Ethereum
ETH
Slow
—
Standard
—
Fast
—
Gwei
ERC20 transfer
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Uniswap swap
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⛽ Network tools
Live Ethereum gas fees · slow, standard, fast
Real-time Ethereum gas prices in gwei across three speed tiers, updated every 30 seconds. Compare against base-fee history and L2 alternatives to find the right moment to transact.
Slow · ~5 min
—
gwei · base fee
Standard · ~1 min
—
gwei · most txs
Fast · <30 sec
—
gwei · time-sensitive
ETH price
—
live · USD
Real-time gas prices on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Polygon. Auto-refreshes every 15 seconds. USD costs use the current ETH/MATIC spot price.
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Arbitrum
ARB
Slow
—
Standard
—
Fast
—
Gwei
ERC20 transfer
—
Uniswap swap
—
Optimism
OP
Slow
—
Standard
—
Fast
—
Gwei
ERC20 transfer
—
Uniswap swap
—
Base
BASE
Slow
—
Standard
—
Fast
—
Gwei
ERC20 transfer
—
Uniswap swap
—
Polygon
MATIC
Slow
—
Standard
—
Fast
—
Gwei
ERC20 transfer
—
Uniswap swap
—
How to read gas fees
Gas is the fee paid to validators for executing a transaction. It is denominated in gwei (1 ETH = 1,000,000,000 gwei). The total cost depends on two things:
- Gas price (gwei) — what the network is currently charging per unit of computation.
- Gas used — how much computation the transaction needs. A simple ETH transfer uses ~21,000 units; an ERC20 token transfer uses ~65,000; a Uniswap swap can use 150,000–300,000.
Slow / Standard / Fast reflect three price tiers offered by validators. Slow may take a few minutes to confirm; Fast is mined in the next block. For non-urgent transactions, Slow can save 30–60% during congestion.
When to transact
Gas tends to be cheapest during off-peak hours for the US market (06:00–14:00 UTC) and on weekends. It spikes during NFT mints, major token launches, and high-volatility days. Layer-2 chains like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base are routinely 10–100× cheaper than Ethereum mainnet for the same operation.
FAQ
Why are L2 fees so much lower?
Layer-2 chains batch hundreds of transactions and post a single compressed proof to Ethereum. The L1 cost is amortised across all those transactions, so each user pays a fraction of mainnet gas.
What is EIP-1559?
Since August 2021, Ethereum gas has two parts: a base fee that the protocol burns (reduces ETH supply), and a priority fee (tip) paid to validators. Wallets show you the total, but most of the cost goes to the burn — not to miners.
Can I set my own gas price?
Yes. In MetaMask click "Advanced" on the confirmation screen and set the max fee. If you set it below the current base fee, your transaction will sit pending until the base fee drops to that level — or you can cancel and resubmit.
Why does my swap cost more than a transfer?
A swap touches multiple smart contracts (the router, the pool, possibly token approvals). Each interaction consumes gas. A plain ETH send only changes one balance — the cheapest possible transaction at 21,000 gas.
How accurate is this data?
Ethereum data is sourced from Etherscan's gas oracle. L2 data comes from direct RPC calls to each chain. Numbers refresh every 15 seconds. Real-world wallet quotes can vary slightly based on the priority tip and mempool state at the exact moment of submission.
Cheaper alternatives
Layer-2 fees vs Ethereum mainnet
Typical transaction fees on the main Ethereum L2s. Numbers are indicative — actual fees depend on tx size and current demand.
🔵
Arbitrum One
$0.20
Optimistic rollup
🔴
Optimism
$0.15
Optimistic rollup
🔷
Base
$0.05
Coinbase L2
⚡
zkSync Era
$0.30
ZK rollup
Background
Understanding Ethereum gas fees
Gas is the unit of computation on Ethereum. Every operation — sending ETH, swapping a token, minting an NFT — consumes a specific amount of gas, and you pay for it in gwei (1 ETH = 1,000,000,000 gwei). The total fee you pay is gas units × gas price.
Since EIP-1559 (Aug 2021), there are two components to gas price: a base fee (algorithmically set by network demand, then burned) and a priority fee (tip to the validator, optional but encouraged for fast inclusion). The numbers above are the priority-fee suggestions for each speed tier.
