Every time you move crypto, someone has to include your transaction in a block. The network fee is what you pay for that. It is separate from anything an exchange or swap service charges, and it is the reason the same transfer can cost wildly different amounts depending on the chain. Once you understand how each network prices its block space, choosing the cheapest route becomes easy.
What a network fee pays for
Blockchains have limited space per block. Validators or miners decide which transactions go in, and fees are how users compete for that space. The fee goes to the network's validators or miners, not to the wallet or exchange you use. Each network measures and prices it differently.
Bitcoin: satoshis per virtual byte
Bitcoin fees depend on the size of your transaction in virtual bytes and the fee rate you choose, in sat/vB. A transaction with many inputs, for example from many small past deposits, is bigger and costs more. The amount of BTC you send does not matter for the fee; the data size does.
Ethereum and EVM chains: gas
On Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Base and Polygon, each operation consumes gas units. A token transfer such as USDT uses more gas than a plain ETH transfer. You pay gas units multiplied by the gas price, in the chain's native coin: ETH, BNB or POL. Ethereum mainnet gas is the most in demand, which is why ERC20 transfers are usually the priciest. Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum and Base batch transactions to cut that cost.
Tron: energy and bandwidth
Tron uses resources rather than a simple gas price. Bandwidth covers the data, and energy covers smart contract work such as a TRC20 USDT transfer. You can obtain them by staking TRX; otherwise, the network burns TRX from your balance. That is why you need TRX to send USDT on Tron.
Solana, XRP, TON and others
Solana, the XRP Ledger, TON and Litecoin generally have very low base fees, often a fraction of a cent to a few cents at the time of writing. Some add extras, such as optional priority fees on Solana or account reserves on XRP.
Who sets the fee, and why it changes
No company sets network fees. They come from the protocol rules plus demand. When many people want to transact at the same time, during a market crash, a popular token launch or a busy trading day, fee rates rise. When the network is quiet, they fall. Wallets estimate a fee for you based on recent blocks, and some let you choose a faster or slower option.
Three different fees people mix up
| Fee | Who charges it | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Network fee | The blockchain (paid to validators or miners) | Cost to include your transaction in a block |
| Withdrawal fee | An exchange or platform | What it charges you to send funds out; may cover its own network fee plus a margin |
| Exchange or swap fee | The swap or trading service | The price of converting one asset into another |
On LarkSwap, the swap fee is a flat 0.4 % already inside the quote. Separately, a payout network cost is deducted from what you receive to cover sending your coins on-chain. And when you send your deposit, you pay that chain's network fee from your own wallet, or your exchange's withdrawal fee if you send from an exchange.
Which network is cheapest for USDT?
As a concrete reference, these are LarkSwap's approximate payout costs for USDT, set by LarkSwap and adjustable. They give a fair picture of how expensive each network is to send on:
| USDT network | Approx. payout cost |
|---|---|
| Polygon | about $0.05 |
| BEP20 (BNB Smart Chain) | about $0.10 |
| Solana (SPL) | about $0.10 |
| Arbitrum | about $0.10 |
| TRC20 (Tron) | about $1.50 |
| ERC20 (Ethereum) | about $2 |
For USDC the picture is similar: about $0.05 on Base, about $0.10 on Solana and about $2 on ERC20. To move between networks, see pages like USDT ERC20 to USDT BEP20, or compare all options on swap USDT.
Tips to pay less
- Use the network the recipient accepts that is cheapest. Many exchanges accept several networks for the same coin.
- Avoid ERC20 for small amounts. A $2 or larger fee hurts a $30 transfer much more than a $3,000 one.
- Keep a little native coin. TRX on Tron, BNB on BNB Smart Chain, ETH on Ethereum and its layer 2s, SOL on Solana. Without it you cannot move your tokens.
- Do not pick the slowest Bitcoin fee for time-sensitive orders. Saving a little can cost you a missed rate lock.
- Consolidate when fees are low. On Bitcoin, combining many small UTXOs during quiet periods makes future sends cheaper.
For a practical example with a larger amount, read the cheapest way to send 1,000 USDT.
Frequently asked questions
Who receives the network fee I pay?
The validators or miners of that blockchain, who include your transaction in a block. It does not go to your wallet provider. Exchange withdrawal fees and swap fees are separate charges set by those services.
Why is sending USDT on Ethereum so expensive?
Ethereum mainnet block space is in high demand, and a token transfer uses more gas than a plain ETH transfer. Networks such as BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Solana and Arbitrum are usually much cheaper.
Why do network fees change from hour to hour?
Fees depend on demand for block space. When many users send at the same time, they bid fees up; when activity drops, fees fall. Wallets estimate a fee from recent blocks.