Best Crypto Bridges for Cross-Chain (2024)

Summary: Selecting the right cryptocurrency bridge is crucial for effective asset transfer across different networks. A dependable platform should be not only thoroughly audited but also centered on user needs, ensuring a smooth transition of assets. This involves evaluating both Layer 1 and Layer 2 bridges, as well as platforms compatible with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and non-EVM blockchains.

To aid users in the complex world of cross-chain operations, we've carefully crafted a list of the top 5 crypto bridges. Our choices are grounded in an evaluation of key aspects such as bridge security, network compatibility, liquidity availability, fee structures, and the overall quality of the user experience.

Across Protocol - Best Overall Crypto Bridge
Stargate Finance - Best for Alternative EVM Layer 1's
Orbiter Finance - Best for Bridging zk-Rollups
Portal Bridge - Best for Non-EVM Chains (e.g. Solana)‍
Gravity Bridge - Best Cosmos Ecosystem Bridge

Best Crypto Bridges for Cross-Chain Swaps

Our in-depth analysis covered more than 15 crypto bridge protocols, focusing on their suitability for Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks. Essential factors in our evaluation included the assessment of liquidity, the degree of cross-chain compatibility, the support for different ecosystems, the transparency of fee structures, and the robustness of security measures. This extensive review identified five exceptional crypto bridge platforms, each distinguished by its substantial contribution to improving interoperability within the blockchain ecosystem.

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1. Across Protocol

Across Protocol emerges as the best and capital-efficient cross-chain bridge, having managed over $3.9 billion in transactions. Its efficiency stems from a unified liquidity pool and a no-slippage fee model, making it a favorite for Layer 2 solutions and rollups, underpinned by UMA's optimistic oracle for security. The platform's liquidity pool design, combined with an interest rate fee model, reduces costs for users and increases yields for providers.

Key features include third-party relayers for rapid transaction completion, and UMA’s optimistic oracle for transaction validation. Across also maintains funds on their original chain, with automatic rebalancing every 4-8 hours. These innovations, coupled with strong security, make Across Protocol a leading choice in the cross-chain bridge sector, especially for the Ethereum network.

Supported Chains: Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon and zkSync.
Supported Tokens: WETH, DAI, USDT, USDC, WBTC, BAL, ACX and more.

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2. Stargate Finance

Stargate Finance secures the top position as a community-driven organization building the first fully composable native asset bridge, and the first dApp built on LayerZero. Primarily supporting EVM-based chains like Ethereum, BNB Chain, Avalanche, and others, Stargate's vision is to make cross-chain liquidity transfer a seamless, single transaction process. With over $50 million in daily cross-chain trades, users can swap native assets like USDC on Ethereum for USDT on BNB.

What sets Stargate apart is its innovative approach to solving the bridging trilemma, offering instant guaranteed finality, native asset swaps, and unified liquidity across multiple chains. These features, coupled with community-owned unified liquidity pools and new APY opportunities through yield aggregators, solidify Stargate's position as the best overall bridge in the market, enhancing interoperability and efficiency within the blockchain technology landscape.

Supported Chains: Ethereum, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Polygon, zkSync and more.
Supported Tokens: ETH, USDC, USDT, MAI, STG, BTC.B, DAI, FRAX, and more.

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3. Orbiter Finance

Orbiter Finance emerges as the third-best decentralized cross-rollup bridge, focusing on transferring Ethereum native assets. As a vital infrastructure of Layer 2, Orbiter offers low-cost and almost instant transfers, supporting cross-rollup transfers between various platforms including Ethereum, StarkNet, zkSync, Loopring, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, and more.

The distinguishing features of Orbiter Finance include its safety, as it has less risk than other cross-L1 bridges, relying on the safety rollup technique. Additionally, transfers occur directly between the 'Sender' and the 'Maker's' externally owned address (EOA) on both 'Source' and 'Destination' networks, eliminating the need to interact with contract addresses. This approach ensures cheap and instant transfers without the need to mint assets, fully supporting liquidity in a decentralized way.

