PulseSwap - a multi-chain DEX aggregator that routes your trade for the best payout
PulseSwap
Aggregator of aggregators - 17+ chains, zero platform fees
PulseSwap is a non-custodial multi-chain decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator. It checks multiple liquidity sources at the same time and routes each trade for the best payout. On PulseChain, the home chain, the fan-out is local: PulseSwap asks the on-chain DEXes directly. Off PulseChain, it asks partner aggregators. Either way, the wallet settles the winning route, and PulseSwap never holds the funds.
The short version: PulseSwap scans 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators simultaneously across 17+ blockchains, picks the path that returns the most output for your swap, and settles it straight from your personal wallet. There is no account, no custody, and no hidden platform markup on top.
This paper keeps the detail from the first PulseSwap write-up - what "aggregator of aggregators" means, how a quote is chosen, the swap card, the bridge tab, and how PulseSwap sits next to PulseX, Piteas, and the official PulseChain bridge - and adds the multi-chain framing, the zero-fee position, and a step-by-step guide you can follow for your own trade.
What PulseSwap is, and what it asks for
A single DEX quotes its own pools. An aggregator quotes many venues and returns one route. PulseSwap does both of those jobs and a third: it also asks other aggregators, then keeps whichever answer pays more after the comparison. That is what makes it an aggregator of aggregators. If a partner aggregator wins, the fill matches that source. If a direct pool wins, the fill beats the aggregators that were asked.
On PulseChain the fan-out is local. The app asks PulseX V1, PulseX V2, PulseX Stable, 9inch v2, 9inch v3, 9mm v2, 9mm v3, Phux, 0xTide, Piteas, and PulseSwap's own mixed route. That set is what the docs describe as reaching more than 18,000 funded pools. Off PulseChain there is no PulseSwap router. Quotes come from partners - 1inch, 0x / Matcha, KyberSwap, and ParaSwap - and coverage is not the same on every chain. Counting every venue the partner aggregators reach, PulseSwap effectively scans 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators in a single request.
- Swap is the quote list and the signed trade.
- Tokens, stats, and bubbles are PulseChain price views, with a swap on the row or the bubble.
- Bridge is a separate tab for USDC, not the official PulseChain bridge.
- Non-custodial means the wallet holds the assets before and after.
How PulseSwap works
PulseSwap is a non-custodial multi-chain DEX aggregator that checks multiple liquidity sources and routes trades for the best payout. The flow is the same on every chain: send one request, get many answers, settle the winner from your own wallet.
- Aggregator of aggregators. PulseSwap scans 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators simultaneously. On PulseChain that means the local DEXes plus Piteas; on the other chains it means the partner aggregators and every venue they reach.
- Best rate routing. Each answer comes back with an output amount and a gas estimate. PulseSwap automatically selects the path offering the highest output for your swap. The ranking stays on screen, so you can check it and sign a lower row if you disagree with the winner.
- Non-custodial execution. Trades settle directly from your personal wallet to a router. The platform never holds your funds between the two sides of the trade - the wallet holds the assets before and after.
- Zero platform fees. PulseSwap does not charge additional hidden markup fees on swaps. A transparent 0.25% convenience fee is documented and shown separately from the DEX fee inside the route and from gas; there is no extra platform markup on top of that.
- Multi-chain support. PulseSwap operates across 17+ blockchains, including PulseChain, Ethereum, and Arbitrum, plus Base, BSC, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche, Sonic, and Unichain. The live list is the app's chain picker.
The comparison is for that size, not a mid-market ticker. A pool that looks best at a small amount can lose once price impact shows up. Slippage is still your bound. If the chain moves between the quote and inclusion, the transaction reverts instead of filling through the limit.
| PulseChain | The other 16+ chains |
|---|---|
| PulseSwap router plus the local DEXes and Piteas | Partner aggregators only |
| Chain ID 369, gas in PLS | Gas in that chain's native token |
| Any token you can paste an address for | Whatever those aggregators will quote |
| 0.25% convenience fee, no platform markup | 0.25% convenience fee, no platform markup |
Swap, market views, and the bridge tab
The swap card is the product. You pay, you receive, a route list, then connect and sign. Percent buttons size the sell from the wallet balance. The route list is the part worth reading: which venue won, and what the others would have paid. A ticker is not an identity. Paste the contract if the name is ambiguous.
Tokens, the stats board, and the bubble chart are PulseChain market views - price, change, volume, liquidity - drawn so a row or a bubble can open a swap. They are not a second exchange. Developers get a widget iframe, a quote API, and a TypeScript SDK that returns the transaction to sign. Quotes can be fetched with no wallet attached.
The bridge tab moves USDC with Hyperlane warp routes between PulseChain and six other chains: Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, and Avalanche. What lands on PulseChain is hUSDC, not the USDC you would receive from the official bridge. The amount is one for one. Gas is quoted on top, origin and destination, and it is not taken out of the USDC. The official bridge at bridge.pulsechain.com is a different system. It is the Ethereum route, including ether itself, and a transfer started on one cannot be finished on the other.
- Route list shows the winner and the losers.
- 0.25% is the documented convenience fee on swaps; no hidden platform markup on top.
