changeSpark vs Lightning: which Bitcoin payment route do you need?
Understand Spark addresses, Lightning invoices and Bitcoin mainnet deposits before choosing an exchange or wallet payment route.
Two ways to use Bitcoin off-chain
Spark and Lightning both enable Bitcoin payments outside individual mainnet transactions. Their payment instructions and underlying mechanisms differ. Spark uses a shared-signing design with operators; Lightning uses payment channels. A wallet can expose more than one option, so choose by the receiving instruction rather than the BTC ticker alone.
Address or invoice: follow the receiving instruction
ChangeSpark accepts a Spark mainnet address for Spark BTC outputs and a Bitcoin mainnet address for ordinary BTC outputs. It does not currently offer a Lightning-invoice exchange direction. Do not paste a Lightning invoice into the Spark field. Use the address guide to select a supported route.
Interoperability does not make the routes identical
Spark’s documentation describes sending and receiving Lightning payments through Spark service providers. That can let a compatible wallet offer Lightning without exposing channel operations to its user. This is a capability of that wallet and integration, not a promise that every exchange accepting Spark also accepts Lightning invoices. Check the actual choices in the ChangeSpark catalog.
Compare the full cost and timing
A wallet transfer, a Lightning payment, a Bitcoin deposit and an exchange order can have different fees. Inspect the wallet’s estimate and the exchange quote separately. The time of a Spark transfer alone does not determine an end-to-end exchange that also needs incoming payment confirmation. The fees page explains ChangeSpark’s $100 minimum and order timing.
Choose the route your destination can receive
If the destination provides a Spark address, choose Spark BTC. If it provides a Bitcoin mainnet address, choose the Bitcoin route. If it only provides a Lightning invoice, use a wallet or service that explicitly supports paying that invoice. For moving mainnet BTC into Spark, compare the options in the Bitcoin-to-Spark bridge guide.