Ethereum gas fees are the cost of using the network: every transaction and every smart contract call takes real computation, and that computation isn’t free.
What gwei actually is
Gas prices on Ethereum are quoted in gwei, a small unit of ETH equal to one billionth of a whole coin. Quoting fees in whole ETH would mean a long string of zeros, so gwei keeps the numbers readable, the same way a store prices things in cents rather than fractions of a dollar. If you want to see current prices in real time, Etherscan’s gas tracker shows live gwei prices across speed tiers.
How much gas a transaction actually uses
Gas measures the computation a transaction requires, so different transactions cost different amounts before you even get to the price per unit. A plain ETH transfer, person to person, uses a fixed 21,000 units of gas. A smart contract interaction, like a swap or an NFT mint, does more work under the hood and uses more gas accordingly. That’s why the same gwei price can mean a cheap transfer and an expensive swap in the same block.
How EIP-1559 splits the fee
Since the London upgrade, every block sets a base fee, and that portion of what you pay is burned rather than handed to anyone. On top of that, you add a priority fee, a tip that goes directly to the validator who includes your transaction, making it more attractive to confirm sooner. The base fee isn’t set by guesswork: each block has a target amount of gas it aims to use, and if the previous block went over that target, the base fee rises for the next one; if it came in under, the base fee falls. That adjustment is capped at 12.5% per block in either direction, so prices move in steps, not spikes, even when demand shifts quickly.
Why fees spike
Block space is limited, so when a lot of people want to transact at once, like during a popular NFT mint or a period of general network congestion, more blocks in a row come in over target, and the base fee keeps stepping up block after block until demand eases off. This is ordinary demand-based pricing working as designed, not a special penalty or a Zypto fee of any kind.
How to pay less
Timing helps: gas is cheaper when the network is quieter, so a transaction that isn’t urgent can often wait for a calmer moment rather than competing with a busy stretch. Layer 2 networks are the other real lever if you’re transacting often: chains like Arbitrum, Base and Optimism settle back to Ethereum for their final security, while handling the day-to-day transaction processing themselves at a fraction of mainnet’s cost.
Not the same as our general gas fees guide
This page is Ethereum-specific: gwei, EIP-1559’s split, and what makes Ethereum’s fees spike in particular. For how gas fees work across blockchains generally, see Understanding Blockchain Gas Fees.
Ethereum in Zypto App
That network fee is between you and Ethereum, not something Zypto adds on top. Hold, send or swap ETH from your self-custodial wallet, and the gas you pay goes straight to the validators keeping the network secure. Nothing extra, nothing hidden.
Free Your Money. With Zypto.
Prices, fees, features and availability mentioned in this article were correct at the time of publishing and may have changed since.
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