in multiple languages (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese) though the platform UI doesn’t show fiat prices or localized fees in currencies like EUR; regulatory localization is up to the user.

The platform is available in around 10 languages on the website (with app support in 6), displays pricing and rates in common fiat like EUR or USD based on your region, while service availability is tailored to local regulatory environments.

App Quality & Stability

Orca is known for its smooth, highly responsive performance on Solana—it delivers a seamless experience, with low incidence of crashes and consistent updates, drawing praise for reliability in its V2 build.

SimpleSwap’s mobile app is designed for smooth, user-friendly crypto swaps and applies the same core functionalities as the web platform; while precise crash rates aren’t published, user feedback reports high stability and ongoing updates to expand asset availability and app performance.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Orca’s interface is clean and intuitive for beginners, featuring playful visuals and straightforward navigation; it doesn’t currently provide separate “Lite” or “Pro” modes, so both newcomers and experienced users share the same streamlined experience.

SimpleSwap’s interface shines with its minimalist design—there’s no “Lite” or “Pro” toggle, but the intuitive layout makes the learning curve nearly nonexistent, allowing users of all levels to initiate swaps quickly and effortlessly on both desktop and mobile.

Performance

Built on Solana, Orca delivers rapid execution with minimal latency, and gracefully handles market surges—its decentralized design avoids KYC queues and centralized congestion even during intense volatility.

The platform generally executes instant swaps with low latency by sourcing multiple liquidity providers; while it doesn’t face order system overloads, swaps may take slightly longer during high blockchain congestion—there’s no bulk KYC process since accounts aren’t required.

Education

Orca offers multilingual FAQs and guided documentation—including Spanish resources—but does not yet include a dedicated academy, demo environment, or simulator for hands-on learning or live practice.

SimpleSwap offers robust educational support via its blog, guides, and FAQs—but lacks demo or simulator tools; however, it caters to Spanish speakers with translated articles and interface options for enhanced accessibility.

Community

Orca maintains active, developer-friendly channels on Discord and Telegram, fostering a collaborative community; while referral programs aren’t a featured part of its offering, users benefit from strong ecosystem engagement.

Community engagement thrives through its ambassador and affiliate programs, offering users access to private Telegram groups, content support, and cashback incentives—though public forums or Discord channels aren’t prominently advertised.

Integrations

Orca provides robust integration via its high-level SDKs, enabling automated trading and infrastructure use, though it doesn’t yet offer built-in links to TradingView charts, external trading bots, or tax/accounting platforms.

SimpleSwap doesn’t embed TradingView charts or offer native bot support, but it does provide a transparent API and widget for smooth integration with external tools and developer workflows; no built-in tax or accounting tools are included.

Who Each One Is Best For

Orca is ideal for on-chain DeFi users rooted in Solana, developers seeking modular liquidity functionality, and traders who value fast, transparent swapping—while those needing advanced charting, fiat tools, or demo environments may find it less suitable.

SimpleSwap is ideal for both newcomers and seasoned crypto users who value instant, no-account swaps with strong privacy and multi-language support—especially useful when speed, simplicity, and broad coin access matter more than advanced trading tools.