When gas is expensive (50+ gwei sustained), L2s become the rational choice. Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and zkSync settle to Ethereum but execute off-chain, so their fees are typically 10-100x cheaper than mainnet — and security inherits from mainnet via the rollup proof.
Worth noting: gas tends to spike during high-volatility periods (token launches, NFT mints, market crashes). If your transaction isn't time-sensitive, queue it during low-demand hours (typically 6–10 AM UTC weekends).
FAQ
Ethereum gas — frequently asked questions
What's a "good" gas price?
Under 20 gwei is cheap, 20-50 is normal, 50-100 gwei is busy, and 100+ gwei is congested (NFT mint or major liquidation event). For non-urgent transactions, wait for the network to settle below 30 gwei.
Why are L2 fees so much cheaper?
L2s batch hundreds of transactions and post a single compressed proof to Ethereum. That amortizes the L1 settlement cost across many users, dropping the per-tx fee dramatically. Security still comes from Ethereum L1.
How is gas priced after EIP-1559?
Each block has a base fee (algorithmic, burned) that adjusts up/down based on whether the previous block was over or under 50% full. You also tip the validator with a priority fee. Your total cost is (base fee + priority fee) × gas units used.
When is gas usually cheapest?
Weekends (especially Sunday) and very early UTC hours (3-8 AM). Avoid Mondays, Friday afternoons, and any time around major US market open hours when activity peaks.
Where does this data come from?
We pull from a public Ethereum gas oracle (Etherscan / Blocknative) every 30 seconds and cache. Numbers are denominated in gwei. ETH price comes from CoinPaprika for the USD-equivalent overlay.
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Related Ethereum & network tools
Guide
How to read live Ethereum gas fees
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1
Read the three speed tiers
Slow (~5 min inclusion), Standard (~1 min), Fast (<30 sec). Numbers are in gwei.
-
2
Multiply for USD cost
USD cost ≈ (gas price gwei × gas units used × ETH price USD) ÷ 10⁹. A simple ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas; a Uniswap swap uses 100,000–200,000 gas.
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3
Pick the right tier for the job
Standard for almost everything. Slow for non-urgent (NFT mints with no deadline). Fast only when blockspace is contested and you need same-block inclusion.
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4
(Optional) Switch to an L2
Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Polygon panels are shown alongside Ethereum. L2 gas is typically 10–100× cheaper.
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5
(Optional) Watch the 24h trend
The trend chart shows where gas usually bottoms in the next 24 hours so you can wait for cheaper windows.
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6
Set up a browser alert
Click the bell icon to be notified when gas drops below a threshold you set.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the live ethereum gas tracker
What are Ethereum gas fees? +
Gas is the cost paid to validators for executing your transaction on Ethereum. It is denominated in gwei (1 gwei = 10⁻⁹ ETH). Every operation has a fixed gas-unit cost; the gwei price floats based on demand for blockspace.
Why do gas fees change so much? +
Ethereum runs a real-time auction for blockspace. When demand spikes — a hot NFT mint, a meme-coin launch, an arbitrage window — the gwei price required for inclusion can 50× within minutes.
What is a good gas price right now? +
Check the "Standard" tier above. In typical 2026 conditions standard gas runs 8–25 gwei; during a frenzy it can hit 200+ gwei.
What time of day are Ethereum gas fees lowest? +
Historically 02:00–07:00 UTC on weekends. US-market hours (13:00–22:00 UTC) tend to be the most expensive.
How do I pay less in gas fees? +
Three levers: (1) use the slow tier for non-urgent transactions; (2) bridge to Arbitrum / Optimism / Base for 10–100× cheaper execution; (3) batch operations — e.g. multiple ERC-20 transfers in one tx via a multicall contract.
Why is Arbitrum, Optimism, or Base gas so much cheaper? +
Layer-2s execute transactions off-chain and post compressed data back to Ethereum in large batches. The L1 gas cost is amortized across thousands of L2 transactions, so per-tx gas drops by 10–100×.
What is base fee vs priority fee? +
Since EIP-1559, every transaction pays a "base fee" (burned) plus a "priority fee" tip to the validator. The base fee adjusts algorithmically with demand; the priority fee is what you optionally set higher for faster inclusion.
Will Ethereum gas fees go down long-term? +
Yes — the structural trend is down. Danksharding (2026+) will dramatically expand blob capacity, further reducing L2 data-posting costs and indirectly L1 gas. L2 adoption already removes the majority of retail tx volume from L1.
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