Guide
Solana transaction fees
Before your first on-chain payment, you want to know what it actually costs. Solana charges a small network fee on every transaction — separate from the SOL you send. This guide breaks down base fees, priority fees, and the real total for a 0.001 SOL micropayment, then lets you practice below.
Base network fee (every transaction)
Every Solana transaction pays a base fee of 5,000 lamports per signature — that is 0.000005 SOL. Use the SOL converter if you think in lamports.
A simple wallet-to-wallet SOL transfer uses one signature, so the base fee is 0.000005 SOL. At typical SOL prices, that is a fraction of a cent. This fee goes to validators, not to the recipient of your payment.
Priority fees (optional, during congestion)
When the network is busy, your wallet may suggest a small priority fee so your transaction confirms faster. Phantom and other wallets show this as an extra line item before you approve.
Priority fees are optional and usually tiny compared to payments on other chains. For a casual 0.001 SOL micropayment, total fees (base + priority) are still typically well under $0.01 USD.
Total cost: payment + fee
Your wallet debits two amounts from your balance:
- Payment — the SOL you send (e.g. 0.001 SOL to Garden Dice treasury)
- Network fee — base fee plus any priority fee (e.g. ~0.000005 SOL)
Example: a 0.001 SOL Garden Dice roll might cost ~0.001005 SOL total from your wallet. Keep at least 0.002 SOL for comfortable headroom on your first try. If Phantom already showed insufficient SOL, see the insufficient funds fix guide.
Ready to send your first transfer? First Solana payment guide walks through wallet setup and verification step by step.
Why low fees enable micropayments
Credit cards and many blockchains make sub-dollar payments impractical. Solana's fixed base fee means products can charge 0.001 SOL per use without the fee eating the payment. That is why wallet-native games, tips, and pay-per-roll experiences work here.
Garden Dice is a concrete example: pay from 0.001 SOL, network fee on top, provably fair result on mainnet. Not a casino — no cash payouts, just on-chain entertainment you can verify.
FAQ
Does the recipient pay the fee?
No. The sender's wallet pays the network fee. Garden Dice receives only the roll amount you approve (0.001 to 0.01 SOL).
What if I only have exactly 0.001 SOL?
That may not be enough — you need the payment plus the network fee. Fund your wallet with a bit extra, or check your balance with the balance checker.
Are fees the same on devnet?
Devnet uses test SOL with no real value. Garden Dice runs on mainnet only — always confirm your wallet shows Mainnet Beta before paying.
How do I see the fee on Solscan?
After a transaction, open it on Solscan. The fee appears separately from the transfer amount. Use the transaction lookup tool with your signature.