Types of bitcoin: BTC and the look-alikes
There's only one Bitcoin, but plenty of things with bitcoin in the name, and mixing them up is one of the easiest ways to lose money.
There's one original Bitcoin, ticker BTC, on the Bitcoin network. Everything else called bitcoin is one of three things: a separate coin that split off from it (forks such as Bitcoin Cash, BCH, and Bitcoin SV, BSV); a token on another blockchain that represents BTC held by someone else (wrapped bitcoin such as WBTC); or a way to hold BTC indirectly (Lightning balances and spot bitcoin ETF shares). They are not interchangeable, and sending one on the wrong network can lose it.
The main types at a glance
| Name | What it is | Is it real BTC? |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | The original network and coin, launched in January 2009 | Yes |
| Lightning sats | BTC moved on the Lightning Network, a payment layer on top of Bitcoin | Yes, but held in payment channels rather than in regular on-chain addresses |
| Bitcoin Cash (BCH) | A separate coin from a split (hard fork) on August 1, 2017, over block size | No, a different coin |
| Bitcoin SV (BSV) | A further split from Bitcoin Cash in November 2018 | No, a different coin |
| Wrapped bitcoin (WBTC, cbBTC and others) | Tokens on Ethereum and other chains, backed by BTC that a custodian holds | No: a claim on BTC, so you rely on the custodian |
| Spot bitcoin ETFs (IBIT, FBTC and others) | Funds that hold BTC; you buy their shares in a brokerage account | No: you own fund shares, not coins |
Bitcoin (BTC)
The original. BTC is its ticker symbol, the way a stock has a ticker (see what BTC stands for). It lives on the Bitcoin blockchain, and addresses usually start with bc1, 1 or 3. Its smallest unit is the satoshi: 1 BTC = 100,000,000 sats. Only BTC on the Bitcoin network is the asset that the price on our bitcoin price page refers to.
Forks: Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV
In 2017 Bitcoin's community split over how to scale. One group wanted much bigger blocks for cheaper payments and, on August 1, 2017, started a separate chain: Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Anyone who held BTC at the moment of the split also received the same amount of BCH. In November 2018 Bitcoin Cash split again, creating Bitcoin SV (BSV). Both are independent coins with their own networks, miners and prices, each worth a small fraction of BTC. Many other forks with "Bitcoin" in the name have since faded away.
Wrapped bitcoin
Wrapped bitcoin brings BTC's value onto other blockchains, mainly so it can be used in DeFi apps on networks such as Ethereum. A custodian holds real BTC and issues a matching token on the other chain: WBTC (since 2019), Coinbase's cbBTC (since 2024), and others. Some exchanges also offer "BTC" on other chains, such as BNB Chain.
A wrapped token is only as good as the custodian or system behind it. If the custodian fails, is hacked or refuses to redeem, the token can trade below BTC or become worthless. On Ethereum, wrapped BTC sits at an Ethereum-style address starting with 0x, not a bitcoin address.
Lightning sats
The Lightning Network is a second layer on top of Bitcoin for small, fast payments. You lock BTC into a payment channel, then send sats back and forth instantly for tiny fees; the final balances settle on the Bitcoin blockchain later. Lightning sats are real BTC, but a Lightning payment request (an "invoice", usually starting with lnbc) is not an on-chain address, and a wallet has to support Lightning to pay or receive one. More in how the Lightning Network works.
Spot bitcoin ETFs
Since January 2024, US investors can buy shares of spot bitcoin ETFs, such as the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), in an ordinary brokerage account. The fund holds the BTC; you hold shares, pay a yearly fee, and can't send or spend the coins. A share's price is not the price of one bitcoin. See Bitcoin ETFs explained.
How to avoid mixing them up
- Check the ticker and the network on every withdrawal. Exchanges often offer the same coin on several networks. Pick the one the receiving wallet supports, not the cheapest one by default.
- Addresses can look alike. Bitcoin Cash still accepts the old style of address that starts with
1or3, and Bitcoin SV uses addresses starting with1, the same as some Bitcoin addresses. So an address that "looks like Bitcoin" may belong to another network. Bitcoin Cash's newer addresses start withbitcoincash:orq. - Send a small test amount first to any new address or service, and wait for it to arrive.
- When buying, check the exact ticker. Scam and copycat tokens use names like "Bitcoin 2.0" or "Bitcoin Gold Plus". Unless it's BTC on the Bitcoin network, it isn't bitcoin.
- If something has already gone wrong, see sent crypto to the wrong network. Sometimes it can be recovered, often it can't.
Convert between BTC and sats exactly with the unit converter, or compare the forks in Bitcoin vs. Bitcoin Cash.
Frequently asked questions
What does BTC stand for?
It's the ticker symbol for bitcoin, taken from the letters of the name, and used by exchanges the same way a stock has a ticker. Some platforms use XBT.
Is Bitcoin Cash the same as Bitcoin?
No. It's a separate coin that split from Bitcoin in 2017 and has a much smaller value. Sending BCH to a BTC address, or the reverse, can lose the coins.
What's the difference between wrapped bitcoin and bitcoin?
Bitcoin (BTC) lives on the Bitcoin network and you can hold it yourself. Wrapped bitcoin is a token on another blockchain that represents BTC held by a custodian, so it carries the custodian's risk too.
Are Lightning sats real bitcoin?
Yes. They're BTC moved over the Lightning Network, a payment layer built on Bitcoin. But Lightning invoices and on-chain addresses are different, and your wallet must support Lightning.
Is a bitcoin ETF a type of bitcoin?
No. It's a fund that holds bitcoin. You own shares, not coins, and you can't send them to a bitcoin wallet.
Where to next
Sources
- Bitcoin Cash (Wikipedia)
- Bitcoin SV (Wikipedia)
- Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC)
- Lightning Network (Bitcoin Wiki)
- Satoshi (unit), Bitcoin Wiki
- SEC statement on spot bitcoin ETPs (January 10, 2024)
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed November 4, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.