Load planner
Decide per top-up: on-chain is channel-free but pays a miner fee and waits for confirmations; Lightning is instant and near-free where the card supports it.
About the Bitcoin Load Planner
For one top-up amount: what the on-chain network fee and confirmation time cost against a Lightning top-up - and which documented cards accept each rail.
How it works
- Enter the top-up amount.
- The planner compares the current on-chain fee estimate with Lightning routing costs and shows the break-even amount.
- It links each rail to the cards that document it, so the plan matches real products.
FAQ
Why does the rail matter?
On small top-ups the network fee can exceed the card's own fee - the rail decides whether frequent small loads are rational at all.
Where does the fee estimate come from?
From current network fee estimates at load time - it changes with mempool conditions, so treat it as a snapshot.
Is this free?
Yes - it runs in your browser.
Part of the bitcoin card tools set - all free, all client-side. The facts behind every number live on the card register and in our guides.