I have been using Across Bridge for many years because I am a user who uses DeFi a lot. I personally use bridges to transfer liquidity from one chain to another (layer1 and layer2), avoiding centralized exchanges. After the collapse of FTX I avoid using exchanges and use them only for exceptional cases. I have been using Across since 2022 and have done over 50 bridges:
I had never used Straddl but always and only Across. I wanted to try it. Basically it seems to me a fork of Across itself that uses its functions and features. We can consider it even more basic than Across itself and designed only to bridge assets. You can notice the extreme speed of transfer from one chain to another!
WHY DO I USE ACROSS?
Let's start by saying that Across is a cross chain bridge that supports Ethereum mainnet and the main layer2: Zksync, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Mode, Scroll, Zora, Blast, etc
If you need to switch from one chain to another it is useless to use centralized exchanges, you can simply use a bridge by connecting your wallet (for example Metamask). If you have never used it, keep in mind that if you do not have gas on the destination chain, you should directly bridge Eth (which acts as gas on all layer2). You could also transfer Usdc or Usdt. By paying small fees (less than $0.10 if you move from one layer2 to another layer2), in about 0.10-1 minute you will have your liquidity on another chain without having to send to an exchange (exchanges are also more expensive: for layer2 you will pay about $1 for withdrawal).
There are 4 sections:
♦bridge (where you transfer your assets: for example Zksync --> Arbitrum )
♦pool (to put your liquidity to work: Eth, wBtc, Usdc, Usdt, Dai, Bal, etc)
♦rewards (we will see below)
♦transactions (summary of all your transactions)
An interesting feature is rewards: some chains are incentivized so by transferring liquidity you will receive rewards in Op token (this applies to some "origin chains" including Optimism, Zora, Mode, Base, etc) and in the past there was also Arb (governance token of Arbitrum). You just have to press the "claim" button and you will receive them on your address. This means that in these cases the fees are refunded to you in Op/Arb tokens and you could even make a profit!
There is also the possibility of using liquidity pools by putting your assets to income (the % comes from a part of the fees that the bridge generates). I also received free airdrop of Acx (native token) because I used Across when it didn't have a Governance token, if I remember correctly it was late 2022. I staked my airdrop because I have always considered the market cap of the newly released token to be terribly undervalued.
FEATURES AND COMPARISON WITH OTHER BRIDGES
In this paragraph I would like to highlight the main technical features and compare with other bridges.
✅Speed: transactions are very fast compared to other bridges thanks to the infrastructure that uses a "relayer" to finalize transactions.
✅Costs: fees are very low and are made possible by efficient management of network resources that minimize gas costs.
✅Security: transactions are validated retroactively to identify any anomalies or attack attempts.
✅User-friendly interface and compatible with popular wallets (for example Metamask or Phantom), making asset transfer intuitive and easy even for non-expert users.
I can say, having used any type of bridge, that Across beats everyone in terms of speed and cost-effectiveness (where Across can improve is the use of a less centralized relayer). For example, it is faster and cheaper than Wormhole, Hop Protocol and Connext. A technology that has achieved economy and speed is LayerZero with Stargate but it is still slightly more expensive and slower than Across. Wormhole with the "guardians" system is more decentralized but in 2022 it suffered a huge hack where hundreds of millions of dollars were stolen. As for supported EVM chains, Across wins, but Wormhole guarantees interoperability with Solana. Across is one of the fastest and cheapest bridges: you also notice this when you use bridge aggregators like Jumper, where in most cases Across is recommended as the most convenient route. As you can see in the photo below, Jumper aggregator recommends the Across bridge as a route. In the comparison, test were performed with:
♦Stargate (LayerZero)
♦MayanSwap (Wormhole)
♦Symbiosis
♦Connext
♦Hop Protocol
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ultimately, if you are looking for cheap, fast and immediate transactions... Across is the best solution. Stargate (LayerZero) is close in terms of economy but is slower, MayanSwap (Wormhole) is more expensive. They also do not offer incentives in Op or Arb, unlike Across. My opinion is absolutely objective, as I said I have over 50 bridges on Across since 2022, if I didn't like this dapp I would use something else. Avoid using centralized exchanges: it is old stuff. The crypto world is evolving more and more into DeFi: AMM, decentralized exchanges and bridges like Across are the preferable solution in terms of scalability and ownership of your assets!
SOCIAL CONTACTS
AcrossProtocol (X-Twitter)
AcrossProtocol (Discord)
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My social contact: DeBank, X (Twitter), Farcaster, Lens Protocol.
