Blocktrade vs Changenow: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Blocktrade and Changenow 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 August 16, 2025

Blocktrade

Changenow

⚠️ We look for what’s best for you.

₿ Getting into crypto? With eToro you can start in minutes: buy/sell top coins, set recurring buys, track markets, and use Social/CopyTrader features.

👉 Start here and explore the crypto offer.

Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Thinking about starting with crypto? This is for you.

In select regions, eToro offers a $10 welcome bonus when you open an account today.*

🎯 An account built to help you start with crypto—without the hassle.

➕ Buy and sell top cryptocurrencies in minutes

➕ Recurring buys, price alerts, and advanced charts

➕ Social/CopyTrader™ to follow experienced investors

➕ One of the largest and most trusted platforms worldwide

Limited-time promotion — still available.

*Offer subject to terms, eligibility and regional availability. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.

Blocktrade is ideal if:

Perfect for active traders seeking a playful experience: Blocktrade blends trading with gamified elements like XP, levels, and NFT avatars, delivering a more engaging trading environment.
Well-suited if you value European regulation and security: Fully registered as a VASP under EU rules, it offers peace of mind through strong compliance, clear interface, and robust custody protections.
Great for those who prefer simplicity without passive features: Easy to use with fiat and crypto access and competitive pricing—but without staking, margin trading, or income-generating tools.

Changenow is ideal if:

You value privacy and self-custody — ChangeNOW is non-custodial and doesn’t require registration for most swaps, keeping you in full control of your funds.
You seek convenience and speed — It enables fast, no-account-needed swaps across a wide range of cryptocurrencies, ideal for quick, frictionless trades.
You want flexibility to upgrade — With ChangeNOW Pro, you can access optional perks like cashback, enhanced security, and better transaction tools when you're ready to level up.

Blocktrade isn’t ideal if:

Not for altcoin hunters: Only a small crypto selection is available—too limited if you’re after niche or emerging tokens.
Not for income-driven users: No support for staking, yield-earning programs, or referral bonuses means passive crypto income opportunities are absent.
Not for advanced traders: Lacking leverage, margin, or derivatives tools makes it unsuitable if you're looking for sophisticated or leveraged trading options.

Changenow isn’t ideal if:

You want advanced trading features — If you're into charting tools, order types, margin, or futures, ChangeNOW's simple swap interface might feel too basic.
You expect swift, direct support — Without live chat or phone options, help is slower, often via tickets or messaging channels.
You prioritize strict regulation — ChangeNOW operates without formal licensing from leading financial regulators, which may concern users who value regulatory oversight.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Blocktrade applies a flat trading fee—typically around 0.3% of the trade volume—with slightly lower fees (e.g., 0.25%) on certain native tokens like BTEX or ECS; there are no volume tiers or loyalty-based discounts beyond this.

ChangeNOW doesn’t operate with traditional maker/taker fee tiers—its costs are embedded in floating (or optionally fixed) exchange rates that vary by currency pair and volume, with no public tier schedule or explicit native-token discounts, though using the NOW token can yield rebate perks through cashback mechanisms.

Futures/Derivatives

Blocktrade currently does not offer futures or derivative trading products, so there are no applicable maker, taker, or funding costs to detail.

ChangeNOW does not currently offer futures or derivative trading, so there are no maker/taker or funding fees of that type.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Blocktrade offers “Marketplace” trades with no explicit trading fees, but users may face slightly wider real-time spreads compared to order-book transactions, especially on popular pairs like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT.

While ChangeNOW doesn’t publish spread data, it sources liquidity from partners and embeds margin within the quoted floating rate—spreads are typically competitive and dynamically adjusted based on real-time market conditions.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Users can deposit and withdraw euros via methods like SEPA transfers or credit/debit cards; fees are modest (e.g., a low-percentage fee for SEPA and a small surcharge for cards), with processing and confirmation typically taking between minutes to a few business days depending on method and verification status.

