Bitcoin Developer Says Lightning Network Is Still Too Inconvenient
Summary
- Concerns have emerged over the effectiveness of the Lightning Network, which has been presented as a solution to Bitcoin’s transaction fee and speed issues.
- Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc said the Lightning Network’s ease of use has been overstated and criticized its heavy reliance on custodial services.
- Despite technical progress, the Lightning Network’s transaction count and share appear to be declining or stagnating.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Debate is resurfacing over the effectiveness of the Lightning Network, which was developed to address Bitcoin’s payment speed and cost issues.
Cointelegraph reported on October 13 that Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc recently criticized the network’s ease of use, saying “most people do not realize how inconvenient the Lightning Network is” and arguing that its user-friendliness has been overstated.
He also claimed that more than 80% of all payments are made through custodial services that require users to entrust assets to third parties.
The Lightning Network continues to make technical progress. Lightning infrastructure firm Amboss recently said its own simulation showed a 99.66% success rate for $100 payments.
The issue, however, is that broader adoption has yet to materialize despite those advances. According to financial services firm River, the Lightning Network processed 5.22 million transactions in November 2025, below the 6.6 million recorded in August 2023.
Data released by crypto payments company CoinGate also showed the Lightning Network accounted for just 9.6% in the first half of 2026.
Uk Jin
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