MakiSwap Crypto Exchange Review: Is This DEX Safe or a Scam?

5 December 2025 12 Comments Michael Jones

MAKI Token Value Calculator

The MAKI token has lost over 99.76% of its value since its peak. Calculate how much you've lost on your tokens.

Number of MAKI tokens held:

Based on MAKI peak price of $1.00 (early 2022)

Current price: $0.0029 (October 2025)

Value at peak: $0.00

Current value: $0.00

Loss: 0.00%

Amount lost: $0.00

Warning: MakiSwap is effectively dead with zero trading volume and no meaningful activity. This calculator shows potential loss but does not account for complete loss of funds that many users have experienced.

When you hear "MakiSwap," you might think it’s just another decentralized exchange like Uniswap or PancakeSwap-cheap trades, easy swaps, and maybe some yield farming rewards. But here’s the truth: MakiSwap isn’t just inactive. It’s effectively dead. As of October 2025, it has $0 in 24-hour trading volume, zero active trading pairs, and no meaningful updates since 2021. If you’re thinking about using it, you’re risking your money on a project that’s already failed.

What Is MakiSwap?

MakiSwap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on the Huobi Eco Chain (HECO), launched in 2021 by a team behind Unilayer. It was designed to let users swap tokens, add liquidity, and earn rewards through yield farming using its native token, MAKI. Unlike centralized exchanges like Binance or Coinbase, MakiSwap doesn’t hold your funds. You connect your wallet-like MetaMask or Trust Wallet-and trade directly via smart contracts.

That sounds fine in theory. But here’s where it falls apart: the platform doesn’t work anymore. Not because of a glitch. Not because of bad luck. Because no one is using it.

Zero Trading Volume, Zero Liquidity

Let’s talk numbers. As of October 2025:

24-hour trading volume: $0.00
Active trading pairs: 0
Total Value Locked (TVL): $0
MAKI token price: ~$0.0029
Market cap: ~$200,153

Compare that to PancakeSwap, which handles over $200 million in daily volume, or Uniswap, with billions. MakiSwap isn’t just small-it’s invisible. If you tried to swap ETH for MAKI right now, you’d find no liquidity. No one’s selling. No one’s buying. Your trade won’t go through.

The MAKI Token: A Collapse in Real Time

The MAKI token was supposed to be the engine of MakiSwap. Holders got voting rights and a cut of trading fees. Instead, it became a cautionary tale.

MAKI peaked at over $1.00 in early 2022. Today, it’s worth less than 0.3% of that. That’s a 99.76% drop. Year-over-year, it’s still falling-down 3.22% since last year. Analysts at WalletInvestor predict it could hit $0.001861 by the end of 2025. PricePrediction.net says it might sink to $0.0009. Even the most optimistic forecasts don’t show recovery. They just show slower decline.

This isn’t normal market volatility. This is a token with no demand, no utility, and no community backing it. When a token loses 99% of its value and stays there for years, it’s not a coin-it’s a ghost.

Confused investor holding worthless tokens as money drains into a dead blockchain

Is MakiSwap a Scam?

Multiple crypto review sites, including WikiBit, have labeled MAKI as an "air coin project" and warned users it may be a Ponzi scheme. Why? Because the pattern matches:

Early adopters got rich off hype and marketing
Then, the team stopped updating the platform
Liquidity was drained
Trading volume vanished
Customer support disappeared

Users on Reddit and Telegram report being unable to withdraw funds. Others say they deposited into yield farms that never paid out. One user wrote: "I staked 10,000 MAKI. After 3 months, my balance dropped to zero. No message. No explanation. Just gone." There’s no official statement from the team. No Twitter updates. No GitHub commits since 2021. No blog posts. No announcements. That’s not negligence-it’s abandonment.

Why No One Uses MakiSwap Anymore

MakiSwap’s biggest flaw wasn’t bad code. It was bad strategy.

It locked itself into HECO, a blockchain that never gained real traction. HECO peaked in 2021 and has since lost over 95% of its DeFi activity. Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain dominate. New chains like Solana and Base are growing. HECO? It’s a footnote.

That means:

You can’t swap MakiSwap tokens for USDT or ETH without bridging-adding extra fees and complexity
You can’t use it with most wallets without manually adding HECO network settings
There’s no cross-chain support, no NFT marketplace, no staking pools beyond basic farming

Meanwhile, competitors like Uniswap V3, SushiSwap, and Trader Joe offer multi-chain access, lower slippage, better analytics, and real customer support. MakiSwap offers nothing but a broken interface and empty pools.

