Bridge Comparison

Comparing Libre CrossLink to other Bitcoin bridge solutions such as THORchain and Liquid

Comparison with Other Bridge Solutions

Libre CrossLink represents a significant advancement over existing Bitcoin bridging solutions, offering unique capabilities and advantages:

CrossLink vs. Liquid Sidechain

Feature	Libre CrossLink	Liquid
Consensus Mechanism	Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS)	Federated Sidechain
Smart Contract Support	Full Turing-complete WASM	Limited (Simplicity language)
Decentralization	Higher (permissionless validators)	Lower (federated model)
Vault Functionality	Individual segregated vaults	No individual vaults
Programmability	Full smart contract integration	Limited programmability
Speed	~1 second block times	~1 minute block times
Fee Structure	Transaction fee based	Transaction fee based

Liquid is a federated sidechain requiring trust in a small federation of participants, whereas CrossLink uses threshold signatures across a broader set of permissionless validators, enhancing security and decentralization.

CrossLink vs. THORchain

Feature	Libre CrossLink	THORchain
Cryptographic Approach	MPC-TSS with smart contract coordination	Rotating TSS nodes
Primary Focus	Bitcoin-Libre bridge and BTC vaults	Multi-chain DEX and swaps
Smart Contract Capabilities	Full Turing-complete environment	Limited programmability
Individual Vaults	Yes, per-user vault addresses	No individual vaults
Transaction Types	Bridge transfers and programmable vaults	Primarily token swaps
Fee Economics	BTC and USDT fees to validators	RUNE-based economic model
Collateral Architecture	Native BTC as collateral	Requires RUNE bonding

While THORchain also uses TSS technology, Libre CrossLink's integration with Libre's full Turing-complete smart contract platform enables significantly more complex and powerful DeFi applications. THORchain focuses primarily on cross-chain swaps, while CrossLink provides both bridging and advanced vault infrastructure.

CrossLink's Unique Advantages

1. Dual-purpose architecture - Both a bridge and a vault system

2. Full programmability - Leverages Libre's complete WASM-based smart contract capabilities

3. Segregated custody - Individual vaults with complete asset separation

4. Unwrapped BTC custody option - Direct BTC collateralization without token wrapping

5. Smart contract orchestration - Bridge operations are governed by transparent smart contracts

6. Multiple asset types - Supports both wrapped BTC (Fast BTC) and unwrapped BTC in vaults

The most significant difference is CrossLink's integration with Libre's complete smart contract platform, allowing developers to build sophisticated financial applications on top of the bridge infrastructure using familiar languages like C++, TypeScript, Rust, and Go.