Cross-Chain Bridge Fee Calculator
Enter values to see fee estimates
People keep calling Swingby Skybridge a crypto exchange. It’s not. If you’re looking to buy Bitcoin, trade Ethereum, or swap tokens on a simple interface like Binance or Coinbase, you’ve got the wrong place. Swingby Skybridge is a cross-chain bridge - a behind-the-scenes tool that moves assets between blockchains without needing a middleman. That’s it. No trading. No order books. No wallet-to-wallet swaps you can click through on your phone.
So why does this matter? Because if you’re trying to move Bitcoin to Ethereum to earn yield in DeFi, most bridges force you to trust someone else with your coins. They lock your BTC, then mint a wrapped version (like WBTC) on Ethereum. That wrapped token is only as safe as the company holding your original Bitcoin. If they get hacked, go offline, or disappear - your money’s gone. Skybridge was built to fix that.
How Skybridge Works Without Trusting Anyone
Swingby Skybridge uses something called Metanodes. Think of them as a group of 50 to 100 independent computers spread across the world, each running software that helps move assets between chains. These nodes don’t hold your coins. They don’t control them. Instead, they use advanced cryptography - threshold signature schemes and multi-party computing - to jointly sign transactions. No single node can move your funds. You need at least 67% of them to agree. That’s what makes it trustless.
For example: You want to send 1 BTC from Bitcoin to Ethereum. You initiate the swap through Skybridge’s interface. Your BTC gets locked on the Bitcoin chain. The Metanodes verify the transaction, then collectively generate a signature to release an equivalent amount of BTC on Ethereum as a native token (not wrapped). The whole process happens without any custodian ever touching your private keys. You’re not trusting Swingby. You’re trusting math and distributed nodes.
What You Can Actually Do With Skybridge
Right now, Skybridge supports three blockchains: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Binance Chain. That means you can move:
- Bitcoin to Ethereum (for use in DeFi apps like Aave or Uniswap)
- Ethereum to Bitcoin (rare, but useful for holding ETH as a BTC-denominated asset)
- Bitcoin to Binance Chain (to access BSC-based DeFi or NFTs)
- Binance Chain to Ethereum (to move assets out of BSC into larger liquidity pools)
There’s no trading. No spot markets. No limit orders. You can’t buy SWINGBY to flip it. You can only use it to move assets across chains. That’s the entire purpose. It’s infrastructure, not a storefront.
The SWINGBY Token: Staking, Not Trading
The SWINGBY token isn’t meant to be a speculative asset. It’s a utility token for running Metanodes. To operate one, you need to stake SWINGBY tokens. In return, you earn fees from every cross-chain swap that passes through your node. It’s like mining, but instead of solving hashes, you’re helping validate cross-chain transfers.
As of December 2025, SWINGBY trades at around $0.0007855 on MEXC - the only exchange that lists it. That’s less than a tenth of a cent. Price predictions vary wildly: some say it could hit $0.00085 by year-end, others think it’ll stay below $0.0001. The reality? Liquidity is near zero. You won’t find it on CoinGecko. No major exchanges list it. Volume? Untracked. That’s not because it’s a scam - it’s because almost no one is using it.
Why Skybridge Isn’t Popular (Yet)
There are two big reasons Skybridge hasn’t taken off.
First, the competition is brutal. Wormhole processed over $14 billion in volume in Q2 2025. Chainlink CCIP and Polygon’s zkEVM bridges are backed by huge teams, institutional funding, and integrations with top DeFi protocols. Skybridge has none of that. It’s a small team with a clever idea, but no marketing budget, no partnerships, and no developer community.
Second, using it is hard. Setting up a Metanode requires Linux server knowledge, staking crypto, monitoring uptime, and understanding cryptographic security. It’s not for beginners. Most people who want to move Bitcoin to Ethereum just use a centralized bridge like Multichain or Ren. They don’t care about decentralization - they want speed and simplicity. Skybridge sacrifices both for security.
