USDT on TRC-20, BEP-20, ERC-20 and layer-2: which network to offer customers

The same USDT lives on many networks. How they differ in fees, speed and audience, and how to pick the ones to offer at checkout.

USDT is one asset issued on many blockchains. For the customer it is the same dollars; for you the network decides the fee, the speed and how many customers can pay without moving funds first.

TRON (TRC-20)

A large share of USDT transfers happens on TRON, so many customers already hold USDT there. Blocks come about every three seconds. A TRON transfer burns TRX for energy and bandwidth, and it costs noticeably more when the receiving address does not hold USDT yet. Because of that the fee on small tickets can be high.

Comparison of USDT networks: TRON, BNB Chain, Ethereum and cheap networks

BNB Chain (BEP-20)

Low fees and fast confirmations. A good default for small and medium tickets, and popular with customers who trade on large exchanges.

Ethereum (ERC-20)

The most widely supported version, but gas makes small transfers expensive, so it suits larger amounts. Confirmation takes a few minutes depending on load.

Layer-2 and other cheap networks

Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Avalanche, Mantle, Solana and TON all offer low fees and quick confirmation. Solana and TON attract customers who pay from their own wallets in those ecosystems, TON in particular from Telegram.

How to choose

Offer TRON because customers hold USDT there, and at least one cheap network for small tickets.
Show the fee before the customer pays: it is the network cost plus the gateway margin, and it changes with the ticket size.
Decide who pays the fee, the merchant or the buyer, per merchant.

On CryBit the customer chooses the network on the payment page, so you do not have to pick one for everyone. Live fees for every network are on the pricing page.