A bitcoin bridge moves your tokens to Bitcoin from another network, or back. Here you choose the token you have, the token you want on Bitcoin and sign once: a cross-chain route handles the bridge and any swap. On October 23, 2026, 0.2 ETH (about $479) from Ethereum arrived as about $476 of BTC in about 23 min.
What Is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin has no smart contracts, so a “Bitcoin bridge” means one of two things: a cross-chain swap that sends native BTC and delivers tokens on another chain (or the reverse), or a wrapped bitcoin token such as WBTC or cbBTC that represents BTC on an EVM chain.
| Bitcoin | |
|---|---|
| Gas token | BTC |
| Address format | bc1… (SegWit), 3… or 1… |
| Explorer | mempool.space |
Live Routes to and from Bitcoin
| Route | Value in | You receive (value) | Route fees | Source gas | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 ETH on Ethereum → BTC on Bitcoin | $478.71 | $475.86 | $1.77 | $0.16 | about 23 min |
| $300 of BTC on Bitcoin → ETH on Ethereum | $300.00 | $298.52 | $1.11 | $0.59 | about 29 min |
Quotes are live LI.FI routes requested on October 23, 2026 (recommended route), before the 0.7% Step Exchange service fee. Routes, prices and times change with liquidity; the widget shows the current quote before you sign.
How to Bridge to Bitcoin
- Connect your wallet on the network where your tokens are.
- From: the token you have, for example ETH on Ethereum or USDC on Arbitrum.
- To: the token you want on Bitcoin; add a little BTC for gas.
- Enter your Bitcoin address (bc1…, 3… or 1…).
- Review the quote and confirm.
How to Bridge Back from Bitcoin
Reverse the route: choose the token on Bitcoin as the source and the token and network you want as the destination. Keep enough BTC on Bitcoin to pay for the transaction.
Bitcoin Tips
Native routes wait for Bitcoin confirmations, so expect 20-30 minutes instead of seconds. Wrapped BTC moves in seconds but depends on its custodian; see what is wrapped bitcoin.
Mistakes to Avoid
- No BTC for gas on arrival.
- Wrong address format: Bitcoin uses bc1…, 3… or 1… addresses.
- Fake bridge sites: use the widget or bookmarked apps, never links from direct messages; see crypto bridge safety.
How bridges work: cross-chain bridge. All networks: bridge hub.