Even the documentation is sparse. No active GitHub. No Reddit community. No Discord server. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own.
Who Should Use Skybridge?
Only two kinds of people should consider it:
- Node operators who believe in decentralized infrastructure and are willing to stake SWINGBY, run a server, and earn small fees over time.
- Advanced DeFi users who refuse to use wrapped tokens and want true non-custodial Bitcoin on Ethereum - even if it’s slower and more complex.
If you’re a casual trader, a beginner, or someone who just wants to swap BTC for ETH in 30 seconds - skip it. Use a centralized bridge. It’s safer for you right now.
The Bigger Picture: Is Skybridge Still Relevant?
As of late 2025, Skybridge is on life support. It’s not dead - but it’s not growing either. The cross-chain bridge market is worth over $28 billion in total value locked. Skybridge’s share? Probably less than 0.01%. No major protocols integrate with it. No wallets support it natively. Even the SEC’s recent guidance on bridged assets doesn’t mention it - because it’s too small to matter.
Its only real advantage is being truly decentralized for Bitcoin bridging. Every other major bridge either uses custodians or relies on a small set of validators. Skybridge’s 50-100 node model is unique. But uniqueness doesn’t win markets. Liquidity, ease of use, and ecosystem support do.
If Swingby’s team doesn’t start building integrations with wallets, improving documentation, or attracting institutional node operators soon, Skybridge will fade into obscurity - another clever idea that never found its users.
Alternatives to Skybridge
If you want to move Bitcoin to Ethereum without wrapping it, here are your real options:
- Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) - Centralized, but simple. Backed by BitGo and trusted by most DeFi apps.
- renBTC - Decentralized, but still uses a custodial model with a multisig.
- Chainlink CCIP - Enterprise-grade, secure, and being adopted by major protocols.
- LayerZero - Fast, scalable, and integrated with 200+ chains and apps.
None of these are perfect. But they’re all used by millions. Skybridge? Not even by thousands.
Final Verdict
Swingby Skybridge isn’t a crypto exchange. It’s a niche, under-the-radar bridge for people who care more about decentralization than convenience. It’s technically impressive. It’s cryptographically sound. But it’s also abandoned.
Unless you’re a blockchain engineer with time to run a Metanode, or you’re deeply invested in the idea of trustless Bitcoin bridging, you should avoid it. The risks - low liquidity, no support, no updates - outweigh the benefits. There are better, safer, faster ways to move your assets between chains.
Swingby Skybridge might be a brilliant idea that came too early. Or it might be a dead end. Right now, it’s neither. It’s just… quiet.
Is Swingby Skybridge a crypto exchange?
No, Swingby Skybridge is not a crypto exchange. It doesn’t allow trading, buying, or selling of cryptocurrencies. It’s a cross-chain bridge that moves assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum between blockchains without custodians. You can’t trade SWINGBY tokens on it - you can only use the protocol to transfer assets.
Can I use Skybridge to move Bitcoin to Ethereum?
Yes, you can move Bitcoin to Ethereum using Skybridge. The protocol locks your BTC on the Bitcoin chain and releases an equivalent amount as a native token on Ethereum, without creating wrapped tokens like WBTC. This is done through a decentralized network of Metanodes that use threshold cryptography to validate the transfer.
Where can I buy SWINGBY tokens?
SWINGBY tokens are only listed on MEXC Exchange as of December 2025. There is no trading volume data available on CoinMarketCap or CoinGecko, and the token is not listed on any major exchanges. Liquidity is extremely low, and price movements are unpredictable.
Is Skybridge safe to use?
Technically, yes - it’s one of the most secure cross-chain bridges because it uses a decentralized network of 50-100 Metanodes and doesn’t rely on custodians. But safety also depends on usability. If you make a mistake during the transfer, there’s no customer support. No chat, no help desk. You’re on your own.
