TRC20 vs BEP20 vs ERC20: which USDT network should you use?

One name, six separate tokens

USDT exists on many blockchains, and on each one it's a separate token contract with its own balances. A USDT balance on TRON is a record in a contract on TRON; Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain and the others can't see it. That's why TRC20 USDT can't be sent to a BEP20 address: a transfer only ever moves tokens within one blockchain.

The labels are token standards. TRC20 is TRON's, ERC20 is Ethereum's, and BEP20 is BNB Smart Chain's, which copies ERC20. Polygon, Arbitrum and Base use the ERC20 standard too, so exchanges usually name them by network instead: Polygon (or Polygon PoS), Arbitrum One and Base. Solana's tokens are called SPL tokens.

Not every version comes straight from Tether. USDT on BNB Smart Chain is a Binance-Peg token, which BscScan labels BSC-USD. On Arbitrum and Polygon, USDT was upgraded in 2025 to USDT0, a cross-chain version of USDT, at the same contract address. Wallets and exchanges still call them all USDT. The contract address is what tells them apart.

The seven networks side by side

Each card shows the token standard, what a receiving address looks like, the coin that pays network fees, the block explorer, and the USDT and USDC contracts as our liquidity partner lists them. Copy a contract when you need to add the token to a wallet or check a transaction.

How to tell the addresses apart

• TRON: starts with a capital T and is 34 characters long. Of the seven networks, only TRON uses this format.
• Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum and Base: 0x followed by 40 characters, each 0–9 or a–f (upper or lower case). All five share this format, and a self-custody wallet like MetaMask or Trust Wallet uses the same 0x address on every one of them.
• Solana: 32 to 44 letters and numbers, with no fixed prefix. Other address types can look similar at a glance, so copy it straight from a Solana wallet or from an exchange's deposit page with Solana selected.

A 0x address doesn't say which network it's for. The network you pick when you send decides where the tokens go. Pick the wrong one and they land at the same address on another chain: easy to fix in your own wallet, harder at an exchange. See what to do if you sent USDT on the wrong network.

Fees, in short

Each network's fee moves with its own demand, so a fixed number you read online goes stale fast. Broadly, Ethereum mainnet has been the dearest, TRON depends on whether your account has energy, and BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base and Solana are usually cheap. Which USDT network is cheapest shows how to check today's fee yourself.

On Flipperr, the network fee for sending to you is already inside the “You get” estimate, so set the form to each route you're considering and compare that number. Your exchange or wallet charges its own fee to send the deposit.

Which network should you use?

The one the receiver accepts. That's the rule that matters most: an exchange deposit page, a prop firm or an app tells you which networks it takes, and a deposit on any other network may never be credited.

When the choice is yours, think about what happens next:

• Moving it again from your own wallet? You'll need that network's gas coin: TRX, BNB, ETH, POL or SOL. Pick a network whose coin you have or can get. Which gas coin, and how to get some.
• Sending to an exchange? Use a network its deposit page lists. Exchanges pay the gas when you withdraw and charge a withdrawal fee instead.
• Need USDC rather than USDT? It's on six of the seven networks, not TRON, and USDT is on six too, not Base. See USDT vs USDC.

If your USDT is on one network and the receiver wants another, it has to be swapped across. How cross-chain USDT swaps work explains the options, or go straight to a route:

Which USDT network is TRC20?

TRC20 is USDT on the TRON network. Exchange menus may call it TRX, TRON or TRC20, and its addresses start with a capital T. It isn't the TRX coin: TRX pays TRON's network fees, and a USDT withdrawal on a network labelled TRX still sends USDT.

Network names and labels that trip people up

Exchanges and wallets name the same network in different ways. These are the names you're likely to meet in a withdrawal or deposit menu for each of the seven:

A few labels cause most of the mix-ups:

• BEP2 vs BEP20. BEP2 was the token standard of BNB Beacon Chain, which shut down in November 2024; its addresses started with bnb. BEP20 is BNB Smart Chain, with 0x addresses. They aren't interchangeable.
• MATIC vs POL. Polygon PoS switched its gas coin from MATIC to POL in September 2024. Apps that still say MATIC mean the same network.
• Polygon PoS vs Polygon zkEVM. zkEVM was a separate network, and Polygon shut it down in July 2026. Flipperr's Polygon is Polygon PoS.
• Arbitrum One vs Arbitrum Nova. Different chains with separate balances. Flipperr supports Arbitrum One.
• ETH on Arbitrum or Base vs ETH on Ethereum. Same coin name, different networks. Fees on Arbitrum One are paid in ETH that's on Arbitrum One, and fees on Base in ETH that's on Base.
• USDT0. A name some wallets and explorers may show for USDT on Arbitrum and Polygon since the 2025 upgrade (Polygon's announcement). It's the same contract, listed above.
• BSC-USD. BscScan's name for USDT on BNB Smart Chain. It's the token your wallet calls USDT.
• Optimism and other 0x networks. Exchanges list many networks that use 0x addresses. For USDT and USDC, Flipperr supports five of them: Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum One and Base (USDC only).