Supported Chains: Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Linea, Starknet, Polygon zkEVM, Arbitrum Nova, Mantle, opBNB and 15 others.
Supported Tokens: WETH, USDC, USDT and DAI.

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4. Portal Bridge

Portal Bridge stands out as the fourth-best cross-chain bridge and a standout choice for non-EVM chains like Solana and Cosmos. Built on top of Wormhole, Portal Bridge locks the origin token in a smart contract and mints a new Portal wrapped token on the target chain, allowing users to swap those for other or native tokens on the target chain.

What makes Portal unique is its support for both ERC721 and SPL NFTs, enabling transfers between supported chains. The bridging fees are sub-cent, with gas fees being the most expensive aspect of the transaction. The Portal's approach to bridging, including the ability to register new tokens on a chain, and its support for various non-EVM chains, positions it as a leading solution for those looking to bridge tokens across diverse blockchain ecosystems.

Supported Chains: Ethereum, Solana, Celo, Sui, NEAR, Moonbeam, Injective, Fantom and 10 more.
Supported Tokens: WETH, USDC, USDT, WBTC, SOL, SUI, NEAR and DAI.

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5. Gravity Bridge

Gravity Bridge is a leading choice for Cosmos-SDK based chains like Osmosis, Evmos, Canto, and Kujira, providing a seamless and decentralized bridge between Ethereum and Cosmos ecosystems. It facilitates the transfer of assets, particularly ERC20 tokens such as DAI and USDC, utilizing the Interblockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. This integration allows Cosmos-based projects to access Ethereum assets efficiently.

Notably decentralized and permissionless, Gravity Bridge operates with a comprehensive validator set, distinguishing it as one of the most decentralized bridges available. It supports Ethereum and USDC transfers, with plans to broaden its ERC-20 token range following the Cosmos SDK's Polaris update. Security is a cornerstone of the Gravity Bridge, underscored by its rigorous testing on decentralized testnets and validation through three in-depth audits.

Supported Chains: Ethereum, Cosmos, Osmosis, Terra, Fetch.ai, Canto, Secret and more.
Supported Tokens: WETH, ETH, USDC, USDT, DAI, WBTC, ATOM, OSMOand more.

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What is a Crypto Bridge?

A crypto bridge, also known as a blockchain bridge, serves as a conduit enabling the transfer of tokens and/or data across different blockchain ecosystems. This connection can occur between two distinct blockchains, like Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain, or between separate layers of the same blockchain, such as Ethereum and its Layer 2 solutions. Here's an overview of how a typical crypto bridge operates:

Locking Mechanism: In a crypto bridge process, the initial step involves locking the tokens you wish to transfer in a smart contract on the source blockchain. This action temporarily removes the tokens from circulation within that particular blockchain.
Token Minting on Destination Chain: Subsequently, an equivalent amount of tokens is created or minted on the destination blockchain. These tokens may either be identical to the original tokens or a wrapped version, representing the original asset.
Transfer Validation: The bridge employs various mechanisms to validate the transfer. This often involves validators or relayers, who confirm that the number of tokens locked on the source chain matches the tokens minted on the destination chain.
Reversal Process: Should you decide to return your assets to the original blockchain, the procedure is inverted. The tokens on the destination chain are either burned or locked, which then triggers the release or unlocking of the initially locked tokens on the source blockchain.

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Cheapest Crypto Bridging Platform

Across emerges as the most cost-effective option in the cross-chain ecosystem, offering significantly lower user fees due to its capital efficiency. Recent data from Q2 2023 shows Across with a median fee of $5.25 for Layer 1 to Layer 2 transfers and $8.77 for Layer 2 to Layer 1, outshining its rivals in cost-effectiveness.