Why is Skybridge not tracked on CoinMarketCap?
CoinMarketCap lists Skybridge as ‘Untracked’ because it doesn’t meet their volume or liquidity requirements. There’s no significant trading activity, no exchange listings beyond MEXC, and no reliable data on transfers. Without measurable usage, it can’t be accurately tracked or ranked.
Can I run a Metanode and earn rewards?
Yes, you can run a Metanode by staking SWINGBY tokens. You’ll earn a share of the fees from every cross-chain transfer processed through your node. But it requires technical skills - Linux server setup, constant uptime monitoring, and understanding of cryptographic protocols. It’s not beginner-friendly, and there’s little community support if something goes wrong.
Is Skybridge better than Wormhole or Chainlink CCIP?
Skybridge is more decentralized than Wormhole or Chainlink CCIP when it comes to Bitcoin bridging, but it’s far less used. Wormhole and Chainlink handle billions in volume, integrate with hundreds of apps, and have professional support teams. Skybridge is a niche tool for a small group of users who prioritize decentralization over convenience. For most people, the bigger bridges are safer and easier.
Stanley Wong
So I’ve been running a Metanode for like six months now and honestly it’s been a quiet ride. No drama, no crashes, just steady fees rolling in like a slow tide. The setup was a pain-Linux config, firewall rules, keeping the node synced-but once it was up, it just hums along. I didn’t do it for the money, I did it because I hate custodians. WBTC feels like handing your keys to a stranger and hoping they don’t skip town. With Skybridge, I know my BTC never leaves my control. The token price is trash, sure, but that’s not the point. The point is the system works. And it works without needing to trust anyone. That’s rare.
Tom Van bergen
Skybridge isn't dead it's just too pure for this world everyone wants a fucking button to press and magic tokens to appear but real decentralization is messy and slow and boring and that's why it'll never win
Sandra Lee Beagan
I love how Skybridge is this quiet little gem tucked away in the corner of crypto... like that one indie bookstore that doesn't have an Instagram but has the best first editions. 🌿 It's not flashy, it doesn't have a TikTok campaign, but the tech? It's elegant. The threshold signatures, the distributed nodes-it's like cryptography poetry. I wish more people appreciated this kind of quiet innovation instead of chasing the next 1000x meme coin. Keep doing the work, Swingby team. Someone out here sees you.
Chris Jenny
EVERYTHING IS A SCAM!! THE METANODES ARE CONTROLLED BY THE FED!! THEY'RE USING YOUR BTC TO FUND BLACK OPERATIONS!! WHY ISN'T THIS ON COINGECKO?? BECAUSE THEY'RE HIDING IT!! THEY'RE USING SKYBRIDGE TO TRACK YOUR WALLET AND SELL YOUR DATA TO THE NSA!! I SAW A VIDEO ON 4CHAN!!
rita linda
Let’s be real-this isn’t ‘decentralized innovation.’ It’s a fringe project for people who think running a Linux server is a lifestyle choice. Meanwhile, Chainlink CCIP is being integrated into JPMorgan’s settlement layer and Polygon’s bridge is powering DeFi on 200+ chains. Skybridge is a hobbyist’s weekend project dressed up as ‘the future.’ If you’re not on the mainstage, you’re not relevant. This isn’t about tech-it’s about adoption. And adoption doesn’t happen in silos.
Martin Hansen
Anyone who thinks this is ‘better’ than WBTC is either a masochist or a crypto bro who thinks suffering = virtue. You want to ‘trust math’? Cool. Go ahead and wait 45 minutes for a transfer while paying $12 in BTC fees because your ‘trustless’ bridge has zero liquidity. Meanwhile, I just use WBTC on Aave and earn 6% APY while sipping my coffee. You’re not a pioneer-you’re just stubborn. The market doesn’t reward ideology. It rewards usability. And Skybridge? It’s a relic.