Fiat purchases on ChangeNOW are facilitated through third-party providers (e.g., Simplex, Transak, Guardarian) using Visa or Mastercard; fees depend on the provider (typically a few percent), and processing times range from near-instant to several minutes.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur fixed fees specific to each asset and network (e.g., a set amount of BTC, ETH, USDT, etc.), meaning costs are predetermined and transparent rather than dynamically calculated by network congestion.

ChangeNOW doesn’t charge separate withdrawal fees—network (mining) fees are passed through as dynamic costs based on the chosen blockchain (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX), reflected in the quoted rate rather than stated separately.

Hidden Costs

There are generally no hidden charges like inactivity or expedited verification fees; however, currency conversions (e.g., between fiat or crypto pairs) may include slight margins, and external bank or card fees may apply without being controlled by the platform.

ChangeNOW doesn’t impose inactivity penalties or hidden fees; currency conversion and network fees are included in the exchange quote, and express KYC (if triggered) depends on transaction specifics, with any associated costs transparently presented before confirmation.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you purchase €500 worth of BTC via the Marketplace, you’ll face a modest trading spread plus any applicable SEPA or card deposit fee, followed by the fixed on-chain BTC withdrawal fee—resulting in an all-in cost that blends spread, deposit surcharge, and withdrawal fee into one clear total.

Suppose you buy €500 worth of BTC via ChangeNOW’s fiat gateway—the quote would include the provider’s purchase margin (around a few percent), underlying spread to liquidity, and on-chain sending fee, all bundled in the total you see before confirming purchase.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Blocktrade supports just over 50 cryptocurrencies, with trading pairs concentrated around well-known assets like BTC, ETH, USDC, and a handful of altcoins; the top 20 by trading volume are the most popular blue-chip tokens, making up the vast majority of available pairs.

ChangeNOW supports over 1,225 cryptocurrencies and more than a million exchange pairs, giving you access to virtually any major or niche token in the market.

Product Range

Blocktrade currently offers spot trading only—no margin, derivatives, options, crypto ETFs, lending, copy-trading, trading bots, or automated DCA are available on the platform at this time.

ChangeNOW offers instant spot swaps, non-custodial swaps, native wallet staking, and crypto-backed loans via ChangeNOW Pro, but it does not currently provide margin, perpetuals, options, ETFs, copy trading, grid bots, or automatic DCA.

Liquidity

Blocktrade maintains a modest but stable liquidity base; while specific figures aren’t published, liquidity is sufficient to execute spot trades without extreme slippage, particularly on BTC/EUR and ETH/EUR pairs.

Liquidity is aggregated through multiple exchange partners, ensuring robust 24-hour volumes and order depth for major assets like BTC and ETH—even though precise statistical metrics are not publicly disclosed.

Tools

Users benefit from basic functionality including market and limit orders, full TradingView-powered charts, real-time price data, and an open API for integration, though there’s no advanced alert system via the interface.

The platform refrains from offering advanced tools—no limit, stop, OCO orders, custom alerts, charting, TradingView integration, or APIs are openly provided; its focus is on simplicity and instant swaps rather than complex trading infrastructure.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Because Blocktrade doesn’t offer derivatives or leverage, there are no region-based product restrictions beyond general country eligibility; only spot services are available in approved jurisdictions.

As a swap-first platform, ChangeNOW does not typically impose product-based geographic blocks, but advanced features like Pro loans or staking may have regional restrictions depending on local compliance and third-party partner availability.

Innovation

Blocktrade continues to push its gamified ecosystem forward with features like XP, avatars, and merchant payments, but it does not yet offer launchpad, launchpool, or flexible vs locked yield-earning products (staking and earn programs remain limited or on hold).

While ChangeNOW lacks crypto ETFs or launchpad offerings, it has innovated in token utility—offering automatic staking of its native NOW token in Pro accounts, flexible crypto loans collateralized with major coins, and easy wallet-integrated staking in NOW Wallet.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Blocktrade is operated by Blocktrade SA, established in 2018 and headquartered in Luxembourg, functioning through licensed subsidiaries in Italy (Blocktrade S.r.l.) and Slovenia (BlocktradeOperations OÜ) to provide services under EU legal frameworks.

