BitPay published a definitive confirmation speed reference covering all eight supported chains. The reference lets operators pick the right chain for any time-pressure scenario - from sub-30-second critical top-ups to 30-minute treasury moves.
The fastest tier: AVAX (under 30 seconds) and SOL (15-30 seconds). Both are suitable for time-critical top-ups - card balance recovery, same-day vendor payments, emergency fund additions. Network fees on SOL are sub-cent ($0.001-$0.01).
The medium tier: BNB Chain (15-30 seconds), Tron USDT (30-60 seconds), Polygon (1-2 minutes). Standard top-ups land quickly with low fees. These chains are the daily-driver choice for most operators.
The slow tier: ETH mainnet (1-5 minutes), LTC (5-15 minutes), BTC (10-30 minutes). Higher security guarantees, higher fees, longer waits. Suitable for treasury moves and large conversions where the wait is acceptable.
The reference includes typical network fees for each chain, recent congestion events, and recommendations for which chain to use in different scenarios. Updated quarterly to reflect network changes.
