Bitcoin transactions can sometimes get stuck due to network congestion. This is where Bitcoin transaction accelerators come into play. They help speed up transaction confirmations, ensuring your transactions are processed promptly.
With numerous options available, choosing a Bitcoin transaction accelerator platform can be a bit tricky, especially if you haven’t used one before. Broadly speaking, the main difference between these platforms is in the price and the availability of a free acceleration service.
In this article, we are going to explain when Bitcoin transaction accelerators are useful and which are the best options on the market.
List of the best Bitcoin accelerators in 2024:
BTC.com – Batch transaction acceleration with lowest fees
ViaBTC – Reputable but expensive Bitcoin accelerator service
BitAccelerate – Specialized BTC acceleration service
F2Pool – BTC accelerator by a leading mining pool
What is a Bitcoin transaction accelerator?
Bitcoin transaction accelerators are tools designed to expedite transactions on the BTC network. In practice, they are mostly used to help “unstuck” transactions that are low in the waiting queue due to a low transaction fee paid by the user. When the network is congested, and lots of transactions are essentially bidding to get confirmed as fast as possible, these low-fee transactions get pushed further down the queue in favor of transactions that carry a higher fee.
If congestion remains high for a prolonged period of time, low-fee transactions can get stuck for days or even weeks. The only way for them to be bumped up higher in the queue is to use a Bitcoin transaction accelerator, a platform that collaborates with Bitcoin mining pools and essentially pays a higher fee for the original transaction on behalf of the user. Obviously, the user must pay for this service (although limited free accelerator options exist).
Most Bitcoin accelerators work in the same way – here are a couple of steps you will have to take to accelerate your BTC transaction:
Go to the accelerator page of your choice.
Input your transaction ID (TXID).
Let the service provider asses your cost.
Deposit the acceleration fee via BTC or some other supported cryptocurrency.
Wait for the remaining confirmations to be carried out.
A typical Bitcoin transaction requires 1 to 3 confirmations, with each confirmation taking 10 minutes (which is the time it takes for a new Bitcoin block to be produced). Keep in mind that the number of confirmations associated with a Bitcoin transaction simply refers to the number of blocks that have been added to the blockchain since the transaction was first recorded.
Sats/vB refers to the number of satoshis paid per virtual byte of data in a Bitcoin transaction. Essentially, it’s the fee rate, indicating how much you're willing to pay per unit of transaction size. Higher sats/vB means a higher fee, which typically results in faster transaction confirmation. The lower the sats/vB, the more time it will take for a BTC transaction to go through (especially during high network activity).
The 4 best Bitcoin accelerators: Examining top services to “unstuck” your BTC transaction
In the following sections, we will examine what are, in our opinion, the best Bitcoin acceleration services available in the market today. For the purposes of this article, we analyzed an unconfirmed BTC transaction with a fee rate of 8.93 satoshi/vByte (the average network fee during the testing time was 22 satoshi/vByte, which meant that our transaction needed acceleration).
1. BTC.com – Batch transaction acceleration with lowest fees
You probably recognize BTC.com as one of the leading blockchain explorers and wallet solutions. However, the platform offers an acceleration service as well. Not only that, but the tool also offers several unique features. Probably the most interesting is the ability to accelerate a batch of transactions at the same time, which can save a lot of time and money, as the per-transaction costs amount only to about 10% of the traditional acceleration fee.
It’s worth noting that the tool provides some AI functionalities, which are used to determine the optimal fee that would suffice to expedite the transaction and get it confirmed as soon as possible. During our testing, the average Bitcoin acceleration rate was about $24 (0.0003876 BTC), which is less than other options on this list.
2. ViaBTC – Reputable but expensive Bitcoin accelerator service
ViaBTC is one of the leading cryptocurrency mining pools that also provides an accelerator service for Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin. During our testing, the average transaction fee to accelerate a BTC transaction was more than 0.002 BTC (over $120 at current market rates). This is certainly not the cheapest out of the options available in the market. However, ViaBTC's strong brand presence and reputable standing in the crypto market make it easy to recommend, especially if you are trying to bump a larger transaction.
It’s worth noting that ViaBTC also offers a free acceleration service, giving out 20 free accelerations each hour. However, the platform doesn’t necessarily promise that the acceleration will actually happen when using the free service as opposed to the paid option; instead, they clarify that using the free option will only increase the chances of a transaction being accelerated, so keep that in mind.
3. BitAccelerate – Specialized BTC acceleration service
BitAccelerate is a platform that is specifically designed for transaction acceleration. While the platform does offer a slew of additional features, such as transaction history, block history, and a fee checker, BitAccelerate is clearly focused primarily on accelerating transactions.
During our testing, accelerating a single transaction on the Bitcoin network cost about $59, which is significantly cheaper than ViaBTC but certainly not cheap per se. However, it’s worth noting that Bitcoin fees are currently higher than the multi-year average so that certainly plays a role in higher acceleration costs. BitAccelerate accepts payments in BTC, LTC, and USDT.
4. F2Pool – BTC accelerator by a leading mining pool
F2Pool is another major mining pool that offers acceleration services. The platform offers more than two dozen different mining pools for a variety of Proof-of-Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Kaspa, and more.
At the time of accumulating data for this article, a Bitcoin transaction acceleration fee hovered around $69 (0.00112800 BTC), which is in the middle of the pack among BTC accelerators. You can pay the fee in USDT, USDC, and ETH.
The bottom line
Choosing the right Bitcoin transaction accelerator can make a significant difference in your crypto experience. Services like ViaBTC, F2Pool, and BTC.com offer reliable options to ensure your transactions are processed promptly. Whether you opt for a free service or a paid option, these accelerators can help you navigate the often-congested Bitcoin network with ease.
If you are looking to save on transaction costs, it’s probably the best option to stay away from BTC for transferring value. Consider checking out the cheapest cryptocurrencies to transfer for more information.
