Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — Bitcoin's Payments Fork
Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin in 2017 with one goal: make peer-to-peer electronic cash work the way Satoshi originally described. Bigger blocks, lower fees, faster on-chain transactions. Whether it's the "real Bitcoin" or just a fork is crypto's oldest debate.
⚡ Quick Summary
- ✅BCH forked from Bitcoin on August 1, 2017 over the block size debate
- ✅32MB+ blocks enable more on-chain transactions at lower fees than BTC
- ✅Transaction fees are typically under $0.01 — vs Bitcoin's $1-10+
- ✅Same 21 million coin supply cap and halving schedule as Bitcoin
- ✅CashTokens upgrade (2023) added token functionality directly on-chain
- ✅All-time high: $4 355 (Dec 20, 2017)
Bitcoin Cash Price Statistics
BCH peaked near $4,355 during the 2017 mania. It remains a top market-cap coin but has declined significantly against Bitcoin since the fork.
| Metric | Price (USD) | Date / Period |
|---|---|---|
| Current Price | $340 | Refreshed on page load |
| All-Time High | $4 355 | Dec 20, 2017 |
| 1-Year High | $720 | Last 12 months |
| 1-Year Low | $260 | Last 12 months |
| 1-Month High | $380 | Last 30 days |
| 1-Month Low | $310 | Last 30 days |
| 5-Year Low | $76.93 | Dec 2018 |
| All-Time Low | $76.93 | Dec 15, 2018 |
Price data sourced from CoinGecko. Historical figures are approximate.
What is Bitcoin Cash?
To understand Bitcoin Cash, you need to know about the block size war — the most divisive debate in Bitcoin's history. It dominated Bitcoin from 2015-2017 and ultimately split the community in two.
The problem was simple: Bitcoin blocks were capped at 1 megabyte (1MB). As Bitcoin grew popular, blocks started filling up. When they're full, transactions compete for space — and fees skyrocket. In late 2017, Bitcoin transactions cost $50+ each. That's not "peer-to-peer electronic cash." That's just expensive.
Two camps formed: "Small blockers" argued that Bitcoin should keep blocks small and scale through second layers like Lightning Network — preserving decentralization. "Big blockers" argued that Satoshi intended for blocks to grow, and that on-chain scaling was simpler and proven. Neither side would budge.
On August 1, 2017, the big blockers did what anyone can do in open-source software: they forked the code. They copied Bitcoin's entire transaction history, increased the block size to 8MB, and launched Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Anyone who held BTC before the fork now had an equal amount of BCH. Two Bitcoins, two visions, two separate networks.
⚠️ Important distinction: Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin (BTC) are completely separate cryptocurrencies. They share history up to August 2017, but everything after that is independent. Sending BTC to a BCH address (or vice versa) can result in lost funds. Always double-check the network when making transactions.
Bitcoin Cash at a Glance
How Bitcoin Cash Differs from Bitcoin
BCH and BTC share the same foundation but have diverged significantly. Here's what makes them different:
📦 Bigger Blocks = More Transactions
Bitcoin processes about 7 transactions per second with its 1MB SegWit blocks. BCH's 32MB+ blocks can theoretically handle 100+ transactions per second on the base layer. More capacity = lower fees, because transactions don't have to compete for limited space.
💰 Sub-Cent Transaction Fees
A typical BCH transaction costs $0.01 or less. A typical Bitcoin transaction costs $1-10+ (and can spike to $50+ during congestion). This makes BCH usable for small payments — buying coffee, tipping, remittances — where Bitcoin's fees would exceed the transaction value.
🪙 Same Supply Cap
Both have exactly 21 million coins maximum. Both have the same halving schedule (block reward cuts in half every ~4 years). BCH's last halving was in April 2024. In terms of monetary policy, they're identical.
🎟️ CashTokens (2023)
BCH's most important upgrade in years. CashTokens adds fungible and non-fungible token support natively on the BCH blockchain — similar to what ERC-20 tokens are on Ethereum. This enables DeFi, NFTs, and more complex applications on BCH for the first time.
