Quickstart

OpenSwap is a free, open-source command-line tool that swaps crypto across 30+ blockchains — Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and most major chains. You don't create an account, you don't connect a wallet, and the tool never touches your private keys. This page takes you from nothing to your first swap in about two minutes.

Run it

If you have Node.js 20 or newer, you already have everything you need:

npx openswap@latest

That opens a simple menu. If you'd rather install it properly:

npm install -g openswap
openswap doctor

doctor checks that your terminal, credentials, and connection are all working. Either way, the tool works immediately — a free community key is built in, so there is nothing to sign up for.

Get your first quote

A quote compares prices across every available route and costs nothing. It's read-only — no wallet, no risk:

openswap quote -a 100 -f arb:USDC -t btc:BTC

That means: "quote 100 USDC on Arbitrum into native Bitcoin." Prices stream in live from every provider (Chainflip, THORChain, Maya, NEAR, Relay, and more) and are sorted by what you'd actually receive after fees.

You can name assets almost any way that feels natural: USDC (the tool asks which network), usdc on base, base:USDC, or the fully precise CHAIN.SYMBOL-ADDRESS form.

Here's what a quote looks like when you pipe it to a script — real output from a real run:

protocol	expected_receive	usd	fees_usd	eta_seconds
rango	0.00150716	99.47	0.4698	30
relay	0.00150625	99.41	0.5298	8
near	0.00150247	99.16	0.7797	45
chainflip	0.00150216	99.14	0.7997	90

Make your first swap

openswap swap -a 100 -f arb:USDC -t btc:BTC

The tool walks you through it step by step:

Pick a route from the live list.
Enter the destination address — where you want the swapped funds sent.
Enter the address you'll pay from. This also becomes your refund

address, so if anything fails, funds come back to you.

Review everything and type SWAP to confirm.
Pay the deposit address from any wallet you already use — scan the QR

code the terminal shows, or copy the address. Your wallet does the paying; OpenSwap never holds your money.

Before the payment screen even appears, the swap is saved to a receipt on your machine. That means you can close the terminal at any point and nothing is lost:

openswap resume          # picks up your latest swap and keeps watching it
openswap history         # every swap you've ever made from this machine

Want to practice first?

openswap tour walks you through a complete swap in two minutes with real prices and a clearly simulated payment — nothing real can move. There's also a full sandbox: see Test mode.

Where to next

Command reference — every command and flag on one page
Keys, fees & founding keys — what swaps cost and how to pay less
Security & custody — why this is safe