What a cross-chain swap does
Blockchains cannot read each other. USDC on Ethereum and USDC on Arbitrum are separate tokens on separate ledgers, and nothing on Arbitrum knows what happened on Ethereum. To move value between them, someone has to observe your deposit on the source chain and release funds on the destination chain.
A cross-chain swap packages that into one step. You sign one transaction on the network your wallet is on. A bridge or a solver takes it from there and sends the tokens you asked for to your address on the other network, often swapping along the way (ETH on Base into USDC on Arbitrum, for example).
The providers work differently. Relay uses solvers that pay you on the destination chain from their own funds and are repaid from your deposit, which is why many Relay routes complete in seconds. LI.FI is a bridge aggregator: it picks a bridge such as Stargate or Across and shows its name in the route. THORChain is a separate network with its own vaults and pools, used for native coins that have no smart contracts.
Routes you can take in ChainBridge
| Route | Providers | You send from | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVM network → EVM network | Relay, LI.FI | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Linea | Swap in the app |
| EVM network → native BTC, LTC, DOGE, BCH | THORChain | Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain, Avalanche | Swap in the app |
| Native BTC, LTC, DOGE, BCH → EVM network | THORChain | A Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin or Bitcoin Cash wallet | Quote only |
EVM destinations are the same eight networks plus zkSync Era. Sending native bitcoin needs a Bitcoin wallet, which ChainBridge does not connect to, so that direction shows a THORChain quote for reference only. For the native side, read how THORChain works.
How quotes are ranked
When you choose another network as the destination, ChainBridge requests quotes from every provider that serves the route at the same time and ranks them by net received: the value you get on the destination chain, minus the source-chain gas and any fee paid on top of your input. Bridge and solver fees are already deducted from the amount you receive. Routes you can execute rank above quote-only ones, and when two routes are equal the faster one wins.
What each route shows
- Amount received and minimum after slippage
- Provider fees and source-chain gas
- Any ChainBridge fee, stated in the quote
- Estimated delivery time
Fees
- Relay routes carry the same tiered platform fee as same-chain swaps
- Stablecoin to stablecoin on Relay: 0.01%
- The quote says when a route carries no ChainBridge fee
- Positive slippage stays with you
The best route is selected by default, and you can pick another one, for example a slightly smaller amount that arrives faster.
Step by step
Choose the destination network
On the receive side of the swap card, change the network next to the token. EVM networks and native chains (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash) are listed separately.
Pick the tokens and the amount
For a native chain, enter your address on that chain. It is validated, but a valid address that is not yours cannot be recovered: copy it from your own wallet.
Compare the routes
Check the amount received, fees and delivery time of each route before you continue.
Approve and sign
Tokens are approved for the exact amount, never unlimited. If the quote is about to expire, a fresh one is fetched before you sign.
Follow the transfer
A tracker shows each phase: waiting for the source transaction, in transit, then delivered, refunded or failed, with explorer links on both chains.
Tracking your transfer
Cross-chain transfers take from a few seconds to well over an hour, depending on the route. You do not have to watch them. Once the source transaction is sent, ChainBridge records it and polls the provider in the background: every few seconds for the first ten minutes, then every 30 seconds.
Tracking runs on every page of the app and resumes after a reload. You get a notification when the transfer is delivered, refunded or failed, and a warning if it is still in transit well past its expected time. The full record stays in your history.
When moving networks pays off
Liquidity and fees differ between networks, so where you trade matters as much as how. Three common reasons to move:
- Lower fees. If you trade often, the same swap costs cents on Arbitrum or Base and dollars on Ethereum. See layer 2 networks.
- Where the liquidity is. Some tokens trade mainly on one network. Buying where the pools are deepest means less price impact.
- Spreading risk. Funds on several networks are not all exposed to one chain outage or one protocol bug.
Every crossing has a cost, partly fixed. On a $50 transfer, gas and provider fees can be a few percent; on $5,000 they are usually a small fraction. Move less often, in larger amounts, and keep some gas token on the destination network for your next transaction.
Safety checks on every route
Bridges have been the target of some of the largest hacks in crypto, so cross-chain routes get extra checks before you sign:
- Known contracts only. For Relay and LI.FI, the contract you call and the spender you approve must be on a ChainBridge allowlist for that network, or the route is refused.
- Confirmed THORChain vaults. The deposit address must match on two independent THORNodes and the router must be a known contract; otherwise the route stays quote only.
- Exact approvals. You approve the amount of the swap, nothing more.