Relay
Intent-based bridge and swap service where solvers fill cross-chain orders with their own capital.
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Relay key facts
| Category | Cross-chain bridge |
|---|---|
| Chains | EVM chains, Solana, Bitcoin and others |
| Platforms | Web, API, SDK |
| Custody | Non-custodial |
| Fees | 0.00% platform fee on token bridges; 0.01% to 0.15% on swaps; plus $0.02 flat execution cost and gas |
| Chains | 69+ networks |
| Security audits | Spearbit, Certora, Zellic |
| US availability | Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions |
What is Relay?
Relay is a cross-chain bridge and swap service in which solvers fill user orders on the destination chain from their own capital. Its docs list routes across 69+ networks. Plain token bridging carries a 0.00% platform fee; users pay a $0.02 flat execution cost plus destination gas.
How Relay works
Every Relay transfer starts with a quote.
The API, or the relay.link app on top of it, returns a route, expected output, fees and the exact steps to sign. You sign those steps, and for a cross-chain order a solver fills it on the destination chain from its own capital. Same-chain swaps run on the source chain with no fill. The docs give a median bridge time of 2.7 seconds.
Orders on the settlement protocol put your deposit in a Relay Depository contract. After filling, the solver submits attestations to an Oracle, which credits its balance on a Hub contract on the Relay Chain. An Allocator that signs with MPC then authorizes the solver's withdrawal from the Depository, but only up to its Hub balance. Relay supports EVM chains plus Bitcoin, Solana, Tron and Eclipse.
How to start with Relay
- Connect a wallet at relay.link, choose the source and destination chains and tokens, and sign the steps shown.
- You pay origin gas yourself unless the route is gasless.
- When you bridge a non-native token into an EVM chain, you can ask for a gas top-up so the recipient arrives with some native gas.
- Deposit addresses let you fund a route from a centralized exchange without connecting a wallet.
- Check the sending exchange first.
- Relay blocks transfers involving a published list of platforms that includes ChangeNOW, FixedFloat, HTX, CoinEx and Tornado.cash, and a deposit from one of them to a Relay deposit address will not complete.
- The same applies in reverse: a quote to a recipient address tied to a blocked exchange is rejected with a BLOCKED_WALLET_ADDRESS error.
Relay fees and limits
- The execution cost is a $0.02 flat fee plus the destination gas estimate, with origin gas added only on gasless routes.
- The platform fee is 0.00% on plain token bridges and same-chain wrap or unwrap, 0.01% on stablecoin swaps, 0.06% on major swaps such as ETH to SOL, and 0.15% on minor-asset swaps.
- Hyperliquid charges a $1 activation fee on new deposits, which Relay passes through to you.
A quote can include four parts. The swap cost covers DEX fees, price impact and solver rebalancing. Apps that integrate Relay can add their own app fee on top.
Risks to know before using Relay
- Depository contracts are non-upgradable and have no owner withdrawal function, and funds usually stay there for seconds to minutes.
- Their safety depends on the Allocator's signing authority: a compromised Allocator could authorize bad withdrawals, though it cannot create Hub balances.
- The Oracle is the main trust point, and a Security Council multisig can halt withdrawal proof generation.
- The bug bounty pays $500 to $100,000.
- Relay screens addresses against Chainalysis, HackBounty and its own blocklist.
- A flagged address can block a quote, and a screening failure at fill time does not trigger an automatic refund, so you would have to contact support for review.
- The docs state the platform makes no case-by-case exceptions for sanctioned entities, and the blocklist changes as screening data is updated.
Relay alternatives
Other projects people compare with Relay.
Cross-chain liquidity bridge built on LayerZero messaging, with pooled native assets on each connected chain.
Cross-chain swap and bridge protocol that routes transfers through its own S-chain and Octopool liquidity.
Cross-chain bridge using nUSD and nETH liquidity pools, canonical wrapping, CCTP and an RFQ relayer network.
Token bridge app built on the Wormhole messaging protocol, which is verified by a Guardian network.
Intent-based cross-chain bridge where relayers fill transfers and are repaid later from pooled liquidity.
Cross-chain bridge for stablecoin transfers between EVM and non-EVM chains, run as Allbridge Core.
Where Relay ranks on DappAtlas
Listed next to Relay
- Arbitrum Layer 2 network
Relay pros and cons
- 0.00% platform fee on plain token bridges
- Routes across 69+ networks per its docs
- Depository audited by Spearbit and Certora; settlement by Zellic
- Platform fee up to 0.15% on minor-asset swaps
- $0.02 flat execution cost plus destination gas on every transfer
- Depository withdrawals depend on the Allocator's MPC signing authority
Relay FAQ
What is Relay?
Relay is a cross-chain bridge and swap service in which solvers fill user orders on the destination chain from their own capital. Its docs list routes across 69+ networks. Plain token bridging carries a 0.00% platform fee; users pay a $0.02 flat execution cost plus destination gas.
Which chains does Relay support?
EVM chains, Solana, Bitcoin and others.
How much does Relay cost?
0.00% platform fee on token bridges; 0.01% to 0.15% on swaps; plus $0.02 flat execution cost and gas, according to Relay’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Is Relay available in the US?
Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions, according to Relay’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Does Relay hold my funds?
No. Relay is non-custodial: you keep your funds in your own wallet and sign each transaction.
Sources
- Relay: official site
- Relay: Cost and Fee Structure
- Relay: Supported Tokens and Routes
- Relay: Security and Audits
- Relay: Terms of Use
- Relay: How Relay Works
- Relay: Bridging and Onboarding
- Relay: Gas Top-Up
- Relay: Cost and Fee Structure
- Relay: Security and Audits
- Relay: Transaction Screening
- Relay: Unsupported Exchanges
- Relay: Bug Bounty Program
How this page works
Sources: Relay: official site, Relay: Cost and Fee Structure, Relay: Supported Tokens and Routes. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.