SegWit vs Native SegWit: All You Need to Know - Phemex Academy (2024)

Author: Jeffrey Craig Date: August 20, 2021

Key Questions Answered

Summary

  • Currently, three Bitcoin addresses exist in the market: Legacy, SegWit, and Native SegWit.
  • Users can transfer their BTCs from an Legacy to SegWit address as a normal transfer.
  • Native SegWit is supported by major software and hardware wallets. However, not all exchanges support this format. The transaction costs with a native SegWit are the cheapest.

SegWit vs Native SegWit: All You Need to Know - Phemex Academy (1)

What is a Bitcoin Address?

In order to use Bitcoin for daily payments, individuals need to be able to identify where they send and receive funds. However, since we are talking about a digital currency, the location where you send or receive Bitcoin is available on the internet and is represented by a string of unique letters and numbers. This series is called a Bitcoin address.

A Bitcoin address is the destination or source of a Bitcoin payment. Similar to sending funds to a bank account, if you want to send Bitcoin to someone, one needs an address which you or the sender can insert into their wallet to make the transaction. A Bitcoin address can be created by downloading a Bitcoin wallet that allows users to send, receive, and store Bitcoins on the Bitcoin network. These wallets also record your private keys. As of now, three Bitcoin addresses exist in the market, namely: Legacy, SegWit, and Native SegWit. Before we dig deep, let’s understand why the Bitcoin community needed three types of addresses.

SegWit vs Native SegWit: All You Need to Know - Phemex Academy (2)

A Brief History of Bitcoin Addresses

During the neolithic age of Bitcoin, only one form of address was available, called P2PKH or Legacy. However, in 2016 and 2017, the debate around Bitcoin’s block size started to heat up. This was because Bitcoin had a maximum size of 1 MB per block, therefore, only a specific number of transactions could be added at a particular time. The weight of all the growing transactions began to clog the network, which further resulted in long-processing times and hourly delays. The Bitcoin community tried to solve this concern. The proposed solutions centered around taking a portion of the transactions and deploying them on a second layer, thereby taking some load off of the main chain. This portion is called the witness data and is technically known as the segregated witness (SegWit).

What is a SegWit?

In any given transaction on a blockchain, digital signatures take almost 65% of the space. SegWit attempts to reduce this space by ignoring the data attached to a signature. It moves the signature from input to a structure towards the end of a transaction, increasing the one MB limit for block sizes to close to four MB.

SegWit vs Native SegWit: All You Need to Know - Phemex Academy (3)

What is a Native SegWit?

Therefore, in August 2017, a soft fork occurred on the BTC chain, in which the developers introduced SegWit to the community, and Native SegWit is an upgraded version of the SegWit update.

3 Types of Bitcoin Address

1) Legacy Address

A Legacy address uses a special script hash function called P2PKH (Pay-to-Pubkey Hash) address and starts with the number 1. For example, 1BvBMSEYstWetqTFn5Au4m4GFg7xJaNVN2. It is the original style of the Bitcoin network and still works to date.

2) Segwit Address

Unlike Legacy addresses, a SegWit address starts with the number 3 and has more elaborated functionality than a legacy address. It uses a P2SH script function, which is often utilized for multisig addresses that, for example, can declare that several digital signatures are needed to validate a trade.

Additionally, the SegWit format can enable non-native segwit transactions through a cryptographic standard called P2WPKH-in-P2SH. Though SegWit offers multiple functionalities, users don’t necessarily need to know them as long as they understand if their wallet is a SegWit wallet or not. Furthermore, since SigWit is a soft fork, it is backward compatible, which roughly means that users can transfer their BTCs from Legacy to SegWit address as a normal transfer.

3) Native SegWit

Widely known as the Bech32 address, native SegWit looks different from the P2-styles as it starts with bc1, for example, bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq. This format is supported by major software and hardware wallets. However, only a few exchanges support them. Also, while most trading platforms allow users to send Bitcoin to a bech32 address, they don’t provide an option to receive them in this format. Currently, over 11% of BTCs are stored in a native segwit address.

Legacy vs SegWit vs Native SegWit: Which one is Better?

Wallet Support

All three addresses are compatible with each other, which means users can send or receive Bitcoins from one address to another. However, it depends upon the wallet provider whether they support all wallets or not. Often, it has come into the observation that older wallets don’t support the native segwit address. Therefore, it is better to check with the wallet provider.