These fee rates highlight Across's affordability, saving users 25-75% in fees compared to other bridges. Key to this cost advantage are its design choices, including a single liquidity pool and an interest rate fee model. This approach not only reduces transaction fees but also positions Across as an attractive choice for Ethereum transfers in the cross-chain domain.

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Is Bridging in Crypto Safe?

Bridging in cryptocurrency, which involves transferring assets between various blockchains or blockchain layers, is a critical element of the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Nonetheless, this process carries inherent risks.

Our in-depth report on Crypto Bridging Statistics and Trends, indicates that the security of crypto bridging depends significantly on the technology and protocols implemented by the bridge. While many bridges use stringent on-chain security protocols, some have experienced breaches. Notably, in 2022, breaches in bridge security led to over $3 billion in capital losses, primarily due to critical vulnerabilities.

It is vital for users to have a thorough understanding of a bridge's underlying technology and to be cognizant of the risks involved. Opting for well-established bridges that place a high emphasis on security, coupled with adhering to the latest security practices and recommendations, can help in significantly reducing these risks.

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Bottom Line

In conclusion, our detailed analysis of cryptocurrency bridges highlights their essential role in improving cross-chain interoperability and facilitating asset transfers within the blockchain ecosystem. The top five bridges, Across Protocol, Stargate Finance, Orbiter Finance, Portal Bridge, and Gravity Bridge, each excel in areas ranging from Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions to compatibility with EVM and non-EVM chains.

Key features such as strong security protocols, effective liquidity management, and user-friendly interfaces make them stand out. While there are inherent risks in crypto bridging, selecting a reliable and thoroughly audited platform can greatly reduce these risks, establishing these bridges as vital components of a secure and efficient decentralized finance landscape.

My expertise in cryptocurrency bridges stems from extensive research, direct involvement in the blockchain community, and a comprehensive understanding of blockchain technology and its various applications. I've closely monitored the developments in cross-chain operations, auditing protocols, and bridge security, which has provided me with in-depth insights into the workings of these platforms.

The article delves into the intricate realm of crypto bridges, emphasizing their pivotal role in enabling seamless asset transfers across diverse blockchain networks. The selection process for the top five crypto bridges revolves around critical evaluation criteria:

Bridge Security: The platforms undergo thorough audits and employ robust security measures to safeguard user assets and transactions.
Network Compatibility: Their ability to function across multiple chains, including Layer 1, Layer 2, EVM, and non-EVM blockchains, ensuring broad interoperability.
Liquidity Availability: Efficient management of liquidity pools to facilitate smooth transactions and minimize slippage.
Fee Structures: Transparent fee models that offer cost-effective transactions for users.
User Experience: Intuitive interfaces and user-centric designs enhancing the overall quality of the platform.

Now, let's break down the concepts touched upon in the article:

Crypto Bridge Functionality: These bridges act as connectors, facilitating the secure transfer of tokens and data between disparate blockchain ecosystems, ensuring tokens' equivalency or wrapping them on the destination chain.
Locking Mechanism: Initial step involves locking tokens in a smart contract on the source chain before minting an equivalent amount on the destination chain, ensuring the assets' safe transfer.
Validation Process: Involves validators or relayers confirming the accuracy of the transfer by verifying tokens' locking on the source chain against the tokens minted on the destination chain.
Reversal Process: The procedure to return assets to the original blockchain, involving the burning or unlocking of tokens on the destination chain, leading to the release of initially locked tokens on the source chain.
Layer 1 and Layer 2: Refers to the distinction between the primary blockchain network (Layer 1) and secondary networks built on top of Layer 1 to enhance scalability and reduce transaction costs (Layer 2).
EVM and Non-EVM Chains: Describes compatibility with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and non-EVM-based blockchains, broadening the range of supported networks.
Security Concerns: Acknowledges the inherent risks in crypto bridging, emphasizing the importance of choosing platforms with stringent security measures to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

Understanding these fundamental concepts is crucial for users navigating the complex landscape of crypto bridges, ensuring informed decisions and secure transactions.