Solana Ranks Among the Cheapest Major Blockchains by Median Fees

The latest fee comparison data highlights a clear cost divide across major blockchain networks, with Solana emerging as one of the lowest-cost environments for everyday transactions.

As of mid-January 2026, Solana records the second-lowest median transaction fees among large, actively used chains, trailing only Avalanche and remaining significantly cheaper than several popular Ethereum-adjacent networks.

According to the chart, Solana’s median fee sits around $0.0008, placing it more than three times cheaper than Base, which records a median fee near $0.0030 over the same period. The gap is notable given Base’s positioning as a low-cost Ethereum Layer-2, underscoring how execution-layer design continues to influence user costs even in a rollup-heavy ecosystem.

How Solana Compares Across Major Networks

When viewed on a logarithmic scale, fee dispersion becomes more apparent. Ethereum remains the most expensive among the major chains shown, with median fees hovering around $0.019, reflecting sustained demand and periodic congestion at the base layer. Polygon and Linea cluster in the mid-range, while BNB, Arbitrum, and Base trend lower but remain meaningfully above Solana’s cost level.

Solana’s fee line stays consistently near the bottom of the chart, indicating not just occasional cheap transactions but a structurally low-fee environment. The network achieves this through high throughput and parallelized execution, allowing it to absorb activity spikes without translating demand directly into higher per-transaction costs.

Structural Implications of Low Median Fees

Median fees are a useful metric because they reflect what a typical user actually pays, rather than edge cases during congestion. Solana’s position suggests that most transactions continue to clear cheaply even during periods of elevated usage. In contrast, networks built on rollup stacks still inherit some cost sensitivity from settlement layers, particularly during periods of higher calldata demand.

For applications that rely on frequent user interactions, such as payments, gaming, or on-chain trading, fee predictability matters as much as raw speed. Solana’s consistently low median fee profile reinforces its positioning as an execution-first chain optimized for high-volume activity.

Cost Efficiency Versus Ecosystem Trade-Offs

Lower fees alone do not determine network preference, but they shape behavior. Developers building consumer-facing applications often gravitate toward environments where costs remain negligible at scale. Meanwhile, chains like Basetrade slightly higher fees for tighter integration with Ethereum’s tooling and liquidity.

The chart does not imply a winner across all dimensions, but it does clarify one point: on pure transaction cost, Solana remains among the most competitive major blockchains today. As usage continues to grow across ecosystems, the ability to keep median fees low without sacrificing throughput becomes a key differentiator rather than a marketing claim.

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