A guide to understanding the costs involved when transacting on SODAX, including system fees and network gas fees.
💡 There are two types of cost when using SODAX. System fees are charged by SODAX for facilitating your transaction, and gas fees are charged by the blockchain network to process it. This article focuses on gas fees.
For a breakdown of SODAX system fees, see "How much are fees on SODAX?".
Overview
When you use SODAX to swap, send, or interact with any supported network, your transaction must be processed and confirmed by that network's validators. To compensate these validators, every blockchain network charges a small fee known as a "gas fee."
This gas fee is separate from any fees charged by SODAX itself. While SODAX system fees are deducted from the transaction amount automatically, gas fees must be paid from your wallet balance in the network's native token (ie. S token while using Sonic Network).
Which network charges the gas fee?
Gas fees are charged on the network that your transaction originates from, meaning the "from" network when conducting a cross-network swap (also known as a cross-chain swap) or transfer.
For example:
Swapping from Sonic to Ethereum: You pay gas fees on the Sonic network, in S tokens.
Swapping from Ethereum to Avalanche: You pay gas fees on Ethereum, in ETH.
Swapping from Avalanche to Base: You pay gas fees on Avalanche, in AVAX.
You do not need to hold the gas token for the destination network. SODAX handles the execution on the destination side.
🧠 Gas fees vary by network. Some networks like Sonic and Base have very low gas fees (often fractions of a cent), while others like Ethereum can be more expensive depending on network congestion.
What token do I need for gas?
Each network has a native token used to pay for gas. Here are some common examples:
Ethereum: ETH
Avalanche: AVAX
Sonic: S
Base: ETH
Arbitrum: ETH
Sui: SUI
Solana: SOL
You need to hold a small balance of the relevant gas token in your wallet on any network you wish to transact from. If your gas token balance is zero, SODAX will not be able to process your transaction on that network.
How to make sure you can always transact
To avoid failed or blocked transactions, follow these simple steps:
Keep a small reserve of the native gas token on every network you plan to use. A few dollars' worth is usually sufficient for multiple transactions.
Check your gas balance before swapping. If you are about to swap your entire balance of a token that is also the gas token for that network (e.g., swapping all your ETH on Ethereum), leave a small amount behind to cover gas.
Use the "Max" button with care. When using "Max" to swap your entire balance, SODAX will attempt to reserve enough for gas, but it is good practice to verify this before confirming.
⚠️ Don't swap all of your gas token. If you swap your entire balance of a network's native token, you may not have enough left to pay gas fees for future transactions on that network.
Need Help?
If you have any further questions about transaction costs and gas fees or need assistance, visit our Support Center for more articles and resources, or contact our support team via the button in the bottom right.