The main difference is that STON.fi is non-custodial, while products like Binance and Coinbase are centralized. On centralized exchanges, you transfer your crypto into the company's wallet, effectively giving up direct control of your funds. If the company is hacked, restricted, or shut down by regulators, you can lose access to your assets.
On STON.fi, your funds always remain in your wallet until you confirm a transaction. Another key difference is privacy: there's no need to create an account or share personal information. Swaps occur directly between wallets through liquidity pools, with no intermediaries or custodial risk.
Fees on STON.fi are typically lower because the protocol runs on the TON blockchain, which is known for its high efficiency, minimal gas costs, and — thanks to TON's sub-second finality — near-instant transaction confirmation. That gives users a smooth experience that often feels closer to a centralized product than a traditional on-chain swap protocol.
For many users, this balance of direct control, cost efficiency, speed, and non-custodial access makes a non-custodial swap protocol like STON.fi a natural fit.