Use SyncSwap when you want to trade tokens from your own wallet on a supported network, or deposit a token pair to earn a share of trading fees. SyncSwap routes trades through liquidity pools; check the network, token, quoted output and gas before signing. SyncSwap pools cannot pull funds from another network, so your tokens must already be where you plan to trade.
Key points
- A swap exchanges tokens in your wallet; providing liquidity gives you a share of a pool.
- The quoted output matters more than the headline token price because pool depth and fees affect what you receive.
- Keep enough ETH on the selected network for gas, including a possible token approval.
What does the exchange do?
It uses an automated market maker: a pool holds two tokens, and a pricing rule determines how much of one token you receive for the other. You trade against that pool rather than waiting for another person to accept an order. Liquidity providers deposit the tokens that make those trades possible and receive LP tokens representing their share.
First, connect a wallet and select a supported network, such as zkSync Era, Linea or Scroll. Balances on SyncSwap supported chains are separate: ETH on Ethereum mainnet will not appear as spendable ETH on Linea. If your funds are elsewhere, move them to your chosen network before trading, and allow for any transfer or bridge cost.
Check these four things in your wallet before you start:
- The network: it must match the one selected in the exchange.
- The token: verify its contract address when several tokens share a name or symbol.
- The amount: leave some ETH for network fees instead of swapping your entire balance.
- The destination: decide whether you want a token from a swap or a share of a liquidity pool.
How do you make your first swap?
Select the token to spend, the token to receive and the amount; then review the quote before approving anything. A SyncSwap quote shows an expected output based on the available route. The trade may pass through more than one pool if that produces a better result, so judge the final amount you receive rather than assuming every trade uses one direct pair.
- Enter a small amount and check that the receiving token is the one you intended, including its network and contract address.
- Compare the expected output, pool fee, price impact and minimum received. Price impact is the change your own trade causes in the pool’s rate; slippage is the further movement you permit before the transaction completes.
- If prompted, approve the spending token. An approval gives the contract permission to use that token, and it may be a separate transaction with its own gas cost.
- Review the transaction in your wallet, confirm it, and wait for the network result before checking your new balance.
For example, say a Classic Pool holds 100 ETH and 200,000 USDC. Selling 1 ETH would return about 1,980 USDC before fees, even though the starting pool ratio suggests 2,000 USDC per ETH: your trade changes the pool balances as it executes. With an illustrative 0.1% pool fee, the output is about 1,978 USDC. A larger sale into the same pool gets a worse average rate, so reduce the size or reconsider the trade if the quote is far below the price you expected.
What happens when you provide liquidity?
You deposit assets into a pool and receive LP tokens that track your share of its changing balances. In a Classic Pool, the two deposit amounts generally follow the pool’s current value ratio. If you hold only one of the required tokens, acquiring the other first may involve another swap and its costs.
To begin, choose a pair whose two assets you are willing to hold, enter the deposit amounts, review the pool share and approve each token if required. Then confirm the deposit and check that your position appears. SyncSwap liquidity pools can also have different pricing rules: a Classic Pool is designed for assets whose relative prices can move substantially, while a stable pool is intended for assets expected to stay close in value.
Trading fees can increase the value of your position, but the pool does not preserve the quantities you deposited. As traders exchange its assets, your share contains more of one and less of the other. If one asset doubles in price in a balanced Classic Pool, the position is roughly 5.7% below simply holding the original tokens before earned fees. This difference, called impermanent loss, is the main test for whether the fee income is worth the exposure.
What will it cost, and how do you exit?
Your costs are the pool’s trading fee when you swap, any price impact, and network gas for each transaction you make. The pool and trade direction can affect the fee; network activity and transaction complexity affect gas. Check the live quote and wallet estimate, including any separate approval, instead of relying on a fixed cost.
To leave a liquidity position, open it, choose how much to remove and review the assets you will receive. Withdrawing both pool tokens gives you your share of their current balances. If you choose a single-token withdrawal, the contract also swaps one side into the other, which can add a trading fee and price impact. For a large position or a shallow pool, compare that result with withdrawing both assets and making a separate trade.
What should you check after the transaction?
Check the completed transaction and your wallet balances on the same network you used. If the result differs from what you expected, these four questions usually identify why.
Why did I receive less than the quoted amount?
The quote was an estimate at the time you viewed it. Pool balances can change before your transaction executes, while your slippage setting determines the lowest output you agreed to accept. Compare the transaction’s actual output with its minimum received. If the result is below the minimum, the swap should fail, although you may still pay gas for the attempt.
Why does my wallet show no balance for the token?
First check that your wallet is showing the network where the swap occurred. If it is, some wallets need you to add the token’s contract address before they display its balance. Use the address from the completed transaction or a trusted token source; a matching symbol alone does not establish that you found the right token.
Can one swap move my tokens to another network?
An ordinary pool swap trades tokens on the network selected for that transaction. It does not move the result to another network. If you need the tokens elsewhere, check the destination network and use a suitable transfer or bridge afterward. That is a separate action with its own time, fees and risks.
Do I have to provide liquidity to make a swap?
No. Other users supply the pools you trade against, and you can simply connect your wallet, review a quote and swap. Providing liquidity is a separate decision that exposes you to both pool assets and their changing mix. For a first visit, I would make a small swap, verify the result in my wallet, and consider a pool deposit only after comparing its fees with the risk of holding that pair.