How to Bridge to Solana with Across (Step-By-Step Guide)

Solana has quickly become one of the most popular and high-performing ecosystems in all of crypto. With lightning-fast transactions, minimal fees, and a vibrant community of builders, degens, and creators, it’s no wonder more people want to bridge their assets into the Solana universe.

However, bridging crypto between Solana and other ecosystems can feel clunky, slow, or downright confusing. Bridging should feel like teleporting, not navigating a maze. Yet today’s options range from multi-minute waits to complex interfaces that feel like solving a puzzle just to move some USDC.

We wrote this guide to demystify Solana bridges and help you find the fastest, safest, and most efficient way to get from point A to point S. Whether you’re looking to bridge crypto to Solana from other chains, move your funds out of Solana to other ecosystems, or find the best Solana bridge for your needs, we’ve got you covered.

Solana has emerged as one of the most dynamic and widely used blockchains in the world. At the height of the 2021 bull run, its total value locked (TVL) peaked at $12 billion. Now, it has recovered to $11.44 billion. This wave of adoption made it one of the top DeFi ecosystems by activity. With over 100 billion transactions processed and over 1.5 million daily active users, Solana’s infrastructure has proven it can support scale, speed, and usability like few others.

But what makes Solana stand out amongst the many other chains that currently exist? At its core, Solana was built for performance. The network processes blocks in as little as 400 milliseconds and consistently handles thousands of transactions per second. Its gas fees are measured in fractions of a penny, making it extremely cost-efficient for everything from high-frequency DeFi activity to NFT trading.

The Solana ecosystem reflects this efficiency. It is home to:

Solana’s diverse mix of use cases makes it both a cultural and technical force in crypto.

With such explosive growth, more Ethereum-native users are exploring Solana—and increasingly looking for fast, reliable ways to move their assets crosschain.

As Solana grows, so do the opportunities. Here are a few of the most popular reasons why people want to bridge crypto to (and from) Solana:

→ Bridge to Solana in seconds with Across

Solana is fast, composable, and growing rapidly. But ironically, one of the slowest and least reliable parts of the Solana experience is getting your assets there in the first place. Today’s bridge ecosystem is fragmented, inconsistent, and often risky.

Many bridges rely on outdated designs like validator sets, guardian networks, or lock-and-mint systems. Validator-based models introduce a secondary consensus layer that’s often under-secured and opaque. Guardian networks centralize trust in a small group of actors, creating single points of failure. Lock-and-mint bridges, meanwhile, expose users to smart contract risk: if the locking contract fails, the wrapped assets become worthless.

These designs also tend to be slow and clunky, with long confirmation times, complex user flows, and little recourse when things go wrong. And when a bridge fails, the fallout can impact entire ecosystems, not just individual users. This is especially concerning given that USDC is the most commonly bridged asset to Solana, powering everything from DeFi to payments. If users can’t confidently move stablecoins across chains, adoption stalls.

Across was built to solve these problems. It eliminates centralized validator sets, avoids synthetic assets, and leverages UMA’s optimistic oracle to ensure trustless dispute resolution. The result is a bridge that’s secure, simple, and ready to scale with Solana’s growth.

Across Protocol is insanely fast and cheap. But most importantly, it is known for the level of trust and security it brings to crosschain transfers. In a space where bridges are frequently targeted by malicious actors, reliability is critical. Across has experienced zero security exploits since launch, delivering a proven, production-ready solution that puts user safety first.

How? It uses an intent-based model: you tell Across what you want to do (like bridging USDC to Solana), and its decentralized relayer network executes it for you in the fastest and most cost-efficient way possible. That means fewer manual steps, fewer chances for something to go wrong, and a much smoother user experience. As a user, you take on zero finality risk, and you don’t need to babysit multiple transactions across different chains.

What truly sets Across apart is its security foundation. It is built with UMA’s oracle, which ensures every transfer can be disputed and verified. Combined with rigorous audits and years of battle-testing in live market conditions, Across offers peace of mind you won’t find in other Solana bridges.

Powering over $30B in volume across more than 17M transactions, our bridging tech is battle-tested and trusted by over 4M users. Bridging with Across is fast, cheap, and secure. Currently, Across supports USDC transfers between Solana and more than 20 EVM chains, including Ethereum mainnet, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and BNB Chain. More assets are on the way soon.

→ Bridge to Solana in seconds with Across

Ready to bridge USDC to Solana in seconds? Here’s how:

1. Go to the Across Bridge App

Navigate to app.across.to.

2. Connect Your Wallets

Use Phantom, MetaMask, or another wallet to complete your wallet connections. Since you are sending USDC from an EVM chain to Solana, you will need to connect two wallets (an EVM wallet and a Solana wallet).

3. Select USDC + Your Origin Chain

Pick USDC as your token and choose the chain you’re bridging from. In this example, we are bridging from Base to Solana.

4. Choose Solana as the Destination Chain

Ensure that you are sending your USDC to Solana.

5. Enter the Amount You Want to Bridge

Input the amount of USDC you want to bridge to Solana.

7. Review Bridge Time & Fees

Check the gas costs, fees, and other estimated transaction details.

8. Confirm the Transaction

Click the “Confirm transaction” button, then sign and confirm the transaction in your wallet.

Note: If your wallet isn’t already connected to the origin chain’s network, the button will say “Switch network and confirm transaction”. Simply click it and follow the flow.