- hUSDC is the bridge receipt on PulseChain.
- PLS is still required for the next PulseChain transaction after a bridge.
A step-by-step guide for your specific trade
PulseSwap works the same way on every chain, so the steps below apply whether you are on PulseChain, Ethereum, Arbitrum, or any of the 17+ supported networks. If you want a guide tuned to your exact trade, note two things - which blockchain network you are using, and which tokens you want to swap - and the same steps map directly onto it.
- Pick the chain. Open the swap and select your network from the chain picker. For PulseChain, add network 369 if the wallet does not have it; gas is PLS. For Ethereum, Arbitrum, and the rest, gas is that chain's native token.
- Set the pair and the size. Choose the input and output tokens, and enter the amount. Paste a contract when the ticker is crowded - a name is not an identity. Read the route list and the amount you receive.
- Read the route list. PulseSwap has already scanned 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators. The winning row is the path offering the highest output; the rows below it are what the other sources would have paid. You can sign a lower row if you prefer it.
- Connect only to sign. Quotes do not need a wallet. When you are ready, connect and approve the input token for the spender shown. Slippage is your bound.
- Sign and settle. The swap goes from your wallet to the router. PulseSwap does not hold the funds. The output lands in the same wallet.
- If you are bringing USDC from another chain, use the bridge tab and confirm the destination token is hUSDC. Leave a recipient only if you mean to - a wrong address is not recoverable. Get a little PLS after hUSDC arrives, because the swap after that needs gas.
For ether or an Ethereum-native asset, use the official PulseChain bridge, not the USDC tab. The two do not complete each other's transfers.
Above the PulseChain DEXes
PulseSwap does not replace PulseX or Piteas. On PulseChain it asks both, plus 9inch, 9mm, Phux, and 0xTide, and it will settle through whichever quote wins. Piteas is itself an aggregator. PulseX is a DEX with its own pools, farms, and PLSX. If PulseX has the only deep pool, the winning row will often be PulseX. The aggregator is only as good as the venues it is allowed to ask.
PulseBridge, in the fleet papers, is the Ethereum-PulseChain bridge for tokens and NFTs. PulseSwap's bridge tab is the narrower USDC warp, and the official bridge is the third door for assets that start as ether. Do not treat those three as one contract.
Off PulseChain the product is a quote comparison across partner aggregators, then a settlement through the winner. Seventeen chains are in the routing config today, from PulseChain, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BSC, and Polygon through to Sonic and Unichain. A chain that is not in that config is not routed, whatever an older page says. The live list is the app's chain picker and the supported-chains doc on pulseswap.fi.
Frequently asked questions
What is PulseSwap?
PulseSwap is a non-custodial multi-chain DEX aggregator. It scans 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators simultaneously, picks the path offering the highest output for your swap, and settles it directly from your personal wallet. On PulseChain it asks PulseX V1, V2, and Stable, 9inch, 9mm, Phux, 0xTide, and Piteas; off PulseChain it quotes partner aggregators - 1inch, 0x/Matcha, KyberSwap, and ParaSwap - across the other chains.
Is PulseSwap non-custodial?
Yes. Quotes load before a wallet is connected, and a swap goes from the wallet to a router. PulseSwap never holds your funds between the two sides of the trade - the wallet holds the assets before and after.
How does PulseSwap pick the best route?
PulseSwap sends the same request to every enabled source - 50+ DEXs and 12+ aggregators - and each answer comes back with an output amount and a gas estimate. It automatically selects the path offering the highest output. The comparison is for that size, not a mid-market ticker, so a pool that looks best at a small amount can lose once price impact shows up. Slippage is still your bound.
Does PulseSwap charge platform fees?
No hidden platform markup. PulseSwap does not charge additional hidden markup fees on swaps. A transparent 0.25% convenience fee is documented and shown separately from the DEX fee inside the route and from gas; there is no extra platform markup on top of that.
Which chains does PulseSwap support?
PulseSwap operates across 17+ blockchains, including PulseChain, Ethereum, and Arbitrum, plus Base, BSC, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche, Sonic, and Unichain. PulseChain is the home chain (chain ID 369, gas in PLS). The live list is the app's chain picker.
What is hUSDC on PulseSwap's bridge?
The bridge tab moves USDC with Hyperlane warp routes between PulseChain and six other chains. What lands on PulseChain is hUSDC, not the USDC you would receive from the official PulseChain bridge. The amount is one for one, and gas is quoted on top and not taken out of the USDC.
Does PulseSwap replace PulseX or Piteas?
No. On PulseChain PulseSwap asks both PulseX and Piteas (plus 9inch, 9mm, Phux, and 0xTide) and settles through whichever quote wins. Piteas is itself an aggregator and PulseX is a DEX with its own pools, farms, and PLSX. If PulseX has the only deep pool, the winning row will often be PulseX.
How do I use PulseSwap?
Pick the chain in the swap, set the pair and size (paste a contract when the ticker is crowded), read the route list and the amount you receive, then connect only to sign. If you are bringing USDC from another chain, use the bridge tab and confirm the destination token is hUSDC, and get a little PLS after hUSDC arrives for the next PulseChain transaction.