ChangeNOW is operated by CHN Group LLC, registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with roots dating back to 2017 and additional administrative presence in the Netherlands. (Information compiled from official sources.)

Licenses/Registration

The platform is registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Slovenia, complying with EU anti-money laundering standards (AML5), and is actively preparing for broader MiCA (EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) compliance across its operations.

While it doesn’t hold specific exchange licenses or operate as a regulated VASP (Virtual Asset Service Provider) under frameworks like MiCA, ChangeNOW complies with global AML/KYC mandates by triggering identity checks when its risk engines flag transactions.

Custody

Blocktrade’s custodial framework combines in-house infrastructure, including cold and hot wallets, with partnerships for custody solutions; while specific percentages of cold storage or proof-of-reserve disclosures aren’t public, the system is regularly audited and backed by recognized security providers.

The platform is primarily non-custodial—users send and receive directly from their own wallets—but offers optional custodial service via ChangeNOW Pro Custody (a hot wallet model). It does not publicly share PoR, audit results, or precise cold storage ratios.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There is no explicit mention of an exchange-held insurance fund; however, asset security is enhanced through robust infrastructure and institutional-grade custodial practices—though no proprietary insurance or user fund protection scheme is publicly advertised.

There’s no public mention of insurance coverage or dedicated asset protection funds, though ChangeNOW demonstrates active anti-fraud and risk-response measures when unauthorized activity is detected or reported.

Incident History

Blocktrade has maintained a clean operational record with no reported hacks, platform suspensions, account freezes, or regulatory penalties, reflecting its emphasis on security and compliance.

ChangeNOW has a strong track record of catching suspicious transactions in real time—successfully halting and assisting recovery of funds in cases like SIM-swap thefts and phishing scams, working with law enforcement to return millions to victims.

Risk Controls

User accounts are safeguarded with mandatory 2FA, encrypted infrastructure, phishing-awareness measures, secure servers located in GDPR-compliant data centers, and API access governed by granular permission settings to mitigate unauthorized access.

The platform enforces automated AML checks, address whitelisting for Pro users, and KYC triggers as needed. However, it doesn’t offer typical user security features such as 2FA, sub-accounts, granular API permissions, or anti-phishing tools.

Transparency

Operational transparency includes audited infrastructure, GDPR-compliant data handling, and governance under EU regulations; although there are no regular public reports or service-level agreements (SLA) available, the platform emphasizes openness through its licensing disclosures and audit-ready security posture.

ChangeNOW publishes trust-focused updates—highlighting recovered funds and AML activity—but does not provide continuous transparency tools like public wallets, monthly reserve reports, or service-level agreements (SLAs).

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Blocktrade allows fiat deposits via EUR-only SEPA bank transfers and Visa/Mastercard card payments (including Apple Pay/Google Pay through the app). There’s a minimum trade threshold of around €10, but no official platform-imposed deposit minimums or maximum exposures are specified. SEPA transfers typically clear within 1–5 business days, while card deposits may occur almost instantly.

ChangeNOW facilitates fiat-to-crypto purchases through third-party partners such as Simplex, Transak, and Guardarian, enabling payment via Visa/MasterCard, Apple/Google Pay, SEPA, SWIFT, PIX, Revolut, and more. Minimum purchase amounts typically start around $50 (or equivalent), with no firm maximum on classic exchanges, and most transactions finalize within minutes though timing can vary by provider and method.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

There appear to be two user levels

ChangeNOW generally operates registration-free and KYC-free for smaller transactions, but it may prompt identity verification via its third-party partner if transactions are large or flagged. Completing KYC under the Pro tier unlocks higher transaction and withdrawal limits, rate advantages, and additional Pro features, with verification typically processed in minutes.

Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals follow a standard process

On-chain crypto withdrawals occur across supported networks—like ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, etc.—and are processed in real time based on network conditions; there are no preset withdrawal limits for classic exchanges, though Pro users may benefit from elevated thresholds.

Customer Support

Support is available via web/app chat for immediate issues, and a ticket/email system for detailed inquiries. The team operates Monday to Friday, 08

ChangeNOW offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and email/ticket systems, backed by a comprehensive help center. Response times are generally quick (particularly via live chat), and its self-help knowledge base covers most common topics—though dedicated response patience may vary depending on case complexity.

Languages & Localization

The platform uses English as its interface language, with all fees shown in EUR. While regulated in EU jurisdictions, there’s limited localization for non-European users, including lack of native support for other fiat currencies or region-specific compliance.

The platform supports multiple languages (around 15) and displays pricing in common fiat formats (€, $, etc.), offering localized experiences in many regions; however, availability of features and compliance may differ by jurisdiction.

App Quality & Stability

The mobile app presents a sleek, gamified interface and supports core functions like deposits, trading, and security features. With a moderate rating (around 2.9 on Google Play), there are mixed reviews—some citing stability issues or difficulty with deposits. Recent updates continue to evolve the app experience.

The ChangeNOW mobile apps are available on Android and iOS and deliver a streamlined experience for swaps; while formal crash-rate data isn’t public, user rankings are strong (around 4.7–4.8/5 on app stores), and the app receives regular updates to enhance performance and fix bugs.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Blocktrade’s interface is intuitive and engaging thanks to its gamified design featuring XP levels and avatars; while it doesn’t offer distinct “Lite” or “Pro” modes, the clean, mobile-first layout is accessible to both newcomers and seasoned users without overwhelming complexity.

The platform features a clean, intuitive interface ideal for beginners—swaps proceed in just a few clicks—while the Pro tier introduces a richer dashboard with transaction history, analytics, cashback tracking, and more advanced features tailored to power users

Performance

Performance tends to be smooth, with orders executing promptly under normal conditions; although during high-activity spikes the platform may encounter minor slowdowns, the streamlined onboarding helps minimize KYC bottlenecks even during bull markets.

ChangeNOW delivers near-instant swap execution thanks to its aggregator model, even during volatile periods; KYC processing within Pro remains efficient, and there’s no known backlog during bull-market surges.

Education

Blocktrade offers a friendly Academy with short beginner courses and articles that explain crypto basics; however, there’s no interactive demo or simulator, and content in Spanish is limited or absent at this time.

While there’s no formal academy or simulation tools, ChangeNOW provides educational articles (especially via its blog) covering topics like crypto strategy and security practices—though Spanish content appears limited

Community

The platform encourages community interaction via its official Telegram group, and has a referral program that rewards both parties for inviting friends—but it doesn’t currently run public forums or a Discord channel.

Community engagement centers around Telegram, Twitter Spaces AMAs, and blogs; additionally, ChangeNOW rewards referrals with customizable affiliate links offering commission—developers and partners can integrate swaps via widget, API, or bot for seamless referrals

Integrations

Blocktrade includes TradingView-powered charts and a public API, enabling integrations with external tools, but it lacks built-in support for bot setups, tax-reporting tools, or accounting features.

ChangeNOW offers a robust API with 99.99% uptime and sub-second response times, enabling integration into bots, widgets, or partner platforms; while there’s no native TradingView or tax tool, users can export swap history via CSV for external accounting or analytics

Who Each One Is Best For

Blocktrade shines for users who enjoy a playful, uncomplicated crypto experience with gamified rewards and a user-friendly app—but it may not appeal to advanced traders seeking sophisticated tools, educational depth, or broad ecosystem integrations.

The platform shines for users who seek fast, private, no-frills crypto swaps—regular users will appreciate the simplicity of the Lite experience, while frequent traders and businesses benefit from Pro’s added tools, cashback, loans, and AML features.