Bitcoin Cash has no official website in the sense a company has one. Like Bitcoin, it is an open network without an owner, so its resources are spread across community sites, independent node projects, wallet developers and block explorers. The community site most often cited is bitcoincash.org, which lists wallets and basic information. The software that runs the network is published by node projects such as Bitcoin Cash Node at bitcoincashnode.org. Anything that claims to be the one official Bitcoin Cash site and asks you to log in, send coins or enter a recovery phrase is a reason to stop.
What Bitcoin Cash is, in two paragraphs
Bitcoin Cash, ticker BCH, split from Bitcoin in August 2017 after a disagreement about how to scale the network. Bitcoin kept its block size and later adopted SegWit; Bitcoin Cash raised the block size limit and went its own way. Since then they are separate blockchains with separate coins, separate rules and separate upgrade schedules. Holding BTC does not give you new BCH today, and BCH cannot be sent to a Bitcoin address.
Bitcoin Cash upgrades its rules on a yearly schedule in May. The release notes for Bitcoin Cash Node v29.0.0, published on 9 January 2026, describe the 15 May 2026 network upgrade and its four consensus changes, including bounded loops, functions and re-enabled bitwise operations. Such upgrades matter mostly to node operators and developers; holders using an up-to-date wallet do not need to do anything.
BCH and BTC compared
| Bitcoin (BTC) | Bitcoin Cash (BCH) | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2009 | Split from Bitcoin in August 2017 |
| Address formats | bc1q…, bc1p…, 3…, 1… | CashAddr bitcoincash:q… or q…, plus legacy 1… and 3… |
| Upgrades | Soft forks without a fixed calendar | Network upgrade each year in May |
| Typical block interval | About 10 minutes | About 10 minutes |
| Tokens on the base layer | Not natively | CashTokens, activated in 2023 |
| Same coin? | No | No, a separate asset with its own price |
The legacy address formats are the main source of mistakes, because a legacy BCH address looks like a Bitcoin address. Our guide on CashAddr vs legacy addresses explains how to tell them apart and convert between formats.
Where reliable Bitcoin Cash resources live
| What you need | Where to look | Note |
|---|---|---|
| General information and a wallet list | bitcoincash.org | Community site; lists wallets such as Electron Cash, Cashonize and Paytaca |
| Node software and upgrade specs | bitcoincashnode.org and its documentation | One of several independent node implementations |
| Desktop wallet | electroncash.org | Fake copies have existed; check the domain before downloading |
| Mobile and web wallets | The developer's own site or official app store listing | Prefer wallets listed on the community site |
| Checking transactions | Public block explorers that support BCH | Make sure the explorer is on BCH, not BTC |
This table describes where to look, not an endorsement of any single project. Bitcoin Cash has several node implementations and many wallets, and they come and go. The safe habit is to reach these sites by typing the address yourself or from a bookmark, not from search ads or messages.
How to check that a BCH site or wallet is genuine
- Type the domain yourself and compare it letter by letter; look-alike domains swap single characters.
- For wallets, start from the list on the community site and then follow the developer's own link to the app store.
- For desktop software, compare the downloaded file's signature or checksum with the one published by the project.
- Never enter your recovery phrase on a website. Restoring a wallet happens inside the wallet app.
- Send a small amount first and check it in a BCH explorer before moving a large balance.
Getting or leaving BCH
If you want to swap into Bitcoin Cash, paste a BCH address from your wallet; CashAddr and legacy formats both work in most places, but CashAddr removes the risk of confusing it with a Bitcoin address. Check it with the address validator first. The pairs USDT to BCH and BTC to BCH cover the common inbound routes; to leave BCH, BCH to BTC pays out native bitcoin, and our BCH to BTC guide walks through the steps.
FAQ
What is the official Bitcoin Cash website?
There is none in the corporate sense, because no company owns the network. bitcoincash.org is the community site most often cited, and node projects such as Bitcoin Cash Node publish the software.
Is Bitcoin Cash the same as Bitcoin?
No. Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin in August 2017 and has been a separate blockchain and a separate coin since then, with its own price and rules.
Can I send BCH to a Bitcoin address?
No. They are different networks. A legacy BCH address can look like a Bitcoin address, which is why the CashAddr format with the bitcoincash: prefix exists.
When does Bitcoin Cash upgrade?
The network upgrades once a year in May. The 2026 upgrade was scheduled for 15 May 2026 and implemented in node software such as Bitcoin Cash Node v29.