It’s mid-2025 and Ethereum, the network once notorious for making people pay $20 just to send a few dollars, is now surprisingly affordable. Most transactions now cost less than $3, sometimes even under $1 depending on the time of day. If you’ve been in the crypto space for a while, that sounds almost too good to be true.
People are starting to notice. Developers are building again. NFT creators who disappeared when gas was unbearable are testing the waters. Even smaller DeFi projects are popping up here and there. But what’s really going on? Why are the fees so low now?
Well, part of the answer is technical. Ethereum’s shift to proof-of-stake changed the game, making the network more efficient and less energy-hungry. But it didn’t just end there. Layer 2 scaling solutions like Optimism and Arbitrum have taken off, moving a lot of activity off the main Ethereum chain and helping reduce congestion.
At the same time, it’s not like Ethereum is seeing the same level of action it did in 2021 or 2022. Back then, everyone and their grandma was minting NFTs, trading tokens, or jumping on the latest DeFi protocol. Now, things are... calmer. Less hype, fewer users rushing to be first. And with lower demand comes lower gas prices.
Some see this as a good thing. The network feels more usable again. It’s not just whales or rich investors who can afford to interact with smart contracts. Average users, people who just want to explore or try something new, finally have a chance to do that without breaking the bank.
But others are more skeptical. They wonder if the low fees are just a side effect of people leaving. If nobody’s using Ethereum, of course fees drop. So is this really progress, or just a quiet moment before the next big wave?
Ethereum developers seem optimistic. Tim Beiko, who’s involved in Ethereum coordination, mentioned recently that the goal all along was to make the network scalable and efficient. Lower fees, according to him, mean the upgrades are doing what they were supposed to.
Still, the future isn’t guaranteed. All it takes is one major trend — a viral game, a token frenzy, something unexpected — and fees could shoot back up. But maybe next time, the infrastructure will be ready to handle it better.
For now, Ethereum feels usable again. That alone is worth something.