Lore Vanvliet
Okay but imagine if this was the ONLY way to move BTC to Ethereum and you got stuck halfway?? No Discord. No support. Just a silent server somewhere in Iceland. I’d have a panic attack. I’m not a dev. I just want to earn yield. Why is this even a thing? Why does anyone care about ‘trustless’ if it’s 10x slower and you’re on your own?? I don’t want to be a blockchain engineer. I want to be rich. 😭
Scott Sơn
This isn't a bridge-it's a cryptic zen koan wrapped in a Linux terminal. You don't 'use' Skybridge. You surrender to it. You meditate on the math. You whisper your private key into the void and hope the Metanodes nod in approval. It's not for money. It's for enlightenment. And if your BTC disappears? Well... that's just karma. 🕉️
Frank Cronin
Wow. Another ‘brilliant idea that came too early.’ That’s the excuse every failed project uses. You know what came earlier? Bitcoin. Ethereum. WBTC. Chainlink. And guess what? They’re still here. Skybridge isn’t ‘ahead of its time.’ It’s just behind the curve. And the curve is moving fast. You can’t out-cryptograph your way out of zero liquidity. This isn’t a tech problem-it’s a market problem. And the market says: ‘Go away.’
Ben VanDyk
The post is well written but you miss one key point: Skybridge doesn't have a wallet integration. No MetaMask, no Trust Wallet, no Phantom. If you can't swap from your main wallet in one click, nobody's gonna use it. It's not about complexity-it's about friction.
Krista Hewes
i just tried to use it once and got lost in the docs and then my tx just... hung? and i had no idea what to do. i felt so dumb. like why am i even trying to be a crypto wizard? i just wanna buy some eth with my btc. why does it have to be so hard? 😭
Josh Rivera
So let me get this straight: you’re proud of a bridge that’s slower than dial-up, has less liquidity than a puddle, and requires you to be a sysadmin just to move BTC to ETH? Congrats. You’ve invented the crypto equivalent of a rotary phone. The world moved on. Your ‘trustless’ system is just a monument to over-engineering. Meanwhile, real people are earning yield on CCIP. You’re still staring at your terminal wondering why no one cares.
Neal Schechter
For anyone thinking about running a Metanode: the fees are tiny right now-like $0.50 per swap-but if you run 5 nodes and they’re all online 99.9% of the time, you’re looking at $15–20/month. Not life-changing, but passive income with zero counterparty risk. The real value? You’re helping secure a truly decentralized bridge. That’s worth more than the token price. Also, join the Discord-yes, it exists, it’s just private. DM the team on Twitter if you want access.
Madison Agado
There’s a quiet beauty in systems that don’t need to be loud to be right. Skybridge doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t need to. It just works-when you’re ready for it. Most people want speed. But speed without sovereignty is just another kind of control. Maybe Skybridge isn’t for now. But maybe it’s for when the world finally realizes that trustless isn’t a buzzword-it’s a necessity.
jonathan dunlow
Look-I get it. You think this is ‘the future.’ But the future doesn’t live in terminal windows and staking contracts. The future lives in wallets, in apps, in one-click swaps. If you want to change the game, stop talking about Metanodes and start building integrations. Make it easy for DeFi protocols to plug in. Make it visible on CoinGecko. Make it so even your grandma can use it. Otherwise, you’re just preaching to the choir. And the choir is tiny. You’ve got the tech. Now go get the users.
Mariam Almatrook
While I appreciate the theoretical elegance of threshold signature schemes and the philosophical underpinnings of non-custodial asset transfer, one must acknowledge the empirical reality: the absence of measurable market traction, institutional adoption, and developer engagement renders this endeavor functionally inert within the current economic ecosystem. The market, as an emergent phenomenon, does not reward virtue in isolation. It rewards liquidity, scalability, and network effects. Skybridge, in its current state, exhibits none of these. Therefore, its continued existence is not a testament to innovation, but rather an artifact of ideological persistence in the face of market indifference.