TON vs Other Blockchains: Transaction Fee Comparison 2024
Transaction fees are one of the most practical factors users consider when choosing which blockchain network to use. This comparison covers how TON's fee structure works, how it compares to major competing networks, and what the differences mean in practice for everyday users and developers building on these chains.
For a deeper explanation of how TON's specific fee components work, see Education Hub #2: TON Fees Explained.
What Determines Blockchain Transaction Fees?
Before comparing numbers, it helps to understand what drives fees on different types of blockchains:
- Block space scarcity: When more transactions want to be included than a block can hold, users compete by offering higher fees. Ethereum mainnet is the most prominent example of this dynamic.
- Computational complexity: Simple transfers cost less than smart contract interactions — the more computation required, the higher the fee on most chains.
- Network utilization: Low-utilization periods have lower fees; high-demand events (NFT mints, token launches) spike fees across all blockchains.
- Fee architecture: Some chains use fixed fees, some use auctions, and some (like TON) use a deterministic formula based on computational work required.
TON (The Open Network)
Average fee: ~0.0055 TON per simple transfer
TON uses a deterministic, formula-based fee system rather than a gas price auction. The total transaction fee is the sum of five components: storage, in-forward, computation, action, and out-forward fees. This architecture makes fees predictable — users know their transaction cost before submitting it, and fees do not spike during high-demand periods the way they do on auction-based chains.
TON's fee formula is designed so that a simple transfer remains below $0.01 regardless of TON's market price. This is an explicit design goal of the protocol — the fee components scale with computational work, not with market demand for block space. The full fee documentation is available in the TON developer documentation.
TON also achieves high throughput through sharding — the network splits into parallel processing chains as load increases, rather than having a single chain competing for limited block space.
Ethereum (ETH)
Average fee: highly variable — from ~$1 during low demand to $50+ during peak events on mainnet
Ethereum uses a gas auction system with EIP-1559 modifications: each block has a base fee (burned, not paid to validators) plus an optional priority tip. The base fee adjusts algorithmically based on block fullness — if the previous block was more than 50% full, the base fee increases; if less than 50%, it decreases.
Ethereum's high fees during peak periods drove the development of Layer 2 scaling solutions (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, zkSync) that process transactions off-chain and post batched results to Ethereum mainnet. L2 fees for a simple transfer typically range from $0.01 to $0.50 depending on the solution and current demand.
Solana (SOL)
Average fee: ~$0.00025 per transaction under normal conditions
Solana's fees are structurally very low under normal conditions — often fractions of a cent per transaction. However, Solana experienced network outages and performance degradation during high-demand events in 2021–2022, and introduced priority fees to allow users to pay more to prioritize their transactions during congestion. During the 2024 memecoin trading period, Solana priority fees increased substantially for competitive on-chain activity. For simple transfers and standard operations, Solana remains one of the lowest-fee major networks.
BNB Chain (BSC)
Average fee: ~$0.10–$0.30 for a simple transfer
BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain) uses an Ethereum-compatible gas model with BNB as the fee token. Fees are significantly lower than Ethereum mainnet but higher than TON and Solana. BNB Chain trades some decentralization for throughput and lower fees compared to Ethereum — it uses a smaller set of validators (typically 21) for faster block times.
TRON (TRX)
Average fee: near-zero for TRX transfers with sufficient energy/bandwidth; fees apply for complex transactions
TRON uses a bandwidth and energy resource model rather than direct gas fees. Users who hold or freeze TRX receive bandwidth and energy allowances that cover a certain number of free transactions per day. Transactions exceeding the free allowance are charged in TRX. For USDT TRC-20 transfers (Tether on TRON), users historically needed to hold TRX for energy — which is why Tonkeeper's ability to send USDT TRC-20 without TRX via Battery is a notable feature. See the Tonkeeper Pro iPhone article for details on TRC-20 USDT handling.
Avalanche (AVAX)
Average fee: ~$0.10–$1 on the C-Chain for typical DeFi interactions
Avalanche's C-Chain (the Ethereum-compatible chain used for most DeFi activity) uses gas fees similar to Ethereum's model, denominated in AVAX. Fees are generally lower than Ethereum mainnet but vary with network activity.
Summary: Why Fee Architecture Matters
The fee comparison is not just about the average number — it is about predictability and price-sensitivity. Auction-based systems like Ethereum's are cheap when the network is idle but expensive when demand spikes. Deterministic systems like TON's are more predictable regardless of network load.
For mass adoption use cases — payments, remittances, gaming microtransactions — predictable sub-cent fees are the minimum viable threshold. A payment that might cost $0.01 today but $30 tomorrow during a network event is not a reliable payments layer. TON's fee architecture is specifically designed to avoid this problem.
Use Tonviewer to inspect real TON transactions and see actual fee costs on-chain.
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