Polkaswap
Polkaswap fees combine trading charges with XOR network costs
Polkaswap fees include trading charges and SORA network costs, with network fees denominated in XOR. The amount payable depends on the operation and selected liquidity source. A swap quote, order-placement charge and liquidity change need separate cost assessments, while eligible swaps into XOR can deduct fees from their output.
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The short version: Pool fees fund PSWAP rewards, while the separate XOR network charge pays for SORA transaction processing.
Pool trading charges alongside SORA network fees
Pool trading charges and network fees pay for different parts of an exchange. The pool charge supports liquidity provision through the PSWAP reward mechanism. SORA charges for processing the transaction under its network fee rules. These components can both appear in the cost of a swap, so a trading percentage alone does not describe the total payment.
The network charge in XOR
An XOR network fee belongs to the selected transaction. Swapping tokens and changing a liquidity position perform different operations, so their displayed charges need separate consideration. A fiat estimate also depends on the value assigned to XOR when the interface calculates it. An unchanged XOR charge can therefore have a different fiat equivalent. The amount shown in the signing details concerns that transaction, rather than a permanent price for every operation.
Network parameters can change through governance, so one remembered fee amount cannot price every future transaction.
Charges within a routed swap
A routed swap can contain several exchanges through intermediate assets. The liquidity proxy combines fees from those exchanges into its result. Applying one pool-level percentage to the original input can miss fees elsewhere along the complete route. Read the fee alongside the quoted input and output amounts, including whether the calculation already incorporates it.
Comparable quotes use the same asset identities, direction and amount. A lower displayed fee does not establish a better exchange if its quote delivers fewer destination tokens. Keep the network charge in view as well, and avoid subtracting a fee twice when the output already reflects that deduction.
Charges across Polkaswap operations
Polkaswap operations have different fee relationships, even when they involve the same assets. A pool swap exchanges tokens, while adding liquidity contributes assets to a constant-product (XYK) pool. Order placement and cancellation also have different charging rules. The fee shown for one action does not establish the cost of another action.
Polkaswap fees: XOR Pays for Network Transactions
- Pool trading charges alongside SORA network fees
- Charges across Polkaswap operations
- Fee deductions from received XOR
| Operation | Charge to assess | What it relates to | Required condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool swap | Quoted pool fee and XOR network fee | Token exchange and SORA processing | An available route with sufficient liquidity |
| TBC swap | Quoted exchange fee and XOR network fee | Exchange through the token bonding curve | Eligible assets and available curve liquidity |
| Limit-order placement | Displayed placement charge | Submitting a trading instruction | The book permits order placement |
| Limit-order cancellation | No cancellation fee | Cancelling an open order | The book permits cancellation |
| Adding XYK liquidity | XOR network fee and any displayed liquidity-provider charge | Increasing a pool position | The deposit meets the pool’s asset ratio |
| Removing XYK liquidity | XOR network fee and any displayed liquidity-provider charge | Withdrawing assets against a pool share | The account holds a share in that pool |
| Cost comparison | Use the charge for the selected operation; its availability conditions still apply. | ||
An order book in Stop status freezes existing limit orders and prevents users from cancelling them. Likewise, a quoted placement charge does not establish a market capable of matching an order.
Fee deductions from received XOR
An eligible swap into XOR can deduct fees from the received XOR. This allows the supported exchange without a pre-existing XOR balance, provided its proceeds cover the applicable charge. The deduction reduces the XOR left after payment. It does not establish the same payment method for a swap receiving another token, a liquidity deposit or an unrelated SORA transaction.
Price impact and slippage beside explicit fees
Price impact changes the exchange rate as a trade uses available liquidity, affecting the value received beyond explicit charges. Slippage tolerance sets the acceptable unfavorable movement between the quote and execution. A swap reverts when adverse movement exceeds that tolerance. Raising it permits a worse execution price within the wider limit; it does not lower the trading fee. Compare destination-token output as well as the charge, because a low fee cannot compensate automatically for an unfavorable exchange rate.
Pool-fee income and PSWAP reward entitlement
Pool-fee distributions reward supplied liquidity, while strategic bonuses create separate reward entitlements with their own vesting conditions.
Income attached to a pool share
The pool-fee mechanism converts fees into PSWAP, burns those tokens and remints a portion for reward distributions. The reminted PSWAP goes to liquidity providers, the SORA Parliament and strategic bonus vesting. Liquidity providers earn pool-fee rewards in proportion to their share of the pool. Trading activity determines the fee income the pool can generate. Relative token-price changes also affect a pool position’s value, so fee income alone cannot establish the return from supplying liquidity. A position can be worth less than holding the deposited assets outside the pool.
Bonus vesting and claimable balances
Strategic bonus rewards have vesting rules separate from ordinary pool-fee distributions. Their vesting speed depends on PSWAP burned through Polkaswap usage fees. An accrued entitlement can therefore exceed the amount available to claim. Farming bonuses and eligible TBC purchases also have their own reward conditions. Treating these entitlements as an immediate refund overstates how much they offset a transaction charge payable now.
Bridge costs outside the SORA swap quote
Cross-chain access adds a transfer-cost question when the assets for a trade are still on another network. HASHI connects SORA with supported external networks through available bridge routes. The selected asset, transfer direction and route determine the applicable transfer requirements. Costs on an external network sit outside a SORA swap quote, so the XOR network charge for the eventual trade cannot describe the entire cross-chain cost.
An asset already available for trading on SORA does not need another bridge transfer for that exchange. When a planned route includes moving assets into or out of SORA, assess its transfer charges separately. Availability of a bridge route does not establish liquidity for the subsequent trade.
Still have questions?
How should I compare Polkaswap costs when I need a fixed output amount?
Compare the required input for the same destination asset and quantity, together with the applicable network charge. A quote for a chosen output answers a different question from a quote for spending a chosen input. Preserve that basis across alternatives and account for fees already included in the quoted amounts.
Does paying a Polkaswap order-placement fee guarantee a fill?
Paying an order-placement fee does not guarantee a matching trade. An accepted limit order specifies the price at which the participant wants to trade, and execution requires compatible opposing orders. Its lifespan and the order book’s status also constrain matching.
Is the liquidity I deposit an additional Polkaswap fee?
Assets contributed to an XYK pool form a liquidity position, separate from the charges for making that contribution. The provider receives a share representing a proportional claim on pool assets. Removing liquidity reduces that share. Price changes can alter the assets recoverable through it, so the position is also distinct from a fixed refundable fee.
Can a referral reward reduce the fee deducted from my own swap?
The referral reward goes to the referrer as a share of the referred account’s network fees. It is a payment to that recipient, rather than a fee deduction credited to the referred trader. The program credits referral rewards directly to the referrer’s XOR balance under its reward rules.
Why can a small swap have a higher network cost relative to its value?
For the same quoted XOR network charge, a smaller trade bears a larger processing cost relative to its value. A transaction charge and a percentage of exchanged value use different calculation bases. Compare them in a consistent value unit before combining costs, without assuming every transaction carries the same network charge.
Are market-maker rebates an active discount on Polkaswap fees?
The market-maker reward category is inactive and should not count as an active rebate in a cost comparison. Historical reward descriptions do not establish a discount payable on a new trade. Pool-fee income, eligible farming bonuses and TBC reward entitlements concern other activities and have their own conditions.