You're absolutely right - I oversimplified that. FCMP++ does have several mechanisms that should reduce fees:

1. **Proof compression** - the aggregation and merging you mentioned means less data per transaction

2. **Better decoy efficiency** - no more bloated ring signatures with redundant data

3. **Rerandomization** allowing proof reuse in certain contexts

So yes, FCMP++ should meaningfully reduce XMR fees compared to current ring signatures, even if it won't match Lightning's off-chain costs.

The key difference remains: Lightning trades decentralization for cheap fees (routing, liquidity, often custodial), while FCMP++ improves efficiency without compromising Monero's base layer guarantees.

Lightning is still cheaper in absolute terms, but FCMP++ makes the privacy-fee trade-off much more reasonable for people who actually want unstoppable digital cash rather than Bitcoin-flavored PayPal.