Efficiency

In terms of efficiency, SegWit is better than Legacy network because it separates the transaction signature from the transaction data. It means users utilizing SegWit addresses will pay a lower fee compared to the Legacy users. Also, the transactions are faster due to the large capacity of each block on the SegWit address that helps in storing much more transactions comparatively. Moreover, because SegWit removes signatures from the transaction data, no malicious actor can tamper with the transaction signatures.

Transaction Costs

On the other hand, the native SegWit is the latest development in the field. While transactions with a SegWit address are better than a Legacy address, transactions with a native SegWit are even cheaper. Regarding Bitcoin SegWit vs Native SegWit, the latter wins the race as it offers a bigger block size and the transaction fees are much lower than any other Bitcoin address format.

For any inquiries contact us at support@phemex.zendesk.com

Follow our official Twitter | Join our community on Telegram

Trade crypto on the go: Download for iOS | Download for Android

Phemex | Break Through, Break Free

SegWit vs Native SegWit: All You Need to Know - Phemex Academy (2024)

FAQs

Should I choose SegWit or native SegWit? ›

Difference between SegWit and Native SegWit

Native SegWit is the latest address format that exists to this date. Compared to SegWit, Native SegWit is more weight-efficient, transaction fees are faster, offers better scalability, and is available at lower transaction fees for every Bitcoin transaction.

What is the difference between SegWit and native SegWit ledger? ›

One of the biggest differences between SegWit and Native SegWit is the wallet support that a user gets. As far as the facility to send and receive Bitcoins is concerned, both Bitcoin address formats enable the user to do so. You can easily send or receive Bitcoins in your wallet using the to address formats.

Can you send BTC from native SegWit to SegWit? ›

Yes. SegWit is backward compatible with previous Bitcoin addresses. You can safely send transactions to any external Bitcoin address or wallet.

What is the difference between SegWit and native SegWit Bitcoin wallet? ›

While transactions with a SegWit address are better than a Legacy address, transactions with a native SegWit are even cheaper. Regarding Bitcoin SegWit vs Native SegWit, the latter wins the race as it offers a bigger block size and the transaction fees are much lower than any other Bitcoin address format.

Can I send Bitcoin to native SegWit address? ›

Many wallets and exchanges support sending to native SegWit (Bech32) addresses. However, you may occasionally wish to send bitcoin from a platform that does not yet support sending to native SegWit addresses.

How do I know if my Bitcoin address is SegWit? ›

If you have the Legacy address then it means that you will be using addresses starting from 1… SegWit address means that you will be using addresses starting from 3… or bc1 … (one is for P2SH nested SegWit and the other is for native SegWit).

What are the disadvantages of SegWit? ›

Disadvantages of SegWit

Numerous miners dislike SegWit. Lower fees impact their profits, and they dislike having to support the witness-data sidechain because it generates no fee income.

Which wallets support native SegWit? ›

In order to create a Native SegWit account, you will need to be using a Bitcoin or Liquid wallet with Singlesig as the security policy.

What is the best address type for Bitcoin? ›

A legacy or P2PKH address is the traditional Bitcoin address, and even though it pioneered the bitcoin address system, its high transaction fees have made it less attractive to users. If privacy during transactions is a priority for you, you should use a taproot or BC1P address.

Does blockchain wallet support native SegWit? ›

This is why the Blockchain.com wallet now defaults to SegWit (Bech32) receiving addresses. By receiving bitcoin to SegWit addresses, you will enjoy lower fees whenever you later send this bitcoin.

What are the benefits of SegWit? ›

Segwit prevents third-party and scriptSig malleability by allowing Bitcoin users to move the malleable parts of the transaction into the transaction witness, and segregating that witness so that changes to the witness does not affect calculation of the txid.

Can I send Bitcoin to a bc1 address? ›

With the latest update, Bitcoin.com Wallet now supports sending BTC to native segwit addresses starting in bc1. There are 2 types of segwit addresses. Native segwit (address starts with bc1) and non-native (address starts with 3). With a recent update, we now support both native and non-native addresses.

What does BTC SegWit start with? ›

SegWit addresses start with 3 or bc1. Legacy addresses start with 1. Segwit address reduces the size of the transaction that needs to be stored in one block.

How do I know if my Bitcoin address is correct? ›

Check valid Bitcoin address
  1. A Bitcoin address is between 25 and 34 characters long;
  2. the address always starts with a 1;
  3. an address can contain all alphanumeric characters, with the exceptions of 0, O, I, and l.

What is an example of a bc1 Bitcoin address? ›

Bech32 addresses also known as "bc1 addresses" start with bc1. Example: bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq. QR Codes can also be used as a wallet address.

