Yes — there’s fees converting from/to fiat and when sending the crypto.

You’ll generally have the conversion slippage and transaction fee regardless - so the difference is the second conversion.

In practice, that isn’t too expensive and worth it for the speed; though that may change if you’re sending larger or smaller amounts than I am (in $1k-10k range).

Edit:

Replying by edit due to rate limits — but subcontracting and personal loans, eg, until a client pays.

Being a consultant is hard; being a consultant with no support network is harder.

I’m curious - under what circumstances are you exchanging $1k-$10k with friends internationally?