A brief look at why gas fees vary across networks.
Gas fees are one of the first things people notice when they start using crypto. Sometimes they are barely noticeable, other times they are surprisingly high. Understanding what gas fees are and why they change makes it easier to plan your activity and choose the right networks for what you want to do.
This guide explains gas fees using Ethereum, Solana, and Bitcoin as reference points, and highlights practical steps you can take to manage costs.
Gas fees are payments you make to the network to process your transaction. On most chains, the fee is paid in the chain’s native token. For Ethereum that is ETH, for Solana it is SOL, and for Bitcoin it is BTC. Validators or miners receive these fees as compensation for including transactions in blocks and maintaining the network.
Gas exists to prevent spam and to prioritise transactions when there is competition for block space. Without a fee, the network could be flooded with meaningless activity that makes it unusable for everyone else.
On Ethereum, every operation in a transaction costs a certain amount of gas. Simple transfers use less gas than complex interactions with smart contracts. The total gas used is multiplied by a gas price, which reflects how much people are willing to pay per unit of gas at that moment.
Ethereum’s fee mechanism includes a base fee that adjusts automatically based on demand and an optional tip that can speed up confirmation. When the network is busy, people raise their gas price to get priority, which pushes fees higher overall.
Solana is designed to support high throughput and low fees. Transactions generally cost a fraction of a cent, even during periods of increased activity. The network achieves this through a different architecture and consensus design, but the core idea remains. Validators still receive fees, and users still pay a small cost to have their transactions processed.
Even though fees are low, it is still important to keep a small SOL balance in your wallet if you plan to use Solana regularly. Without SOL, you will not be able to submit transactions.
Bitcoin does not use gas in the same way as Ethereum, but it still charges fees based on block space. Transactions are measured in bytes, and miners prioritise those that pay higher fees per byte when blocks are full. During quiet periods fees can be low, but they rise when there is a backlog of pending transactions.
This is why sending Bitcoin can sometimes be cheap and other times more expensive. The fee reflects how many other people are trying to use the network at the same time.
Across all these chains, gas fees change mainly due to demand. When activity is low, users do not need to pay much to have their transactions included. When the network is busy, people compete by offering higher fees so their transactions are processed sooner.
Other factors, such as protocol upgrades or changes in the design of the fee mechanism, can also influence typical fee levels. However, from a user’s perspective, peak times and new trends are usually the biggest drivers of volatility in gas costs.
You cannot control the base design of a network, but you can control when and how you transact. A few simple strategies help:
These adjustments can make a noticeable difference over time, especially if you use Web3 applications regularly.
When you buy crypto directly to your wallet, network fees are part of the overall cost. In some cases they may be included in the quote, and in others you will see them itemised. Understanding how gas works helps you interpret those quotes and compare different options fairly.
Once the assets arrive in your wallet, you will also need gas to move them, interact with dApps, or bridge to other networks. Keeping a small buffer of the native token in each wallet can prevent frustrating situations where you have tokens but cannot move them.
Gas fees are not random. They are a signal of how much demand there is for block space at a given time. By learning how they work on different chains and adopting a few simple habits, you can keep costs predictable while still enjoying the benefits of self-custody and Web3.
Direct-to-wallet buying works best when you understand each step of the flow and why your assets arrive straight in a wallet you control. Once you are comfortable with addresses, confirmations, and basic on-chain actions, buying directly to your own wallet becomes the default, not the exception.
Elbaite makes it simple to buy crypto directly to your wallet without holding funds on an exchange.
This direct-to-wallet flow gives you full control from the moment you buy.
what are gas fees and why do they change? (beginner-friendly explanation)
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