Best for: Mobile Lightning payments with auto-managed channels, POS tools, and podcast streaming.
Consider if: You want to accept sats in a shop or stream payments to creators without running nodes manually.
Not ideal when: You avoid cloud backups, need desktop access, or demand ultra-low inbound fees.
Gotcha: Cloud access alone is not enough—store the recovery key somewhere offline before using real funds.
Gotcha: Channel creation fees appear before you confirm; wait for lower mempool fees if the estimate is high.
Gotcha: Large payments may need more channel space—check your available balance before charging a big order.
Network routing fee (you set the max)
What happens:
Breez routes the payment over Lightning and finds the best available path.
Save money:
Set a reasonable fee cap and avoid paying during busy network periods when finding routes is harder.
Routing fees depend on the payment path. Breez lets you control the maximum fee under Preferences > Lightning Fees so you stay in budget.
0.4% of the amount + small base fee + current network mining fee
What happens:
Breez uses an LSP to open a channel on-the-fly. This incurs a ~0.4% setup fee (min ~2,000 sats) deducted from the incoming amount.
Save money:
Receive a meaningful amount on your first payment and wait for quieter network periods to reduce the mining fee portion.
The fee covers Breez funding a new channel on the Bitcoin network. It only applies when your wallet needs more receiving capacity.
0.5% swap fee + mining fee (via swap partner)
What happens:
Breez converts your Lightning balance into an on-chain Bitcoin transaction automatically.
Save money:
Combine withdrawals and wait for low-fee periods; swaps need at least 50k sats and cost more when the network is busy.
A swap partner handles the conversion for Breez. Expect a 0.5% service fee plus the current Bitcoin network mining fee.
No. Once your channel has capacity, receives are free apart from normal network routing fees; the 0.4% setup fee applies only when you need more receiving capacity.
Yes. Use Preferences > Lightning Fees to set your own caps so Breez will only send payments within your budget.
Wait for lower network fees or send the funds over Lightning instead—swaps to on-chain Bitcoin inherit the network's mining costs.
Invoices | Lightning Address | POS Mode
Breez routes Lightning invoices, pay links, and Lightning Addresses automatically and finds the best path for reliable delivery.
Gotcha: Very small payments under ~100 sats can fail because channel partners enforce minimum balances.
Automatic swap to Bitcoin address
Automatic swaps let you send Lightning funds to an on-chain address without leaving Breez.
Gotcha: Swaps carry a 0.5% service fee plus network mining costs and need at least 50k sats.
Invoices | Pay links | Auto-opens channels
Breez opens channels instantly so you can accept payments without setting up capacity yourself.
Gotcha: Channel setup fees apply when you need more capacity; you'll see the fee before confirming.
Podcast Player | V4V | Boostagrams
Breez includes a full podcast player that lets you support creators directly with Value for Value streaming.
Gotcha: Good for: Supporting the circular economy directly.
Choose: When your original device is lost or retired.
Tips: Test the recovery flow with a small balance before storing large funds so you know the process.
Gotcha: Running Breez on two phones at once can desync channels—shut down the old device after the restore.
Choose: When you want Breez automation but currently use another Lightning wallet.
Tips: Leave both wallets open during the transfer so routes stay active and invoice timers do not expire.
Gotcha: Expect Breez to charge the 0.4% setup fee if the transfer needs fresh receiving capacity.
Choose: When you plan to cold-store funds on-chain.
Tips: Check mempool fees before closing channels and target cheaper periods to save on miner fees.
Gotcha: Force-closing channels is slower (up to ~5 days) and costs more—reserve it for emergencies.
Choose: When you want to switch to a different Lightning client.
Tips: Move funds in batches if routes fail; Breez’s mission control improves with retries.
Gotcha: Remember to update any POS terminals or podcast splits to the new wallet’s Lightning Address.
No. Backups are encrypted on your device before upload; the provider stores encrypted data and cannot read your balances without your recovery key.
Yes. Configure a custom node in Preferences > Network to reduce reliance on Breez's default service.
Use the Close channels option to move funds to on-chain. Settlement happens after the standard safety period of about 5 days.
Breez is a beginner-friendly Lightning wallet designed to make everyday bitcoin payments effortless on mobile. The app runs a Lightning node behind the scenes, pairing a simple interface with automati...
Breez is a beginner-friendly Lightning wallet designed to make everyday bitcoin payments effortless on mobile. The app runs a Lightning node behind the scenes, pairing a simple interface with automatic channel management so anyone can spend or receive sats in seconds.
Breez passes along the network's routing fees (like a toll) and lets you cap them under Preferences > Lightning Fees; the app itself doesn't add extra charges to everyday sends.
Breez automatically sets up a new channel for you and charges 0.4% of the amount plus the current Bitcoin network fee when more capacity is needed.
Each time you make a payment or generate an address, Breez encrypts your channel data and saves it to your cloud account (Google Drive, iCloud, Nextcloud, or any WebDAV provider) so you can restore everything if you lose your phone.
Install Breez on your new device, sign in with the recovery key and cloud account you set up, then keep the app open while it downloads your backup and rebuilds your channels.
Yes. Breez uses submarine swaps so you can receive to a Bitcoin address or send out to on-chain wallets while keeping a single Lightning balance.
