Free calculator
Lightning Network Fee Calculator
Lightning routing fees combine a flat base fee per hop with a proportional rate in parts per million. Enter the amount and the channel policies to see the total.
How routing fees are built
Every hop in a Lightning route sets its own policy: a base fee in millisatoshis charged per payment, plus a proportional fee in parts per million of the amount forwarded. Your wallet picks the cheapest route it can find with enough liquidity, so real totals vary between attempts.
- Hop fee = base fee + (amount x ppm / 1,000,000)
- 1,000 msat base fee = 1 sat
- 1,000 ppm = 0.1% of the amount routed
On top of routing, a hosted Lightning processor usually charges a percentage for invoicing, liquidity management and fiat conversion. Self-hosted node operators pay routing fees only, but absorb channel opening costs, capital lockup and uptime responsibility.
Frequently asked questions
- How are Lightning fees calculated?
- Each routing hop charges a base fee plus a proportional fee: base fee in millisatoshis plus amount multiplied by the ppm rate divided by 1,000,000. The route total is the sum across hops.
- What does ppm mean?
- Parts per million. A 1,000 ppm channel charges 0.1% of the routed amount, so 100,000 sats routed costs 100 sats in proportional fees at that hop.
- Why are Lightning fees so much lower than card fees?
- Lightning payments move balances along existing channels rather than settling through card networks and acquirers, so there is no interchange, scheme fee or chargeback risk premium priced in.
- Do Lightning payment processors charge on top?
- Usually yes. Custodial and hosted providers typically add 0.5% to 1%, or a flat monthly fee, for invoicing, liquidity and fiat conversion. Self-hosted setups pay routing fees only, plus their own node costs.
Other calculators
Satoshi Calculator
Convert between satoshis, bitcoin and fiat in one place. One bitcoin is always 100,000,000 satoshis, so the only variable is the price you enter.
Bitcoin Profit Calculator
Enter what you paid, what you sold for and the fees on each side. The calculator returns net profit, return on investment and the sell price you need to break even.
Bitcoin Transaction Fee Calculator
On-chain fees depend on transaction size in virtual bytes, not on the amount you send. Set the number of inputs and outputs, pick a fee rate, and see the cost.
Bitcoin Payment Fee Calculator
Compare the real cost of accepting one sale through cards, through a bitcoin processor and over Lightning. Enter the rates you have been quoted and see the difference per order and per month.
Crypto Network Fee Calculator
Every blockchain prices transactions differently. Pick a network, enter the fee in its native asset and the asset price, and see the true cost of a transfer in fiat and as a share of the amount sent.
USDT Transfer Fee Calculator
USDT lives on several networks and the same transfer can cost a cent or several dollars depending on which one you use. Pick a network or enter the fee quoted to you, and see the real cost per transfer and per month.
Solana Transaction Fee Calculator
Solana fees combine a tiny fixed base fee per signature with an optional priority fee that speeds up inclusion. Enter the transaction details and see the total in lamports, SOL and fiat.
Estimates only. Rates, network conditions and provider pricing change, so confirm figures with your processor before relying on them. Compare payment processors.