How to Compare Affiliate-Free Swap Routes
Compare affiliate-free routes by the amount that reaches your wallet. A route with no affiliate charge can still cost more overall if its exchange rate, network fees or price impact are worse.
A cross-chain aggregator compares ways to swap assets on different blockchains and estimates what each route will deliver. If you are weighing a one-off transfer against a regular business payment, how thor swap handles treasury transfers matters because the best route can depend on whether you value repeatable records or a slightly higher payout.
An affiliate-free route removes one possible charge
An affiliate-free route pays no referral or service cut to the interface or partner that sent the swap. That can leave more of your input for the exchange, but it does not remove pool fees, price impact or the fees charged by the sending and receiving blockchains.
Imagine swapping $1,000 of one asset for another. Route A has no affiliate fee and estimates $990 worth of output after its other costs. It is not automatically the better choice: a route with better exchange rates might still pay you more after its affiliate fee.
“Affiliate” means a partner that receives a cut for bringing in a trade. A basis point is one hundredth of a percent, so 30 basis points equals 0.30%. If a fee is charged on $1,000, that rate is about $3, though the quote should show the fee’s actual amount and currency.
An affiliate-paid route can still deliver more
An affiliate-paid route includes a cut for an interface, wallet or other partner. It may suit you when that route has a stronger exchange rate or lower network costs, and its final output is higher after every charge.
For example, Route B might estimate $994 of output before a 0.30% affiliate fee, or about $2.98 on a $1,000 input. If its other costs are already included, the result is about $991.02. That beats Route A’s $990, despite the affiliate fee.
Do not subtract the fee twice if the quote already includes it. On thor swap, check the selected route’s fee details and estimated output; the published fee schedule separates the service charge from network costs. A route quote can also expire, so refresh it before signing.
The final output is the useful comparison
Compare the estimated amount you will receive in the same destination asset, after all listed fees. “Net output” means that final amount, with applicable charges taken off. The quote’s fee breakdown should help show whether an affiliate cut, pool charge, or network fee is included.
Price impact is the change in the exchange rate caused by your trade size. A bigger trade can move the pool price more, so the route with the best small-trade rate may pay less for your amount. Network fees can also be large compared with a small swap, especially when the route needs transactions on two chains.
The quote fields described in the Swap Quote API distinguish expected output from itemized costs. Use the quote shown for your chosen route, not a token price from a separate screen. The THORSwap fee schedule also distinguishes its exchange fee from chain network costs; those fees are not interchangeable.
Before you sign, check the asset and chain names, the destination address, the final output and the quote’s expiry. Pay attention to the minimum received amount, if shown: it sets a floor, and a trade that falls below it may fail or be refunded with costs still incurred.
Two checks answer common follow-up questions
Does affiliate-free mean fee-free?
No. It means that the route does not include an affiliate cut. The swap can still incur liquidity or pool fees, price impact, and fees for sending assets on the source and destination chains. Compare the final estimated output and the full fee breakdown. The affiliate label alone does not tell you which route is cheaper.
What if the affiliate-free route has lower output?
Choose based on the final output and the trade details, not on the fee label. Confirm the destination asset, network costs, minimum received amount and quote expiry. If the difference is small, refresh both quotes before signing; prices and network fees can change while you compare them.
- Compare routes for the same input amount and destination asset.
- Check whether the affiliate fee is already included in each quote.
- Choose using final output, then confirm the address and minimum received amount.