Ethereum Gas Tracker
See the current Ethereum gas price in Gwei, with estimated USD costs for common actions like a transfer or a token swap. Updated from the live network.
What the Ethereum gas tracker does
Gas fees are the toll you pay to use Ethereum, and they swing wildly with demand. This tracker shows the current gas price in Gwei across three tiers — slow, standard and fast — and, more usefully, translates each into the estimated dollar cost of the actions you actually take: a simple ETH transfer, an ERC-20 token transfer, a token swap, an NFT mint, an NFT sale and a token approval. It updates from the live network roughly every 30 seconds, so you can time a non-urgent transaction for when the network is quiet and avoid overpaying.
What is gas, and what is Gwei?
"Gas" measures the computational work your transaction asks the network to perform, and the fee compensates the validators who process and secure it. Gas is priced in Gwei, a tiny denomination of ether:
Your total fee is the gas price you pay multiplied by the amount of gas your action consumes. A plain transfer uses about 21,000 gas; a complex DeFi interaction can use 150,000 or more.
Gas cost by action
Different actions consume different amounts of gas. The gas units below are roughly fixed per action; the dollar cost rises and falls with the live gas price and ETH price, which is what the tracker calculates for you.
| Action | Typical gas used | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Send ETH | ~21,000 | Lowest |
| Send an ERC-20 token | ~45,000–65,000 | Low |
| Token approval | ~45,000 | Low |
| Uniswap-style swap | ~120,000–200,000 | High |
| NFT mint | ~150,000–300,000+ | High to very high |
| NFT sale / marketplace | ~150,000+ | High |
EIP-1559: base fee, priority fee and max fee
Since the EIP-1559 upgrade, each Ethereum transaction fee has two parts:
- Base fee — a network-set price per gas that rises when blocks are full and falls when they are empty. It is burned (removed from supply), not paid to validators.
- Priority fee (tip) — an optional extra you add to incentivise validators to include your transaction sooner. The "fast" tier is essentially a larger tip.
- Max fee — the ceiling you are willing to pay. You are charged the base fee plus your tip, never more than your max, with any difference refunded.
How to use the gas tracker (step by step)
- Read the three tier cards — slow (cheapest, slower confirmation), standard, and fast (priciest, quickest).
- Check the cost table to see the estimated dollar price of common actions at each speed, based on the live ETH price.
- Time non-urgent transactions — gas swings through the day, so waiting often saves a lot on anything that is not time-sensitive.
What drives gas prices up and down
Gas is pure supply and demand for limited block space. When many people want to transact at once — a hyped NFT launch, a sharp market move that triggers liquidations, or a busy DeFi day — they bid up the priority fee and gas spikes. When activity falls, gas drops. There is no fixed "normal," only the live rate relative to current demand, which is exactly why a real-time tracker beats a rule of thumb.
How to save on Ethereum gas fees
- Time it. Use the slow tier for anything non-urgent and transact when the network is quiet — often late at night UTC and at weekends, though never guaranteed.
- Use layer-2 networks. Rollups such as Arbitrum, Optimism and Base settle to Ethereum but charge a fraction of mainnet fees for everyday transactions.
- Batch and prune. Combine actions where possible and revoke or avoid unnecessary token approvals.
- Set a sensible max fee in your wallet instead of always paying for the fastest confirmation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Always paying "fast." Most transactions do not need it; standard or slow confirms fine and costs less.
- Transacting during a frenzy. Minting into a hyped launch is when gas is most brutal.
- Ignoring layer-2s. For routine activity, mainnet is often the most expensive option.
- Setting the max fee too low. A fee below the base fee leaves your transaction stuck pending.
Key terms
- Gas
- A measure of the computational work a transaction requires; the fee pays for it.
- Gwei
- A small unit of ether used to price gas (1 Gwei = 0.000000001 ETH).
- Base fee
- The network-set, burned portion of the fee that moves with block fullness.
- Priority fee (tip)
- An optional extra paid to validators to speed up inclusion.
- Layer 2
- A network built on top of Ethereum that processes transactions cheaply and settles to mainnet.
Tips
- Default to the slow or standard tier unless a transaction is genuinely time-sensitive.
- Check the tracker before minting or swapping during a market frenzy — waiting can save real money.
- Move routine activity to a layer-2 network where fees are far lower.
- Hold ETH for gas even on a token-only portfolio, or your transactions cannot send.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gwei?
Gwei is a small denomination of ETH used to price gas (1 Gwei = 0.000000001 ETH).
Why do costs change?
Gas prices rise and fall with network demand.
What is a good gas price in Gwei?
It is entirely relative to network demand — there is no fixed "good" number. The tracker shows live slow, standard and fast tiers, so a good moment is simply when the slow or standard rate is low because the network is quiet, often well below peak levels.
How is an Ethereum gas fee calculated?
Multiply the gas units your action uses by the gas price you pay (in Gwei), then convert to ETH and to dollars at the current ETH price. A simple transfer uses about 21,000 gas; a swap can use 150,000 or more, which is why complex actions cost more.
Why are Ethereum gas fees sometimes so high?
Gas is competition for limited block space. When many people transact at once — busy DeFi days, hyped NFT launches or volatile markets that trigger liquidations — users bid up the priority fee and gas spikes. When activity falls, fees drop.
How can I pay lower gas fees?
Use the slow tier for non-urgent transactions, transact during quiet hours, avoid unnecessary token approvals, and move routine activity to a layer-2 network such as Arbitrum, Optimism or Base, where fees are a small fraction of mainnet.
How much does it cost to send ETH?
A standard ETH transfer uses about 21,000 gas. The tracker multiplies that by the live gas price and ETH price to show the dollar cost at each speed tier, so you can see the real-time figure rather than a guess.
What is the difference between the base fee and the priority fee?
The base fee is set by the network and burned; it rises when blocks are full. The priority fee is an optional tip you add to encourage validators to include your transaction sooner. The "fast" tier mainly increases the tip.
What does the slow, standard and fast tier mean?
They are three speed/price trade-offs. Slow is cheapest but confirms more slowly, fast is priciest but quickest, and standard sits in between. For most transactions, slow or standard is perfectly adequate.
Why did my transaction get stuck or pending?
Usually because the gas price you set was below the current base fee, so validators have no incentive to include it. Either wait for the base fee to fall or resubmit with a higher fee. Checking the tracker first helps you set a workable price.
Are gas fees the same on layer-2 networks?
No. Layer-2 rollups like Arbitrum, Optimism and Base process transactions off the main chain and settle in batches, so their fees are typically a small fraction of Ethereum mainnet gas — ideal for everyday transfers and swaps.
When is the cheapest time to transact on Ethereum?
Gas tends to be lower during off-peak hours, often late at night UTC and over weekends, when fewer people are active. It is never guaranteed, so the tracker is the reliable way to confirm the live rate before you act.
Do I need ETH to pay gas if I only hold tokens?
Yes. Gas on Ethereum is always paid in ETH, even when you are moving or swapping ERC-20 tokens, so you must keep a little ETH in your wallet to cover fees.
How often does the gas tracker update?
It refreshes from the live network roughly every 30 seconds while the page is open, so the tiers and dollar costs reflect current conditions.