You will use an exchange, a swap site and, for native KOIN, the Vortex bridge. Each is run by someone else, each can fail, and nothing can be reversed.
Vortex's own disclaimer says it is unaudited and may lose your tokens. Use only what you could afford to lose.
KOIN and vKOIN are not the same thing
Native KOIN
On Koinos
The token of the Koinos blockchain.
Gives your account mana, which pays for transactions.
Held in a Koinos wallet such as Kondor.
vKOIN
On Ethereum, Base or Solana
A wrapped KOIN, issued on Ethereum by the Vortex bridge.
The Base and Solana copies were moved there through Portal (Wormhole) — two bridges deep.
No mana, and it cannot be used on Koinos.
Sending vKOIN to a Koinos address does not convert it; only Vortex moves value between Ethereum and Koinos. If you see wKOIN mentioned, that was an older wrapper from Chainge and is not used here.
The official vKOIN addresses
The address identifies a token; its name and logo prove nothing.
Each address opens the network's block explorer (symbol vKOIN, name Vortex Koin).
Choose your path
Pick the wallet you will use and where you will buy.
Your wallet
Where you buy
MetaMask · Ethereum
Buy ETH → send it to your wallet → swap it for vKOIN → bridge to Koinos with Vortex.
You buy first
ETH
Network
Ethereum
Where you swap
DeFiLlama
You end with
native KOIN on Koinos
The only route the Vortex bridge serves end to end.
Ethereum with MetaMask
Buy vKOIN on Ethereum, then bridge it to native KOIN.
Step 1 of 6
Install MetaMask and copy your address
Install only from metamask.io/download, never from an ad or a link someone sent. The recovery phrase goes on paper — whoever has it owns the wallet, and nobody legitimate will ever ask for it.
Add the extension from metamask.io/download and create a wallet.
Write the recovery phrase on paper. No photo, no note, no cloud.
Open Receive and copy your Ethereum address.
The network selector. Source: support.metamask.io, retrieved 24 August 2026.
Warning
MetaMask gives you one Ethereum-style address. It works on Ethereum and on Base, not on Solana or Koinos. An asset sent on the wrong network is usually gone.
Step 2 of 6
Buy ETH on an exchange
You cannot buy KOIN with a card. You buy ETH first and swap it later; ETH also pays the network fees, so buy a little more than you plan to swap.
Open an account at an exchange available in your country. Coinbase, Kraken and Binance are examples, not recommendations.
Buy ETH.
Check that the exchange can withdraw ETH on Ethereum before you go on.
Cost
Buying and withdrawing each carry a fee. Both are shown before you confirm.
Step 3 of 6
Send it to MetaMask on Ethereum
This moves your ETH off the exchange into the wallet you control.
Paste your MetaMask address into the exchange's withdrawal form.
Select Ethereum as the network.
Compare the whole address, not just the first and last characters — scammers make addresses that match at the ends.
Send a small test amount, wait for it to arrive, then send the rest.
Warning
The network must say Ethereum. The same address exists on other networks and the exchange will not stop you.
Step 4 of 6
Swap ETH for vKOIN on DeFiLlama
The button below opens DeFiLlama with the network and token already set. Check your browser's address bar afterwards — fake swap sites exist.
Connect MetaMask and check the network is Ethereum.
Enter the amount, keeping some ETH back for fees.
Compare the token address with 0xa50ad3a559A10f384a5bB2e27516f63E0B937b1A.
Read the amount you will receive, then sign.
swap.defillama.com, captured 24 August 2026.Adding a token by address. The example is a different token. Source: support.metamask.io, retrieved 24 August 2026.
Warning
Check the address, not the name or logo. Anyone can create a token called vKOIN.
Cost
A network fee in ETH, a trading fee, and on larger orders a worse price. What the site shows before you sign is what applies.
Step 5 of 6
Install Kondor for the Koinos side
Native KOIN lives on Koinos and your Ethereum wallet cannot hold it. Install Kondor 1.3 from the link below; this guide is written for that version (the FAQ explains why not Kondor 2).
Create a wallet and write the recovery phrase on paper.
Open Receive and copy your Koinos address.
Warning
Only Koinos assets can be sent to this address.
Tip
A new Koinos account holds no KOIN, so it has no mana of its own yet. Kondor 1.3 covers that by itself: when your account cannot pay and its free-mana account can, the signing pop-up puts that account in the Payer field. Nothing to switch on — it carries you through the redeem in the last step.
Step 6 of 6
Bridge to Koinos with Vortex
Vortex takes vKOIN on Ethereum and releases native KOIN to the Koinos address you name. It does not finish by itself: you redeem on the Koinos side, and Vortex does not pay for that transaction — by default, the account that signs it does.
Open Vortex, read its disclaimer, then set From: Ethereum, To: Koinos, Token: vKOIN, and the amount.
Paste your Kondor address and compare the whole of it.
Sign the permission, then the deposit, in your wallet. Note the transaction hash.
Wait, then press Redeem and Sign in Kondor's pop-up — while your account is empty, Kondor pays the mana from its free-mana account by itself, as long as that account has mana to spare. This delivers your KOIN.