What is a BTC address starting with bc1? ›

Addresses starting with a “bc1”. These are known as “Bech32” or “Native Segwit”. These also include the newest type of address called “Taproot”, which Cash App supports sending to.

What is an example of SegWit address? ›

SegWit is accompanied by the Bech32 address standard. Bech32 addresses, also known as 'native SegWit' addresses, all begin with the characters “bc1,” whereas Legacy addresses begin with a "1." For example: Bech32: bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq. Legacy: 157fRrqAKrDyGHr1Bx3yDxeMv8Rh45aUet.

Who uses SegWit? ›

Users of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges can easily verify with a quick Google search, that the exchange they are using supports SegWit transactions. However, SegWit's benefit to Bitcoin goes beyond simply making blocks smaller and making the network faster.

Can I send from Coinbase to native SegWit? ›

Coinbase allows sending to either wrapped or native segwit addresses. There is also visual validation of the address format.

Do all BTC addresses start with bc1? ›

For instance, every Bitcoin address starts with either 1, 3 or bc1. Ethereum addresses always start with 0x and are 40 characters in length, excluding the prefix. Just as there are several types of crypto wallets, there are also different types of crypto addresses, each of which functions uniquely.

How do I find my Bitcoin private key? ›

The bitcoin private key is just a number. You can pick your private keys randomly using just a coin, pencil, and paper: toss a coin 256 times and you have the binary digits of a random private key you can use in a bitcoin wallet. The public key can then be generated from the private key.

How long does a BTC wallet address last? ›

This address never expires, so just copy it and use it to receive Bitcoin from other wallets or Bitcoin ATMs. You can also generate a new Bitcoin address for extra privacy/security. You can create as many Bitcoin addresses as you want and use them any number of times.

What is the transaction format for SegWit? ›

A segwit-compatible wallet MUST support the original transaction format, as nVersion|txins|txouts|nLockTime . The witness is a serialization of all witness data of the transaction. Each witness field starts with a compactSize integer to indicate the number of stack items for the corresponding txin .

Did SegWit increase block size? ›

SegWit's Block Size Increase

SegWit introduced block weight, which replaced block size as the limiting factor for a block. Today, full blocks contain around 2700 transactions. Block size is a measure of the total number of bytes in a transaction. Before SegWit, this limit was set to 1MB, or 1 million bytes.

What is SegWit and how is it activated? ›

Segregated Witness, or SegWit, is a protocol implemented to fix transaction malleability which allowed for transaction IDs and hashes to be modified. SegWit virtually increases block size four times with the block weight concept. SegWit reduces transaction fees.

Is SegWit the same as Lightning Network? ›

SegWit solves Transaction Malleability, thereby enabling the Lightning Network, an overlay network of micropayment channels, hypothetically resolving the scaling problem by enabling virtually unlimited numbers of instant, low-fee transactions to occur "off chain".

What is the difference between BTC and BTC SegWit? ›

Legacy address is the original BTC address while SegWit is the newer address format with lower fees. SegWit means Segregated Witness, where Segregated is to separate and Witness is the transaction signatures involved with a specific transaction.

What is a Bitcoin address starting with 3? ›

You can identify the type of a bitcoin address by looking at the first letters of it. If it starts with "1", it's a legacy address. If it starts with "3", it's a P2SH address.

Do all Bitcoin wallets start with BC? ›

No, not all Bitcoin addresses start with 1. Bitcoin addresses can start with the numbers 1, 3, or bc1. Addresses that start with 1 are known as legacy addresses and were the original format used for Bitcoin addresses. Addresses that start with 3 are called P2SH addresses and are a type of multisignature address.

How long does SegWit take? ›

SegWit is basically a protocol upgrade for the Bitcoin blockchain network. The protocol upgrade found its roots in 2015 and primarily focused on addressing the problem of scalability in blockchain networks. The Bitcoin network takes around 10 minutes on average to validate every new block.

Can you identify someone by Bitcoin address? ›

Because someone's wallet address does not have to be anonymous but can be hard to find, a Bitcoin wallet address is called a pseudonym, an alias, which is different from someone's actual name. The data is not linked to an identity, but it is still possible to trace someone's identity or a pseudonym. 5.

Can you trace name with Bitcoin address? ›

However, this is not the case. Bitcoin, contrary to popular belief, is traceable. While your identity is not directly linked to your Bitcoin address, all transactions are public and recorded on the blockchain. So, while your name is not attached to your address, your address is attached to your transaction history.

