Bitcoin Address Checker & Validator
We built the Bitcoin Address Checker because the Bitcoin ecosystem has accumulated a confusing variety of address formats over the years — and people regularly mix them up with addresses from completely different blockchains.
Paste any string and we'll tell you exactly what it is: a Bitcoin address, a Lightning Address, a BOLT11 invoice, or an altcoin address you shouldn't be sending Bitcoin to.
🔍 Try the Bitcoin Address Checker →
What It Does
Identifies Every Bitcoin Address Format
Bitcoin has gone through four major address generations. Our checker recognizes all of them and explains the differences:
- Legacy P2PKH (
1...) — The original format from 2009. Base58Check encoded, 25–34 characters. Still works everywhere but has the highest transaction fees. - P2SH (
3...) — Pay-to-Script-Hash addresses, commonly used for multi-signature wallets and wrapped SegWit (P2SH-P2WPKH). Moderate fees. - Native SegWit (
bc1q...) — The most widely used modern format (Bech32, BIP-173). Reduces transaction fees by ~30–40% compared to legacy. - Taproot (
bc1p...) — The newest format, activated November 2021 (Bech32m, BIP-350). Best privacy, lowest fees, and Schnorr signature support for advanced smart contracts.
We also detect testnet variants (tb1q..., tb1p..., m..., n..., 2...) and warn you that these addresses can't receive real Bitcoin.
Validates Lightning Addresses in Real Time
If you paste something that looks like a Lightning Address (user@domain), we don't just say "this looks like a Lightning Address" and leave you guessing. We actually query the LNURL-pay server to verify it.
Here's what happens under the hood:
- We extract the
useranddomainfrom the address - We make a GET request to
https://<domain>/.well-known/lnurlp/<user> - We parse the LNURL-pay response and check for valid
callback,minSendable, andmaxSendablefields - If the server responds correctly, you'll see a green "Valid Lightning Address" confirmation
When the address checks out, we show you the details from the server:
- Min Sendable / Max Sendable — the payment range in satoshis
- Description — the text/plain metadata from the server
- Avatar — if the server provides a thumbnail image in the metadata, we display it
- Comment Allowed — whether the address accepts payment comments, and the character limit
If the server doesn't respond or returns an error, you'll see a clear "Not a Lightning Address" result instead of a misleading green checkmark.
Detects BOLT11 Invoices
Paste a BOLT11 invoice (lnbc..., lntb..., lnbcrt...) and we'll identify the network (mainnet, testnet, regtest) and offer a direct link to our Lightning Invoice Decoder where you can see the full invoice details — amount, destination, expiry, route hints, and more.
Catches Non-Bitcoin Addresses
This is where the tool really shines. People constantly paste the wrong kind of address into Bitcoin wallets. We detect and clearly warn about:
| Address Format | Starts With | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | 0x | ETH, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, BSC, Avalanche (EVM chains) |
| TRON | T | TRX, commonly used for USDT-TRC20 |
| Solana | (base58, 32–44 chars) | SOL and SPL tokens |
| Ripple / XRP | r | XRP Ledger |
| Litecoin | L, M, or ltc1 | LTC (legacy and SegWit) |
| Dogecoin | D | DOGE |
| Bitcoin Cash | bitcoincash: | BCH (cashaddr format) |
| Monero | 4 (95 chars) | XMR |
| Cardano | addr1 | ADA |
| Cosmos | cosmos1 | ATOM |
Every non-Bitcoin address gets a red badge, a warning not to send BTC to it, and context about what blockchain it actually belongs to.
LNURL Detection
LNURL strings (lnurl1...) are bech32-encoded URLs used for interactive Lightning payment flows. We identify these and explain the three common use cases: LNURL-pay, LNURL-withdraw, and LNURL-auth.
Shareable Links
Every check generates a shareable URL like:
https://rizful.com/check_bitcoin_address?address=bc1qw508d6qejxtdg4y5r3zarvary0c5xw7kv8f3t4
Copy and send it to someone so they can see the same result without re-entering the address.
Privacy First
All address identification happens entirely in your browser — no address data is ever sent to our servers. The only exception is Lightning Address verification, which requires querying the address's own LNURL-pay server (e.g., https://their-domain.com/.well-known/lnurlp/username). We never store or log these requests.
Need a Bitcoin Address?
If the checker tells you the address you have isn't Bitcoin, you can sign up at Rizful to get a free Bitcoin on-chain address and a Lightning Address — the fastest, cheapest way to send and receive Bitcoin.