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What Is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent (ticker BTT) is the token of the BitTorrent ecosystem, built around one of the internet's most widely used peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols. BitTorrent was acquired by Justin Sun's TRON in 2018, and BTT now powers features such as BitTorrent Speed, the BitTorrent File System decentralized storage network, and BitTorrent Chain, a cross-chain interoperability protocol.

The BitTorrent protocol was invented by Bram Cohen in 2001. Instead of downloading a file from a single server, BitTorrent breaks files into pieces distributed across a swarm of peers who simultaneously download and upload, or "seed," to one another. This makes distributing large files fast and bandwidth-efficient, and for years BitTorrent accounted for a significant share of global internet traffic.

In 2018, TRON founder Justin Sun acquired BitTorrent, gaining a very large existing user base as a distribution channel for TRON's blockchain. In January 2019, BitTorrent held a token sale for BTT on Binance Launchpad, launching it as a utility token on TRON. BTT was designed as the currency of the BitTorrent ecosystem, most visibly to power BitTorrent Speed, which lets users earn BTT for continuing to seed files and spend it to bid for faster downloads.

The BitTorrent File System, or BTFS, is a decentralized storage network in the same family as IPFS, using BTT to reward hosts that store and serve data. In December 2021, the ecosystem launched BitTorrent Chain, an EVM-compatible cross-chain protocol that bridges assets between Ethereum, TRON, and BNB Chain. BitTorrent Chain uses a delegated proof-of-stake model with validators and delegators, and BTT is its native gas token, used for staking, rewards, and governance.

Alongside the launch of BitTorrent Chain in December 2021, BTT was redenominated at a ratio of 1 to 1000. The original token had a supply of roughly 990 billion, and rewards often appeared with many decimal places, so the redenomination increased the total supply to about 990 trillion while leaving each holder's overall value unchanged. The old token was renamed BTTOLD, and the new token kept the name BTT. Today's BTT has a total supply of approximately 990 trillion and exists on TRON, BitTorrent Chain, Ethereum, and BNB Chain.

Getting Started With BitTorrent

BTT is most commonly held as a TRON (TRC-20) token:

  1. Step 1: Set up a TRON-compatible wallet such as TronLink, or an EVM wallet if you plan to use BTT on Ethereum or BNB Chain.
  2. Step 2: Acquire BTT on a supported exchange and withdraw it to your wallet on the matching network.
  3. Step 3: Use BTT with ecosystem products such as BitTorrent Speed, or as gas on BitTorrent Chain.
  4. Step 4: Explore staking on BitTorrent Chain if you want to help secure the network.

How to Get a BitTorrent Wallet?

BTT exists on several chains, so the right wallet depends on which version you hold.

TronLink

TronLink is the most widely used TRON wallet, available as a browser extension and mobile app, and it supports the TRC-20 version of BTT.

MetaMask

MetaMask can be configured for BitTorrent Chain, Ethereum, or BNB Chain to hold the corresponding versions of BTT.

Hardware Wallets

A Ledger device can be paired with TronLink or MetaMask to keep BTT in cold storage, which is recommended for larger holdings.

BitTorrent Resources

How to Buy BitTorrent?

BTT is widely listed on centralized exchanges and trades on decentralized exchanges.

Centralized Exchanges

BTT trades on exchanges including Binance, HTX, OKX, Poloniex, Gate, and BitMart, typically against USDT. Make sure you are buying the current BTT and not the deprecated BTTOLD token.

Decentralized Exchanges

BTT trades on decentralized exchanges on the chains it lives on, including SunSwap on TRON and DEXs such as Uniswap and PancakeSwap for the Ethereum and BNB Chain versions.

Latest BitTorrent News

The most significant recent developments for BTT are the ongoing growth of BitTorrent Chain and its cross-chain bridges and storage features, along with the resolution in 2026 of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission case first filed in 2023 that had named Justin Sun and the TRON and BitTorrent foundations. Claims against Sun and the foundations were dismissed, while the BitTorrent-affiliated company Rainberry agreed to a settlement.

For the current state of the ecosystem and the BTT token across its various chains, the official BitTorrent Chain website, documentation, and X account are the best sources.