ChangeHero vs StealthEX: Review and Comparison

The instant exchange platform market has a lot to offer, which makes choosing arguably more difficult. Sometimes, it is not too clear what even are the differences between two platforms: take ChangeHero and StealthEX, for example. This comparison review aims to do exactly that: give an unbiased look into the two platforms to find what exactly sets them apart and who are the target audiences.

ChangeHero vs StealthEX Quick Summary

• Out of these comparisons so far, ChangeHero and StealthEX demonstrate the least amount of differences: they have a similarly long track record, work in similar ways and share largely the same policies when it comes to things like AML/CTF and therefore, KYC procedures.
• Among all reviewed competitors so far, the longest list of supported assets is on StealthEX. It claims to offer nearly 2 thousand coins and tokens for exchange, with the actual number not being too far off.
• A test transaction corroborated the impression of two platforms being similar. In an identical exchange of 30 USDT to Ethereum, the time elapsed and exchange rates were very close to each other. Nevertheless, ChangeHero has shown better results in that particular case.

Competitive Edge

It seems worth it to start with the main features both services highlight to set themselves apart from the competition, considering how similar instant exchanges usually are. Whether you use ChangeHero or StealthEX, you are supposed to specify a cryptocurrency pair and amounts, send the chosen amount for exchange, and the service sends the exchanged cryptocurrency back, all without registration or obligatory identity checks.

One feature appears in StealthEX boilerplates the most consistently: asset selection. According to them, by 2026, the list has over 2,000 coins and tokens for crypto-to-crypto exchanges and purchases with fiat currencies. Other frequently mentioned features include user-friendliness and non-custodial security.

ChangeHero has a more modest list of assets to choose from but their focus is on speed and rate optimisation. As we will see later, at least for a test transaction this turned out to be true, although by a small margin. In terms of user experience, privacy and security policies, and all other benefits, save for a mobile app, both platforms demonstrate a significant overlap.

Reputation

If operational transparency is a factor for you, here is where stark differences between the two services continue. Herofintechs Ltd., the company behind ChangeHero, is based in Costa Rica and launched the service in 2018. A legal entity that operates StealthEX, according to its legal documents, is 3-102-939930 SRL, with no explicit mention of a jurisdiction it is based from. The date of establishment is similarly not immediately clear, although their blogs go back to at least 2019 and articles they sponsored mention 2018 as the year of launch.

A Web search with Google returns 195 thousand mentions of ChangeHero, which is considerably lower than in previous reviews. The jump makes it harder to draw reliable conclusions on brand visibility, although in isolation, this is evidence of this platform being less widely known in comparison to StealthEX, which is found 476 thousand times, more consistent with our previous findings.

Coin & Token Selection

ChangeHero’s website advertises 400+ supported assets across different blockchain networks. A check in the web calculator showed 292 available coins and tokens to exchange into with the Best Rate at the time of writing. As for fiat-to-crypto purchases, there are currently 126 cryptocurrencies to buy; selling is supported for 31 coins.

This positively pales in comparison to over 2,000 coins and tokens on the StealthEX asset page, some of which were not available. The real numbers look to be closer to 1,400 for exchange and 350 for buying, which is still impressive. Selling seems to not be supported on StealthEX at all, though.

Interface and UX

Despite different layouts on the first screen of a home page, both StealthEX and ChangeHero display the calculator widget first and foremost. Crypto swaps and fiat transactions are separated by tabs, and floating and fixed rate modes are switched with a toggle by the field with the amount to be received.

Some users may appreciate a switch for light and dark modes on StealthEX. In general, the site is very light on visual content, which makes it load faster. Granted, the calculator and rates were refreshing more promptly on ChangeHero.

Similarly to home pages, the transaction pages were nearly analogous, save for minor differences in layout: a screen to provide order details, a screen to make the crypto transfer with addresses displayed in various formats for convenience, and the status page tracking the exchange after the fact. Notably, the StealthEX page is laid out so that the user can scroll down just a bit and get a Frequently Asked Questions block for quick troubleshooting. Regardless, the support chat widget is consistently present at all times on both websites.

Hands-On Crypto Swap Comparison on ChangeHero and StealthEX

Throughout the process, the swap on ChangeHero was a step ahead compared to the same transaction on StealthEX. This could have happened due to the initial transfers ending up in different blocks, despite them being sent within seconds from each other. Regardless, there was no meaningful difference between the network fees involved in both transactions due to them taking place in the same conditions. Therefore, the difference in total costs comes down to other fees: services’ commissions and exchange rates.

As in the previous comparisons, we opted for the floating exchange rate options, and in both estimated rate and final result, ChangeHero provided a better rate, if only by a slight margin.

Overall, the results were really close: the time was no more than a dozen seconds off, and the difference in both estimated and actual results was no more than $0.10. It is worth keeping in mind that the testing amount was close to minimal, as you do when using a new service for the first time. However, these small differences can translate to more substantial sums once larger amounts are involved.

Fee and Rate Transparency

ChangeHero states in several places on the website, mostly in FAQ sections, that they take a 0.5% service commission on Best (floating) Rate exchanges. Some of these answers mention that FIxed Rate has a higher, 0.7% fee, and some don’t. As we have seen from the hands-on swap, this is not the full extent of costs that are going to be associated with your transaction.

On the other hand, StealthEX avoids naming exact percentages altogether in FAQ sections but does mention in the Terms of service that the service commission is 0.4%. What’s more, the terms also specify that it is taken from the initial transfer (might be obvious but it is a plus for transparency) but then mention that they take no obligation to inform users about it (an immediate transparency minus in our books). Despite the service commission being lower, the spread in our test exchange still ended up higher when using StealthEX.

Security & KYC Policies

Comparing the legal terms and Privacy Policies of the platforms in particular, StealthEX appears to lean more heavily into compliance with GDPR and have more extensive explanations of user data usage. ChangeHero’s texts are more lean and less formalized in comparison, providing guidance on steps to take to govern one’s data, which some users might appreciate.

As for the KYC procedures, since both platforms are similar in design and user experience, they apply similar flagging models. If a transaction meets criteria that make it suspicious according to the security system, with triggers ranging from on-chain or IP obfuscation to transaction patterns, the exchange is paused and the user is requested to undergo a “know-your-customer” (KYC) procedure. A 2024 article on the StealthEX blog describes what follows as a manual review, while a more recent article by ChangeHero specifies they use a third-party provider with AI-powered liveness checks and a more streamlined and expedited procedure. If either platform is in possession of information from authorized sources that the funds may be involved in illicit activity, the refund without KYC is no longer an option.

The Verdict

When comparing services or products appearing so alike, the differences become that much more pronounced. Do you value flexibility in your portfolio? StealthEX with its extensive asset support might be your go-to. Or do you prefer efficiency? Then give ChangeHero a try.

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