Security Risks You Can’t Ignore

Even if you ignore the lack of activity, the security risks are real.

MakiSwap’s smart contracts were never publicly audited by a reputable firm like CertiK or PeckShield. That’s a red flag. Without an audit, you’re trusting code that could have backdoors, hidden fees, or ways for developers to drain funds.

And since it’s non-custodial, if something goes wrong, there’s no help desk. No email reply. No live chat. You’re on your own. Lose your private key? Your money is gone. Get phished? No one’s coming to fix it.

Plus, the platform’s Alexa ranking is #1,469,379. That means fewer than 100 people visit it daily. Most of those are probably bots or people checking if it’s still alive.

Crypto graveyard with MakiSwap tombstone while active DEXs shine in the distance

Who Should Avoid MakiSwap?

Everyone.

If you’re a beginner, don’t touch it. You don’t need to risk your first crypto trade on a dead project.

If you’re an experienced trader, don’t waste your time. There’s no liquidity to exploit. No arbitrage opportunities. No volume to ride.

If you’re looking for yield farming, there are dozens of safer options with real TVL and active communities. Why gamble on a token that’s lost 99.76% of its value?

Even if you believe in the long-term potential of HECO-which most experts don’t-MakiSwap isn’t the place to bet on it. The team has vanished. The code is frozen. The community is silent.

What to Do Instead

If you want to trade crypto without a central exchange, here are better choices:

Uniswap (Ethereum) - The largest DEX, trusted by millions, audited, multi-chain ready
PancakeSwap (BSC) - High liquidity, low fees, strong community, active development
Trader Joe (Avalanche) - Great yields, cross-chain swaps, transparent team
Curve Finance - Best for stablecoin swaps with minimal slippage

All of these have real volume, public audits, active GitHub repos, and responsive support channels. MakiSwap has none of that.

Final Verdict: Don’t Use MakiSwap

MakiSwap isn’t a failing crypto project. It’s already dead. The trading volume is zero. The token is collapsing. The team is gone. The community has abandoned it. Review sites are warning users. And the smart contracts? Unaudited and unmonitored.

There’s no scenario where using MakiSwap makes sense. Not for trading. Not for staking. Not for speculation. Even if you think you’re getting in "early," you’re not. You’re walking into a graveyard.

If you already have MAKI tokens, consider them lost. If you’re thinking about buying, don’t. Walk away. Save your money for something that’s still alive.

Is MakiSwap still operational?

No. As of October 2025, MakiSwap has $0 in trading volume, zero active trading pairs, and no updates since 2021. The platform is effectively inactive and unusable for any real trading or liquidity provision.

Is MAKI token worth investing in?

No. MAKI has lost 99.76% of its all-time value and continues to decline. Analysts predict further drops, with most forecasting prices below $0.001 by late 2025. There’s no fundamental reason to believe it will recover.

Is MakiSwap a scam or Ponzi scheme?

Multiple crypto review platforms, including WikiBit, have flagged MakiSwap and its MAKI token as a potential Ponzi scheme due to abandoned development, drained liquidity, user complaints about lost funds, and lack of transparency. While not legally proven, the pattern matches known scam behavior.

Can I withdraw my funds from MakiSwap?

Some users report being able to withdraw, but many others say their funds disappeared after staking or swapping. With no customer support and no team response, there’s no guarantee you’ll get your money back-even if the interface still loads.

Why does MakiSwap still exist online?

The website and smart contracts are still online because shutting them down requires effort-and the team has already abandoned the project. The site remains as a digital ghost, potentially to mislead new users into depositing funds before vanishing completely.

What blockchain is MakiSwap on?

MakiSwap runs on the Huobi Eco Chain (HECO), a now-obsolete blockchain that once competed with Binance Smart Chain but lost nearly all its user base and liquidity by 2023. HECO currently accounts for less than 1% of total DeFi activity.

Are there any alternatives to MakiSwap?

Yes. Uniswap, PancakeSwap, Trader Joe, and SushiSwap are all active, well-audited, and have strong liquidity. They support multiple blockchains, offer real customer support, and have transparent development teams. These are the platforms you should use instead.