Lightning Network Fee Calculator
Free Lightning Network fee calculator. Compute routing fees with base + ppm rate per hop. Compare to on-chain Bitcoin fees and find break-even payment size.
Routing fees vary by path. Self-hosted nodes can route at near-zero cost. Custodial wallets typically charge 0.1-1% spread on top of LN fees.
How to use Lightning Network Fee Calculator
This Lightning Network Fee Calculator estimates what a Bitcoin payment costs to route across the Lightning Network instead of settling on-chain. Each forwarding node charges a fixed base fee plus a proportional rate, so the per-hop cost is base_fee + (amount times ppm divided by 1,000,000). It converts the base fee you enter in millisatoshis to sats (msat / 1000), adds the proportional part, then multiplies the per-hop fee by your number of hops to get the total routing fee in sats and in USD.
Alongside the total it shows the fee per hop, the fee as a percentage of the payment, and a rating from Negligible to High fee %. It then benchmarks against a typical on-chain transaction (assumed 28,000 sats, about 200 sats/vB on a 140-vB spend) and reports your percentage savings versus settling on layer 1. For converting any sat figure to dollars or another currency, pair it with our <a href="/converter/">crypto converter</a>.
Input guide and assumptions
Payment Amount (sats) is the value you are sending; Base Fee is entered in millisatoshis (1,000 msat = 1 sat) and represents the flat charge per channel; PPM Rate is the proportional fee in parts per million, so 100 ppm equals 0.01% of the amount; Number of Hops is how many forwarding nodes sit along the route; and BTC Price (USD) converts the sat fee into dollars. Quick-scenario presets cover Strike, Wallet of Satoshi, Phoenix, and a tiny tip.
The model assumes every hop charges the same base fee and ppm you entered, which is a simplification — real routes blend different node policies, and pathfinding may pick cheaper or more expensive channels. The on-chain comparison uses a fixed 28,000-sat estimate, so actual mempool fees vary with congestion. Self-hosted nodes can route at near-zero cost, while custodial wallets often add a 0.1–1% spread on top of the raw routing fee, which this tool does not include.
Understanding Lightning fee costs
Lightning Network fees follow a base + proportional formula per hop: total = base_fee_msat + (amount_sat × ppm / 1,000,000), where ppm = parts per million of the routing fee rate. A typical 3-hop payment of 100K sats with 1000 msat base + 100 ppm per hop costs about 33 sats — roughly $0.025 at $77K BTC, vs $20+ on-chain.
Routing economics matter: nodes set their own ppm rates based on liquidity and capital risk. Cheaper paths (sub-100 ppm) usually exist via hub nodes (Strike, ACINQ, Lightning Labs). Higher fees (500-2000 ppm) appear on small or rebalancing-needed channels. The wallet's pathfinder optimizes for cost — manual routing rarely beats automated paths in modern wallets.
Payment cost scenarios
Microtransaction use case: $5 (~6.5K sats at $77K BTC) tip via Lightning costs ~2-5 sats ($0.0015-0.004), feasible. Same payment on-chain costs $5-25 in fees alone — Lightning enables economic models impossible with base layer Bitcoin.
Strike/Wallet of Satoshi cross-payment scenario: typical 3-4 hops, 1 sat base + 200 ppm avg → 100K sat payment costs ~80 sats. Compared to on-chain at 30 sat/vB × 140 vB = 4,200 sats fee. Lightning is 50× cheaper for $77 payment, 1000× cheaper at $5 payments.
Risk and execution checklist
- Before sending Lightning payment: 1) Verify destination supports Lightning (look for invoice starting with 'lnbc'). 2) Confirm channel/wallet has sufficient outgoing capacity. 3) For amounts >$100, test with a $1 sub-payment first to verify path works. 4) Check current routing fees in your wallet's settings.
- For receiving large amounts: ensure incoming capacity exists (channels with remote balance). Most custodial wallets handle this transparently; self-custody wallets may need to open new channels or use submarine swaps if no inbound capacity.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using Lightning for amounts above your channel capacity. If you have 500K sats outbound capacity and try to send 600K sats, the payment will fail (no error tells you the cause clearly). Solutions: route via multi-part payments (MPP, supported by modern wallets) or open a larger channel.
- Comparing Lightning fees to on-chain dollar fees without accounting for hidden costs. Custodial wallets (Wallet of Satoshi, Strike) charge spread (0.5-2%) on conversions in addition to Lightning fees — so your $100 payment may cost $0.05 in pure LN fees but $1-2 in total custodial spread.
