When buying bitcoin on Aureo, you can choose to receive your bitcoin either on-chain or via the Lightning Network. Here is the difference.
On-chain
Standard Bitcoin network address. Starts with bc1, 1, or 3.
Speed: 10–60 minutes (1 network confirmation)
Compatibility: Universal — works with any bitcoin wallet
Best for: Large amounts, long-term storage, or hardware wallets
Lightning Address
Lightning Network payment address in the format [email protected] (similar to an email address).
Speed: Instant (seconds)
Compatibility: Requires a Lightning-compatible wallet (Wallet of Satoshi, Phoenix, Muun, etc.)
Best for: Fast bitcoin delivery, small to medium amounts
Quick comparison
| On-chain | Lightning |
Speed | 10–60 min | Instant |
Compatibility | All wallets | Lightning wallets |
Large amounts / cold storage | Recommended | May have limits |
Small amounts / fast | Works | Recommended |
Important: receive address vs payment invoice
When buying bitcoin, you must provide a receive address (on-chain or Lightning Address). Do not use BOLT11 invoices (they start with "lnbc...") as a receive address — they expire and Aureo cannot send bitcoin to an expired invoice.
When selling bitcoin, Aureo generates a BOLT11 invoice that you pay from your Lightning wallet. This is different — in that case you do use a BOLT11 invoice.
How to update your address in Aureo
On the Buy Bitcoin page, select the option to edit your payout address.
Enter your new Bitcoin address or Lightning Address.
Confirm that you own and control the address.
Select Save address.