CORE Bridge vs Linea Bridge: Which route fits? (2026)

CORE Bridge and Linea Bridge serve different destinations. CORE Bridge is the official route into Core Network and connects it with Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, BNB Chain and Avalanche. It is relevant if you want to use Core’s Bitcoin staking and yield ecosystem, or move supported assets such as WETH and USDC from Base.

Linea Bridge is the standard route between Ethereum and Linea. Its native bridge is narrower, but the site also offers an aggregator for routes from other chains, transfers from centralized exchanges and a fiat purchase option. Those alternatives add flexibility, but they are not the same as using the canonical Ethereum-to-Linea bridge. In short, select by destination first: CORE Bridge for Core, Linea Bridge for Linea.

Linea has the clearer published fee claim: its homepage labels the native Ethereum bridge as having no fees. That refers to the bridge charge, not the Ethereum gas needed to submit a transaction. Costs for its aggregator, exchange transfers and buy option are not published, and third-party providers may set their own fees and terms.

CORE Bridge does not publish its fees, minimums or transfer times. Its interface and wallet should show a quote and gas estimate before you sign, but you cannot rely on a published fixed price. For either bridge, check the final destination amount, network and fee at the time of transfer. The quoted amount may depend on the route and network conditions; do not assume that a fee claim for Linea’s native route applies to its other options.

Neither bridge has a published audit listed. That is a meaningful gap, but it is not proof that either bridge has been exploited or that its contracts are unsafe. CORE Bridge uses LayerZero for cross-chain messaging, so its transfers depend on that messaging layer as well as bridge contracts and Core. Bridged tokens can also depend on the bridge maintaining their backing.

Linea’s site links to a bug bounty and security section, but those links do not replace a published audit. Its native bridge depends on smart contracts and the Linea network; its aggregator, exchange and purchase options introduce additional providers, custody arrangements or terms. Use the official site, verify the destination and token, and avoid approving more access than needed. Only bridge funds you can afford to lose, and remember that bridged versions of tokens may not be interchangeable with native versions.

CORE Bridge has about $952,519 in TVL, compared with about $224.9 million for Linea Bridge. These figures indicate a substantial difference in reported size, but TVL alone does not establish that a bridge is safer or guarantee that you can withdraw at a particular time. CORE’s smaller TVL may be relevant if you are weighing the scale of the bridge and its wrapped assets.

For a straightforward Ethereum-to-Linea transfer, Linea is the more direct pick: it is the canonical route and publishes a no-fee claim for that route. Choose CORE Bridge when Core is your destination and you need one of its supported source chains. If you need a non-native route to Linea, compare the aggregator quote and provider terms with the alternative routes available to you before proceeding.