Bitcoin Cash Timeline
Bitcoin Cash forks from Bitcoin on August 1st. The chain split happens at block 478,558. BCH launches with 8MB block size — 8x larger than Bitcoin's 1MB blocks
BCH reaches all-time high of $4,355 during the crypto mania. Coinbase adds BCH support amid controversy about insider trading allegations
Bitcoin SV (BSV) forks from Bitcoin Cash in the "hash war" led by Craig Wright. BCH community splits but BCH retains majority support and the BCH ticker
BCH undergoes its own halving event, reducing mining rewards. Infrastructure tax proposal causes controversy but is ultimately rejected by miners
CashTokens upgrade goes live — adding fungible and non-fungible token support directly on BCH. This is the biggest protocol upgrade since the original fork
BCH halving in April. New adaptive blocksize limit (ABLA) activated, allowing blocks to grow dynamically based on demand. BCH rallies to $720 before correction
Bitcoin Cash vs Bitcoin vs Litecoin
| Feature | Bitcoin Cash | Bitcoin | Litecoin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block Size | 32MB+ (adaptive) | 4MB (w/ SegWit) | 4MB (w/ SegWit) |
| Avg. Fee | ~$0.01 | $1-10+ | ~$0.01 |
| Block Time | ~10 min | ~10 min | ~2.5 min |
| Max Supply | 21M | 21M | 84M |
| Smart Contracts | CashTokens | Limited (Script) | No |
| Market Cap | ~$6.8B | ~$2T | ~$6B |
| Mining Algo | SHA-256 | SHA-256 | Scrypt |
See also: Bitcoin (BTC) guide | Litecoin (LTC) guide
Where to Buy BCH
Bitcoin Cash is listed on virtually every major exchange — it's one of the oldest and most widely-traded altcoins. Check our exchange comparison guide for details.
Coinbase
0.50% feeListed since 2017
Read review →Binance
0.10% feeHigh BCH liquidity
Read review →Kraken
0.25% feeTop-tier BCH exchange
Read review →Bybit
0.10% feeSpot & derivatives
Read review →OKX
0.10% feeWeb3 included
Read review →Bitstamp
0.50% feeEU-regulated exchange
Read review →How to Store BCH
🔥 Hot Wallets
Electron Cash (desktop), Bitcoin.com Wallet (mobile), Exodus (multi-coin). BCH is widely supported — virtually any multi-crypto wallet handles it.
The "Real Bitcoin" Debate
You'll hear this argument a lot: "BCH is the real Bitcoin" vs "BTC is the only Bitcoin." Here's the honest take:
The BCH argument: Satoshi's whitepaper is titled "A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." With $10+ fees, Bitcoin can't serve as everyday cash. BCH, with sub-cent fees, is closer to Satoshi's vision of person-to-person payments without intermediaries.
The BTC argument: Bitcoin's value comes from its network effect, security, and decentralization — not just low fees. Keep blocks small → easier to run a full node → more decentralization → more trust. Lightning Network solves the fast payments problem on top of a maximally-secure base layer.
💡 Our take: The market has largely settled this debate. Bitcoin's market cap is ~300x larger than BCH's. That said, BCH is still a functional, maintained blockchain that's genuinely useful for cheap transactions. It doesn't have to be "the real Bitcoin" to have value as a payment network.
Pros and Cons of Bitcoin Cash
✅ Pros
- Very low fees — under $0.01 per transaction
- Same supply cap as Bitcoin — 21 million coins
- Proven technology — same SHA-256 PoW for 7+ years
- CashTokens — native token support since 2023
- Widely listed — available on all major exchanges
- Real merchant adoption — accepted at many points of sale
❌ Cons
- Won the battle, losing the war — BTC ratio declining since 2017
- Low hashrate — much less mining security than Bitcoin
- Small developer community — fewer builders than BTC
- Identity crisis — stuck between BTC and faster chains like Solana
- BSV fork drama — damaged BCH's reputation
- Roger Ver association — controversial figure turned criminal case
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bitcoin Cash in simple terms?
Why did Bitcoin Cash fork from Bitcoin?
Is Bitcoin Cash the same as Bitcoin?
Is Bitcoin Cash a good investment?
Is BCH faster than Bitcoin?
What is Bitcoin SV?
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