Optimism Gas Fee
OP Mainnet · L2Live Optimism gas
0.001000 Gwei
~21k gas execution
$0.00004745
ETH ≈ $2,258.81
Execution onlyOptimistic rollup. EVM-equivalent. Frequently the cheapest of the OP-stack chains.
OP Stack chains add an L1 calldata/security fee on top of execution gas. Real wallet quotes will be higher than this estimate.
Optimism at a glance
- Block time
- ~2s sequencer · ~10 min L1 finality
- Withdrawal to L1
- ~7 days native · minutes via third-party bridges
- Chain ID
- 10
- Gas model
- ETH · L1 calldata fee added on top via OP Stack oracle
History
Execution gas cost over time
21,000-gas transfer in USD, sampled every 90 s from the optimism RPC. Execution gas only — OP-stack chains add an L1 calldata fee on top in real wallet quotes.
How Optimism gas pricing works
OP Mainnet is an optimistic rollup built on the OP Stack. Transactions execute off-chain at L2 speed, and the rollup posts compressed transaction data back to Ethereum for security. Your fee covers two costs: L2 execution gas (small) and an L1 data fee for the calldata footprint (the bigger share on most days). Wallets surface the combined total before you sign.
The card above shows the L2 execution gas price. Real-wallet quotes will include the L1 calldata add-on, so expect your final cost to land slightly higher than the raw 21k-gas estimate — usually still pennies for routine activity.
How to reduce your Optimism gas fees
- Watch L1 base fee. The L1 data portion of every OP transaction tracks mainnet base fee. Send during a calm mainnet window and your Optimism fees drop too.
- Use OP-native DEXs. Velodrome and other native venues are gas-tuned for Optimism — fewer wasted gas units than cross-deployed mainnet apps.
- Batch where possible. Combining approval + swap into one tx halves the L1 data footprint.
- Skip mainnet congestion days. A spike on L1 cascades to every rollup. Wait for the next quiet window.
- Set a mainnet gas alert. Get notified when L1 drops below your threshold — Optimism cheapness follows.
When to use mainnet vs Optimism
Optimism is the right call for most routine DeFi activity — swaps, lending, NFT trades on OP-native marketplaces — where mainnet fees would eat into returns. Stay on mainnet when depositing to a CEX that does not support OP withdrawals, when interacting with mainnet-only contracts, or when the bridge round-trip would exceed your fee savings on a small transaction.
Compare against Arbitrum gas, Base gas, and Polygon gas in our live L2 fees comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Optimism gas fee right now?
The Optimism gas price above is live from the OP Mainnet RPC, denominated in Gwei. A typical transfer costs a fraction of a cent because Optimism settles compressed transaction data to Ethereum in batches.
Why is Optimism cheaper than Ethereum mainnet?
Optimism is an optimistic rollup on the OP Stack. It runs transactions off-chain at L2 speed, then posts compressed proofs to Ethereum. You pay only a small share of the L1 cost because data is batched and compressed.
How is Optimism gas calculated?
Optimism fees have two parts: L2 execution gas (the eth_gasPrice you see) and an L1 data fee for posting calldata to Ethereum. Most wallets show you the combined total before you sign.
Does Optimism use ETH for gas?
Yes, OP Mainnet uses ETH for gas. Bridge ETH from Ethereum mainnet via the official Optimism Bridge or a third-party bridge before transacting.
When does Optimism gas spike?
When Ethereum mainnet base fee rises, so does the L1 data portion of every Optimism transaction. Mainnet congestion is the dominant driver of L2 fee swings.
Is Optimism cheaper than Arbitrum or Base?
Often within the same order of magnitude. The cheapest L2 changes week to week — check our live L2 fees comparison for the current ranking.
How do I bridge to Optimism?
Use the official Optimism Gateway (app.optimism.io/bridge) for ETH and supported tokens. Native withdrawals to mainnet take ~7 days; faster third-party bridges charge a small premium.
Related ETH gas tools and guides
Pick the cheapest L2 in one glance.
See live gas prices for Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, and Polygon side by side — sorted from cheapest to most expensive.