US bitcoin-only brokerage with zero-fee recurring buys, phone support and full proof of reserves.
DCA-first bitcoin-only platform with 0.99 percent fees, automatic withdrawals to self-custody and Bitcoin IRA options.
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 against 4.4 for Swan Bitcoin.
Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.
| Fact | River | Swan Bitcoin |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.6 (favoured on this row) | 4.4 |
| Published fees | Free recurring, 1.2% one-off | About 0.99% per purchase |
| Maker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Taker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | Yes | Yes |
| Payment rails supported | 2 | 2 |
| Countries ranked in | 1 | 1 |
| Ranks first in | 0 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 9 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-08-26 | No record on file |
| Founded | 2019 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, US | Not stated |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-12 | 2026-08-12 |
Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
| Country | Status | River ranks | Swan Bitcoin ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Legal | #4 | #5 |
Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. 1 of the 2 carry no dated record on our reviews yet.
Licensed in more than 40 US jurisdictions under NMLS 1906809, but not New York
August proof of reserves shows 31,581 BTC held against 31,407 BTC owed
A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 against 4.4 for Swan Bitcoin. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.
River: Free recurring, 1.2% one-off. Swan Bitcoin: About 0.99% per purchase. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.
Both are ranked in our guides for United States. River is ranked in 1 countries in all and Swan Bitcoin in 1; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
River carries 2 incidents among 9 dated events, the latest on 2026-05-03: A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days. Swan Bitcoin carries no dated security record on our review yet, a gap in our records rather than a clean bill. Both reviews list every event with its source.
River: required. Swan Bitcoin: required.
The full reviews: River and Swan Bitcoin, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head River or Swan Bitcoin appears in.
United States