The bridge form filled in: 2 vKOIN from Ethereum to Koinos, with the Kondor address as the receiving address. vortexbridge.io, captured 26 August 2026.The Redeem tab once the validators have signed: press Redeem. If you closed the page too early, paste the source transaction ID here to resume. Captured 26 August 2026.Kondor 1.3 asking you to sign the redeem: the operation is Complete transfer and the event shows the KOIN you receive. Press Sign. Captured 26 August 2026.
Cost
Ethereum fees for the permission and the deposit. The redeem runs on Koinos and spends mana instead of a fee; while your account is still empty, Kondor's free-mana account covers it by itself if it can — if not, Kondor says so and you try again later.
Tip
Bridge a small amount first, all the way through the redeem.
Specific to MetaMask
The network name sits at the top of the window. Check it before you sign.
If vKOIN does not appear after a swap, use Import tokens and paste the address from this page.
When a site asks for a spending cap, set it to the amount you are using, not unlimited.
Koinos has no gas fee. Holding KOIN gives your account mana; transactions spend it and it refills over a few days. A new account holds no KOIN, so it has no mana of its own.
That would leave a new wallet unable to pay for anything, so Koinos lets one account pay the mana for another. Kondor 1.3 uses this by itself: when your account cannot pay and its free-mana account can, the signing pop-up puts that account in the Payer field. That is what carries a new wallet through its first transaction.
Once your KOIN arrives you have your own mana. Keep some KOIN rather than moving the whole balance out, or the account goes back to having none.
Open every site from this page, then check the address bar.
Never type or photograph your recovery phrase. Nobody legitimate needs it.
Asset and network together: ETH on Base is not ETH on Ethereum.
Compare token and destination addresses in full, not just the ends.
Small test amount first. Keep some ETH or SOL for the next step.
Read every wallet pop-up. Site, token, amount and destination must match the step you are on.
A token permission outlives disconnecting from a site. Approve only the amount you need, and revoke it afterwards.
Ignore anyone who contacts you privately offering help, recovery or a better price.
Questions
Not directly. You buy ETH or SOL on an exchange, move it to your own wallet, swap it for vKOIN, and — for native KOIN — bridge that through Vortex from Ethereum.
For native KOIN: Ethereum, the only one Vortex serves end to end. Base and Solana are cheaper to trade on but end at vKOIN. The Koinos route is for when you already hold KOIN.
KoinDX swaps between assets that are already on Koinos. A new account holds none, so there is nothing to swap yet. Bring KOIN over from Ethereum first.
An exchange fee, a withdrawal fee, a network fee per transaction, a trading fee, and a worse price on large orders. Amounts change constantly — read the screen before each confirmation.
Probably not lost. Check the transaction in the block explorer, then add the token using the official address on this page. Never add an address someone sent you.
Kondor 2 (kondorwallet.com) is the newer wallet, but as of August 2026 its free-mana option cannot pay the Vortex redeem for an account that holds no KOIN yet. Kondor 1.3 can, and that is what a first purchase needs. The bug has been reported; this guide will move to Kondor 2 once it is fixed.
Not from its own mana — it has none until the KOIN arrives. Kondor 1.3 notices that and, if its own free-mana account has enough mana, lets it pay instead; the pop-up's Payer field shows it. If Kondor says the free mana service is congested or unavailable, keep your transaction hash and come back later; the Redeem tab picks the transfer up again.
Don't start another. Take the source transaction hash to Vortex's Redeem tab, which resumes a transfer whose redeem did not complete. If it shows the signatures as expired, press Renew signatures — a Koinos transaction too, paid the same way while your account is empty and free mana is available — wait, then redeem.
No. It explains a process. It does not say whether to buy, how much, or endorse any service named here. KOIN and vKOIN can lose all their value.
Glossary
Address
Where tokens are received. Safe to share, but it only works on its own network.
Bridge
Moves value between two blockchains. Vortex: Ethereum ↔ Koinos. Portal (Wormhole): Ethereum ↔ Base / Solana.
Contract address
The unique identifier of a token, and the only reliable way to tell a real one from a copy.
DEX
A swap site that trades straight from your wallet without holding your funds.
Free mana
Kondor paying a transaction's mana from its own account instead of yours, so a wallet with no KOIN can still send a transaction. Kondor 1.3 does this by itself when your account cannot pay and that account can.
Mana
What Koinos transactions use instead of a fee. Comes from holding KOIN and refills over time.
Network fee
What Ethereum, Base or Solana charge per transaction, paid in ETH or SOL.
Recovery phrase
The words that restore a wallet. Whoever has them controls it.
Wrapped token
A token on one chain that represents an asset from another. vKOIN is wrapped KOIN.
Important information
This guide is educational information only, not financial, legal or tax advice. KOIN and vKOIN can lose all their value. Exchanges, wallets, swap sites and bridges are independent services with their own risks, fees and availability; Koinos does not guarantee any price, amount, completion time or that a service keeps working, and Vortex states that it is unaudited. Blockchain transactions cannot be reversed. Check the site address, network, token address, destination, amount and fees before you sign anything.
Steps last verified 24 August 2026. Interfaces change. If a screen differs from a screenshot here, stop, check the network, token address, destination and amount before signing, and ask in the Koinos community before signing anything you do not understand.