Lightning vs on-chain cost comparison
Typical Lightning fee benchmarks (May 2026): 100K sats payment = 5-50 sats fee (0.005-0.05%), 1M sats = 30-300 sats (0.003-0.03%), $1 payment = 1-5 sats (negligible). Compared to on-chain at 5-30 sat/vB: $1-10 per transaction regardless of amount.
Routing success rates: 95-99% for amounts under 500K sats, 80-90% for 1M-10M sats, drops sharply above 10M sats due to fragmented liquidity. For large payments, prefer on-chain or use a service that batches Lightning channels (Submarine Swap services like Lightning Loop).
Execution templates you can reuse
Workflow for sending: open Lightning wallet → paste invoice → review fee estimate → confirm. Modern wallets (Phoenix, Mutiny, Wallet of Satoshi) abstract the routing complexity — you just see total cost. For self-hosted (LND, CLN), verify pathfinder selected reasonable route in logs.
For receivers: generate Lightning invoice with explicit amount when possible (avoids 'amount-less' invoices that some wallets struggle with). Set invoice expiry (default 1 hour) to avoid stale invoices being paid by mistake. Use unique invoice per payment to track receipts.
Data hygiene and model maintenance
Monitor channel liquidity weekly: if outbound balance drops below 30% of channel size, plan rebalancing or opening new channels. Imbalanced channels reduce routing reliability and can trap funds (force-close fees can wipe out small channel balances).
Update wallet software regularly — Lightning protocol still evolves with new features (BOLT12 offers, async payments, splicing). Being on outdated wallet versions can mean failed routes through nodes that adopted newer protocol features.
Pre-payment fee verification
Quick fee math: payment 100K sats, 3 hops, 1 msat base + 100 ppm. Per hop: 1/1000 + (100K × 100/1M) = 0.001 + 10 = 10.001 sats. Total 3 hops × 10 = 30 sats fee. If your wallet shows materially different (>2× variance), it's selecting a non-optimal path — try a different time or check channel state.
Post-payment validation: invoice marked 'paid' in receiver's wallet within 5 seconds (Lightning is near-instant). If status remains pending after 30+ seconds, payment may be stuck in routing — modern wallets auto-cancel after 60-120 seconds and refund.
Authoritative sources
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Lightning Network transaction cost?
Lightning Network fees are typically 0.001% to 0.05% of the payment amount — orders of magnitude cheaper than on-chain Bitcoin. A 100,000-sat payment ($77 at $77K BTC) costs about 5-50 sats ($0.004-$0.04) total. For comparison, the same payment on-chain costs $1-10 depending on mempool congestion.
How are Lightning Network routing fees calculated?
Each routing hop charges a base fee (in millisatoshis) plus a proportional rate (in parts per million, ppm). A typical 3-hop payment with 1 msat base + 100 ppm averages 30-100 sats total for a 100K sat transaction. Modern wallets optimize routing automatically; you rarely beat them with manual paths.
Why did my Lightning payment fail?
Common reasons: (1) insufficient outbound capacity in your channels, (2) insufficient inbound capacity at the destination, (3) routing nodes offline along the available paths, (4) payment too large for any single path (try multi-part payments / MPP), or (5) invoice expired (default 1 hour). Most failures resolve by retrying after a few seconds.
Is Lightning Network cheaper than on-chain Bitcoin?
Yes, by 10-1000× depending on amount and network conditions. For small payments under $50, Lightning is the only economically viable option ($0.001 vs $1-5 on-chain). For payments over $10,000, on-chain becomes competitive due to Lightning routing complexity and channel size limits. Above $100K, on-chain is generally preferred.
What is the maximum Lightning payment size?
Technically up to 4,294,967 sats (~$3,300 at $77K BTC) per single path, due to a protocol limit. Modern wallets use multi-part payments (MPP) to split larger transactions across multiple paths, supporting payments up to several million sats reliably. Beyond $50K-100K, success rates drop and on-chain becomes more reliable.
Do custodial Lightning wallets like Wallet of Satoshi charge extra?
Yes, in addition to Lightning network fees, custodial wallets often add a spread (0.5-2%) on conversions and may charge withdrawal fees for moving sats on-chain. A $100 payment costing $0.05 in pure LN fees may cost $1-2 total when custodial markups are included. Self-custody (Phoenix, Mutiny) avoids these spreads.
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