Can you trace the location of a Bitcoin address? ›

A Bitcoin address by itself is not traceable, as there is no identifying information stored directly on the blockchain. But there are ways that the identity of an individual can be linked to specific wallets they own and transactions they have made. This is why Bitcoin is not anonymous — it's pseudonymous.

What is a SegWit wallet? ›

Segregated Witness (SegWit) refers to a change in Bitcoin's transaction format where the witness information was removed from the input field of the block. The stated purpose of Segregated Witness is to prevent non-intentional Bitcoin transaction malleability and allow for more transactions to be stored within a block.

Which of the Bitcoin addresses begin with digit 1 or 3? ›

Bitcoin Address Example

Bitcoin addresses are 26-35 characters long, consist of alphabetic and numeric characters, and either begin with “1”, “3”, or “bc1”.

What is BTC address on chain? ›

The Bitcoin address is always a long sequence of 25-34 alphanumeric characters and starts with digits 1 or 3. A regular Bitcoin blockchain address will look something like this: 1FGciu45rtjqwPlvxB7dnKrSMfeUczrTy5.

Does any BTC address start with 2? ›

A Bitcoin address is an identifier (like an account number), starting with 1, 3 or bc1 on the mainnet, containing 27-34 alphanumeric Latin characters and digits (except 0, O, I).

What wallets have BTC address starting with 2? ›

Addresses that start with "2" are regtest or testnet P2SH (legacy pay to script hash) similar to addresses that start with "3" on mainnet.

What is my BTC address name? ›

Where can I find my bitcoin address? You can find your Bitcoin Cash (BCH) or Bitcoin (BTC) address for receiving payments into your Bitcoin.com wallet by tapping "Receive" on the bottom toolbar of your wallet. Your address will be the long string of numbers and letters directly below the QR code for that address.

Which Bitcoin address should I use? ›

A legacy or P2PKH address is the traditional Bitcoin address, and even though it pioneered the bitcoin address system, its high transaction fees have made it less attractive to users. If privacy during transactions is a priority for you, you should use a taproot or BC1P address.

Why was SegWit a good idea? ›

Advantages of Bitcoin SegWit

Improved security: By solving transaction malleability, SegWit made the bitcoin network more secure and less vulnerable to attacks. It also made it easier to implement new security features in the future. Improved scalability: Scalability is the increase in the performance of a system.

What does native SegWit mean on Ledger Live? ›

Native SegWit accounts create Bitcoin deposit addresses starting with bc1q. Native SegWit accounts offer better protection against typos and are cheaper to spend from compared to SegWit or Legacy accounts. SegWit accounts create Bitcoin deposit addresses starting with a 3.

Which address holds the most Bitcoin? ›

Binance owns the largest cold storage wallet address, 34xp4vRoCGJym3xR7yCVPFHoCNxv4Twseo, which holds ​​248,597 BTC.

What percentage of Bitcoin transactions are SegWit? ›

The percentage of transactions using SegWit began to increase drastically in late 2019, from 40 percent in September to 60 percent in October 2019. In this article, we'll look at how SegWit works, discuss the adoption that SegWit has seen, and outline both the positives and negatives it brings to the Bitcoin network.

Why is SegWit cheaper? ›

One of the benefits of SegWit is that it allows for lower transaction fees when sending bitcoin. This is because the transaction fee is based on the fee rate and the size (in bytes, not monetary value) of the transaction, and SegWit reduces the effective size of a transaction.

Is it safe to buy crypto through Ledger Live? ›

Ledger Live makes the process of buying crypto secure, flexible, and easy. You can choose among different payment providers and methods, and once you buy crypto through Ledger Live it will automatically be sent to the safety of your Ledger hardware wallet.

Is my crypto stored on Ledger Live? ›

With the Ledger Live mobile app, you can manage more than 5,500 cryptocurrencies. While several crypto assets can be stored in your hardware wallet, they aren't supported on the Ledger Live app.

Is my crypto safe on Ledger Live? ›

Ledger hardware devices are the only crypto wallets that use Secure Element chip. It protects you and your private keys against the most common physical attack vectors, such as laser attacks, electromagnetic tampering, and power glitches. So no matter who has your device – your private keys cannot be compromised.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Ouida Strosin DO

Last Updated:

Views: 5856

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Ouida Strosin DO

Birthday: 1995-04-27

Address: Suite 927 930 Kilback Radial, Candidaville, TN 87795

Phone: +8561498978366

Job: Legacy Manufacturing Specialist

Hobby: Singing, Mountain biking, Water sports, Water sports, Taxidermy, Polo, Pet

Introduction: My name is Ouida Strosin DO, I am a precious, combative, spotless, modern, spotless, beautiful, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.