NFT Mint Gas Fee on Optimism
How much does it cost to mint an NFT on Optimism right now? The card below shows today's live gas fee for a typical mint on OP Mainnet — usually a few cents, split between L2 execution and an L1 data fee.
Live NFT mint cost on Optimism
~250,000 gas · 0.0010 Gwei · ETH ≈ $1,695.59
Total fee
$0.000433
= $0.000424 L2 execution
+ $0.00000907 L1 data fee
Includes the L1 data/security fee (queried live from the GasPriceOracle predeploy). L1 fee dominates the tiny L2 execution cost on OP Stack chains. The L1 data portion is estimated from current L1 pricing and a representative payload — your exact fee varies with the token and route.
Optimism vs Base for minting — same stack, different crowd
Base gets most of the mint-day headlines, but it runs on the OP Stack that Optimism built — so the fee anatomy of a mint is the same on both: cheap L2 execution plus an L1 data fee that tracks Ethereum. Two practical differences:
- Congestion. Optimism's mint calendar is quieter, so it rarely suffers the gas spikes a hyped Base drop can cause. The same collection deployed on both chains will often mint marginally cheaper on Optimism during Base's busy hours.
- Where the collections are. You mint where the collection deploys. Optimism's scene skews toward established marketplaces and Superchain-native projects rather than high-velocity meme mints.
Why a ~250,000-gas mint still costs cents
Minting writes new ownership state, updates supply counters, and may verify an allowlist proof — several times the gas of a simple transfer. On OP Mainnet that execution is nearly free; the meaningful part of the fee is posting compressed transaction data to Ethereum. That L1 share is priced in mainnet terms, so it moves with mainnet gas — cents when L1 is calm, a bit more when it isn't. Gas is paid in ETH on Optimism; there is no separate gas token.
Optimism vs mainnet — the same mint
The same ~250,000-gas mint on Ethereum mainnet, live:
Live NFT mint (mainnet) cost
250,000 gas units · ETH ≈ $1,696
Standard
$0.0650
0.153 Gwei
Lowest tier that confirms in a few minutes.
Fast
$0.0722
0.170 Gwei
Default wallet tier — confirms in about a minute.
Rapid
$0.2464
0.581 Gwei
Top priority — confirms in under 30 seconds.
Base fee right now: 0.153 Gwei. Tier prices add the average priority tip seen in recent blocks. Wallets often pad estimates by 10–30%, so your actual quote may be a bit higher.
On mainnet, a competitive drop can push the gas for a single mint past the price of the NFT itself — and a failed mint still burns the full fee. On Optimism the same failure costs cents, which changes how aggressively you can chase limited mints.
Minting on other chains
- • NFT mint on Base — the busiest L2 mint scene, same OP Stack fees.
- • NFT mint on Arbitrum — one bundled fee, no separate L1 line.
- • NFT mint on Polygon — often a fraction of a cent; gas paid in POL.
- • NFT mint on Ethereum mainnet — the full breakdown of mainnet mint costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to mint an NFT on Optimism right now?
The live figure in the card above is the current gas cost of a typical NFT mint on OP Mainnet (~250,000 gas), updated every minute. It is usually a few cents — tiny L2 execution plus a share of the L1 data-posting cost.
Is minting cheaper on Optimism or Base?
Usually within a hair of each other — Base runs the OP Stack that Optimism created, so the fee mechanics are nearly identical. During a hyped Base drop, Base congestion can briefly make Optimism the cheaper place to transact of the two.
Does the fee include the collection’s mint price?
No. The card shows the network gas fee only. Any mint price the creator sets (including free) is separate and paid on top. On Optimism, gas is small enough that the mint price is normally the dominant cost.
Why does an Optimism mint cost more when Ethereum is busy?
The L1 data fee portion of every OP Stack transaction is priced in Ethereum mainnet terms. When mainnet gas spikes, the L1 share of your mint rises with it — still cents rather than dollars, but not a fixed price.
What do I need in my wallet to mint on Optimism?
ETH on OP Mainnet, for both gas and any mint price — Optimism has no separate gas token. Bridge or withdraw a small amount of ETH to Optimism before the mint opens.
Cheapest chain to mint right now?
Compare live mint and transfer costs across Optimism, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, and mainnet.