How to Bridge to BASE? 8 Simple Ways (Expert Reviewed)

Are you searching for the most cost-efficient and secure ways to Bridge to BASE? After launch in August 2023, BASE has been the fastest growing chain in user and meme coin activity.

I have created this guide with the guidance of our experts with a decade of experience in finding and testing the eight best ways to bridge to BASE with the lowest gas fees.

List of BASE Bridges

Major BASE Bridges we have tested in our review include: 

1. Across Protocol: More than $4.1 billion total volume with six networks supported
2. Official Base Bridge: Supports BASE chain and Ethereum Mainnet
3. Orbiter Finance:  Supports 17+ Layer 2 networks with 3 million users
4. Rango Exchange: 60+ networks supported
5. RhinoFi: 14 major networks supported
6. Owlto Finance: 15+ networks supported
7. LayerSwap: 25+ networks supported
8. Squid: 63 networks supported

1. Across Protocol

Across Protocol is our recommended option among BASE Bridges as the fastest and lowest gas fees. It is a cross-chain bridge for Layer 2 networks, with over $4.1 billion in total volume and over 2 million base transactions.

Depending on your network, the fee can vary from only a few cents to $1. Users can bridge in and out of BASE using networks such as Optimism, Arbitrum, Ethereum, and zkSync, among many more. 

Additionally, the average fill time only takes around 60 seconds, compared to BASE’s official bridge, which can take 1-3 minutes.

Steps to use Across Protocol:

1. Go to Across Protocol.
2. Connect your wallet and select the native token and network.
3. Enter the amount you wish to transfer and confirm the transaction.
4. Wait around 60 seconds for the funds to arrive at Base.

2. Official BASE bridge

The native BASE team has provided the Official Base Bridge. It is one of the most secure ways of bridging to the BASE. However, a key drawback is that it only supports the Ethereum Mainnet, which can result in high fees from $5 to $50 when the network is busy. 

It takes only 1-3 minutes to transfer Ethereum to BASE. However, moving bridge assets back to the Ethereum mainnet takes approximately seven days.

Steps to bridge to BASE with the official Base Bridge: 

1. Go to the BASE Bridge website and connect your wallet at the top right.
2. The platform will automatically add the BASE network to your wallet – if not, visit the docs here to add it to your wallet.
3. Enter the amount of Ethereum you wish to bridge to BASE.
4. Review and confirm the transaction. Your ETH should arrive on the BASE chain in 1-3 minutes.

3. Orbiter Finance

Orbiter Finance is a fast, low-cost, decentralized layer 2 bridge supporting 14 networks. They have an average time of 45 seconds to bridge ETH to Base. 

Additionally, they charge a variable transaction fee ranging from 0.04% to 0.3%. 

How to Bridge to BASE with Orbiter Finance:

1. Visit Orbiter Finance and connect your wallet.
2. Once you have ETH on the network you want to send from, select it.
3. Select the network you want to select to
4. Enter the amount to send and confirm by clicking [Send]. Your funds usually arrive less than a minute. 

4. Rango Exchange

Rango Exchange is a multi-chain bridge platform supporting most cheaper chains like Arbitrum and BNB chains. This helps to bridge ETH at almost zero cost. 

It has an aggregation protocol for cross-chain and on-chain swaps. It supports transfers across 60 networks, with over $2.4 billion of total trade volume. The transaction fees and time differ based on the liquidity on each side of the trade. 

Here is how to Bridge to Base with Rango Exchange: 

1. Go to Rango Exchange.
2. Click Connect Wallet in the top right and choose from the chain you want to transfer.
3. In the “To” section, you choose “BASE” as the destination chain.
4. Select the coins you want to transfer and click “swap.”
5. Review the transactions and click confirm in your wallet.

5. RhinoFi

RhinoFi is a Layer 2 bridge that is focused on multi-chain token movement and offers a secure platform to transfer tokens. Transfers are successfully bridged to BASE within a transaction time of fewer than 60 seconds. 

Along with 13 other major chains, and periodically run offers for BASE transfers. For example, Rhinofi offered zero fees for the first 48 hours when BASE launched.   

Rhinofi’s fees are also competitive, ranging from 0% to 0.3%.  

6. Owlto Finance

Owlto Finance is a decentralized cross-rollup bridge focused on Layer 2 blockchains. Their bridge fee is 0.01%, while the pre-paid fee depends on the transferring assets involving Base and other native tokens. 

Users should expect a minimum processing time of at least 1 minute for Base transactions.

7. LayerSwap

LayerSwap helps to transfer Centralized Exchanges, blockchains, and banks. Their integration with Base has helped to provide quick and cost-effective crypto transfers.

Depending on the source and destination network, their service fee is $2 to $3 per swap. Their transaction time usually takes between 1 to 2 minutes.  

8. Squid

Squid allows swapping tokens between 63 blockchains within a single click. They currently don’t charge any fees involving BASE tokens. 

However, users must pay a gas fee on the source and destination chains, so bridging from Ethereum’s mainnet can be $30. 

Squid also has an impressive transaction time ranging from 0 to 20 seconds. 

Can I Bridge to BASE?

Yes, you can bridge to base from Ethereum and other EVM-compatible Layer 2 networks. Reliable cross-chain bridges can be used to connect wallets such as Metamask. 

Because of BASE’s integration with the OP Stack, there is a smooth integration with Ethereum’s EVM. As a result, the transfer experience is both convenient and secure. The most popular tokens that are moved include Ethereum, USDC, and DAI.  

What are the Network Fees for bridging to BASE?

Network fees for bridging are the funds required while bridging assets into and out of BASE. These fees vary depending on the blockchain network used and the complexity of the transaction.

For example, Ethereum-based bridges can have gas fees of up to $40, depending on network congestion. In contrast, Arbitrum and Optimism bridges typically charge lower fees than Ethereum, with fees as low as $0.10 per transaction.

However, lower fees are common for Layer 2 chains such as Polygon and Binance Smart Chain.

What Is BASE?

BASE is a low-cost and developer-friendly Ethereum layer 2 blockchain built by Coinbase. The platform is secured using Ethereum and is open-source. 

Their vision is to create “a bridge, not an island,” where they have a thriving Base ecosystem of other developers and users. 

Coinbase aims to have the next billion users enter the crypto economy by creating secure access to Ethereum L1 and other L2 networks. 

They also offer seamless integrations and access to its ecosystem’s millions of verified users.