Bitcoin's speed problem

Bitcoin is built for permanence. A transaction on Bitcoin's blockchain is final and tamper-proof — but that process takes time. A typical on-chain transaction takes 10 minutes for first confirmation. Bitcoin also processes about 7 transactions per second globally; Visa handles 24,000. At current scale, on-chain Bitcoin can't serve the volume of global everyday commerce.

The Lightning Network is the answer built by Bitcoin's developers. It solves both problems without changing anything about Bitcoin's base layer — its security, its supply, its rules.

Hodl says
Think of Bitcoin's base layer as the international wire transfer system — slow, expensive, rock-solid for large settlements. Lightning is like your debit card — instant, cheap, built on top of the same underlying system but designed for everyday use.

What Lightning actually is

The Lightning Network is a second layer built on top of Bitcoin — a network of payment channels where most transactions happen off-chain. Two parties open a shared channel by committing Bitcoin to a joint address on-chain (one transaction). They then send payments back and forth instantly, as many times as they want, with no on-chain fees. When done, they close the channel — one more on-chain transaction — and the final balance settles to the blockchain.

You don't need a direct channel with everyone. Payments route automatically — A → B → C — as long as there's a connected path.

⚡ Lightning vs on-chain Bitcoin

On-chain Bitcoin: ~10 minutes · $1–5 network fee · globally settled · permanent

Lightning: <1 second · fractions of a cent · instant finality · best for everyday commerce

Why this matters for merchants

Speed: A Lightning payment completes in under a second — comparable to tapping a card. For a busy counter, this is the difference between crypto being a curiosity and a viable payment method.

Tiny fees: Lightning fees are typically 1–10 satoshis — fractions of a cent. A $3 coffee paid on-chain with a $2 fee is a bad deal. The same over Lightning costs less than a cent.

Privacy: Individual Lightning payments don't appear on the public blockchain — only channel opens and closes are on-chain.

Wallets that work with Lightning

⚡ Live in OrangeTill

Lightning Network is available in OrangeTill right now. Accept instant Bitcoin payments with sub-cent fees directly from the OrangeTill interface — no separate Lightning node required.

OrangeTill supports Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Your customer chooses their preferred method — you just show them the QR code.

Is Lightning the same Bitcoin, or a different coin? ▼
Same Bitcoin, different rail. Lightning payments are denominated in satoshis and ultimately settle on the Bitcoin blockchain when channels close. There's no "Lightning coin" — it's a faster layer on top of the same network with the same 21-million supply.
Can a Lightning payment be reversed? ▼
No. A completed Lightning payment is final — there's no chargeback mechanism, just like on-chain Bitcoin. The atomic routing design means a payment either completes fully or fails entirely.
What if the Lightning Network goes offline? ▼
Lightning is distributed — there's no single server to go offline. If your wallet's connection drops, the payment fails gracefully and no funds are lost. On-chain Bitcoin always remains available as a fallback.

Lightning is live in OrangeTill.

Instant Bitcoin payments, sub-cent fees, no setup required on your end. Try OrangeTill free and accept Lightning today.

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