A satoshi (sat) is the smallest bitcoin amount the blockchain records: 0.00000001 BTC, so one bitcoin equals 100,000,000 sats. Because bitcoin divides into sats, buyers never need a whole coin, and small amounts are easier to read in sats than in BTC. The unit is named after Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
How does a satoshi work?
One sat is 0.00000001 BTC, so 1 BTC = 100,000,000 sats. Bitcoin’s software records every amount in whole sats and shows BTC only for display. The name honours Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Wallets quote network fees in sats per virtual byte (sat/vB). The Lightning Network goes smaller, tracking millisatoshis (a thousandth of a sat) inside payment channels, but the blockchain records only whole sats.
What is an example of a satoshi amount?
0.001 BTC is 100,000 sats. To value sats, divide the bitcoin price by 100,000,000: if 1 BTC cost $100,000, one sat would be worth $0.001 and 100,000 sats would be worth $100. That price is only an illustration, not a quote.
Why do satoshis matter when you buy crypto?
You never need to buy a whole bitcoin: any amount you buy is a number of sats. Thinking in sats can ease “unit bias”, the feeling that less than one coin does not count. Buying small amounts over time is called stacking sats. Convert between sats, BTC and your currency with the satoshi calculator, and see account limits and payment methods for purchase minimums.
What are the risks and red flags?
- Sats are not a separate coin. Tokens named after the unit, such as the BRC-20 token SATS, are different assets, not bitcoin.
- Decimal slips are costly. Check whether your wallet shows BTC or sats before you send: blockchain transactions cannot be reversed.
- Tiny amounts can be dust. Dust costs more in fees to move than it is worth. Bitcoin Core’s default rules treat a typical SegWit output below 294 sats as dust (as of September 2026).
Go deeper: What is a satoshi? Bitcoin’s smallest unit explained, and Bitcoin units explained.