9. Receive Your USDC on Solana

Your USDC will arrive on Solana in seconds. They will be visible in your wallet’s balance.

This process takes only seconds, and bridging happens near-instantly. If you are a technical user, you can track your transfer on Solscan (the Solana mainnet explorer).

If you want to bridge funds from Solana to another chain, select Solana as your origin chain and choose your destination network.

Note: To receive funds on Solana, you’ll need a Solana-compatible wallet like Phantom.

→ Bridge to Solana in seconds with Across

In addition to intent-based bridging, one of the most transformative advances in the Solana ecosystem is the seamless integration of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols with crosschain bridges. This synergy allows users to move assets between networks and immediately deploy them into dApps and DeFi strategies, without waiting for slow confirmations or navigating multiple interfaces.

Solana Bridges like Across have set new standards for how quickly and efficiently users can access DeFi opportunities on Solana. For example, Across provides embedded crosschain action integration for DeFi developers. Embedded crosschain actions enable USDC bridged from other chains to be deposited directly into Solana-based DeFi protocols, cutting out extra steps and reducing time-to-strategy from minutes to seconds. This direct pipeline is a game-changer for builders, traders, liquidity providers, and anyone seeking to capitalize on fast-paced opportunities.

The result is a frictionless experience: users can bridge assets from Ethereum or other EVM chains and, within seconds, have those assets available in Solana-native DeFi platforms for trading, lending, or yield generation. This is the next step forward for crosschain web3 applications.

In the world of DeFi, where arbitrage, yield farming, and liquidity mining can be highly time-sensitive, the ability to bridge assets and instantly access Solana’s fast-paced ecosystem can mean the difference between catching an opportunity and missing out.

Intent-based bridging architectures, like those used by Across Protocol, streamline this process by delegating transaction routing and execution to third-party relayers, ensuring that assets arrive quickly and are ready for immediate use in DeFi protocols.

Solana is fast, fun, and full of opportunity. Getting there shouldn’t feel like jumping through hoops.

Whether you’re bridging to speculate, build, or explore, Across gives you the fastest, smoothest way to move assets between Ethereum-based chains and Solana—and back again.

→ Bridge to Solana in seconds with Across

What is a Solana bridge?
A Solana Bridge is a protocol that enables the transfer of digital assets or data between the Solana blockchain and other networks, such as Ethereum or its Layer 2 ecosystems.

What is the fastest Solana bridge?
Across Protocol provides the fastest Solana bridge, finalizing crypto transfers between Solana and other supported ecosystems in ~5 seconds.

What is the cheapest Solana bridge?
Across is one of the cheapest Solana bridges, charging less than $1 in fees for most transactions.

How do I bridge ETH to Solana?
Technically, no bridge can send canonical ETH to Solana. However, some bridges, like Wormhole, Mayan, Synapse, and DeBridge, can wrap native ETH into a Solana-compatible token (e.g. WETH).

How do I bridge from Solana to Ethereum?
There are several Solana bridges available to bridge crypto from Solana to Ethereum. Across provides the fastest bridging from Solana to Ethereum and 18 other EVM chains (and counting!).

How do I bridge USDC to Solana?
With Across, you can bridge USDC to Solana from Ethereum and 18 other EVM chains (and counting!) in ~5 seconds.

Can I use Metamask to bridge to Solana?
Not directly — MetaMask doesn’t support Solana because Solana isn’t EVM-compatible. But there is a workaround: you can start a bridge from MetaMask (e.g., on Ethereum or any L2 it supports), and then receive the funds on Solana by connecting a Solana-compatible wallet like Phantom or Solflare on the destination side.

How do I bridge from Base to Solana?
Across provides ultra-fast, cheap, and secure bridging from Base to Solana and back!

How do I bridge from Polygon to Solana?
Across provides ultra-fast, cheap, and secure bridging from Polygon to Solana and back!

What assets can I bridge to Solana?
This depends on two things: 1) the origin chain you are bridging from and 2) the bridge you use. With Across, you can bridge USDC to Solana in ~5 seconds.

Are Solana bridges safe?
Not all Solana bridges are equally safe. While some are built with strong security foundations and undergo regular audits, others rely on centralized validators or outdated designs. Always do your research before using any bridge.

What are the main risks of using a crypto bridge?
Crypto bridges are often targeted by attackers and carry risks like smart contract vulnerabilities, centralization points (such as multisig wallets or guardian networks), and phishing attacks via fake interfaces or URLs.

Has a bridge to Solana ever been hacked?
Yes. Some bridges to Solana have experienced major exploits, leading to multi-million dollar losses. These incidents often stem from bugs in smart contracts or compromised validator systems. However, Across Protocol has never been hacked.

How can I avoid getting scammed when using a bridge?
To reduce the risk of phishing and scams, always navigate to the bridge’s official URL or access it through a trusted source. Avoid clicking random links on social media or Discord.

How do I know if a Solana bridge is trustworthy?
Look for bridges that have completed independent security audits, use transparent and open-source code, and offer public documentation. Reputable bridges also typically avoid centralized control or wrapped asset systems.

What’s the safest way to bridge USDC to Solana?
Start with a small test transaction, use a bridge with a strong security track record, and ensure you're bridging directly to native USDC on Solana, not a wrapped version.

What should I check before using a Solana bridge?
Confirm the bridge’s audit history, check community reputation, make sure the site URL is correct, and avoid any bridge that doesn’t clearly document how it works.

If you're new to bridging, check out these guides: