Three costs, and only one of them actually varies. The base network fee is tiny, the ~1 KAS per-mint minimum is fixed — the only real lever is the tool fee, where a flat 1.75% beats the ~5% the bots take. Here's exactly what each action costs.
Whenever you do anything with a Kaspa token, your cost is made of up to three layers. First, the base network fee — Kaspa charges a fee on every transaction, but thanks to its sub-second BlockDAG throughput it's very low and predictable, typically a small fraction of a KAS (figures move with network conditions). It is not gas in the Ethereum sense — there's no per-computation gas auction.
Second, a protocol minimum for the specific token action: roughly 1 KAS per mint operation, and about 1,000 KAS to deploy (create) a brand-new token. These are set by the KRC-20 protocol, not by any tool, so they're the same no matter where you mint.
Third — and this is the only cost that meaningfully varies — the tool fee, if you use a minting tool or marketplace. The dominant custodial bots take around 5% of every mint; minting through the radar is a flat 1.75%, non-custodial. Everything else being equal, that fee is the biggest number you actually control.
Two of these are set by the network and the protocol — you can't shop around on them. The third is a choice, and it's where the real savings are.
Paid to the Kaspa network on every transaction, in KAS. Kept low by high BlockDAG throughput — usually a small fraction of a KAS. Not a gas market; no bidding wars. This is unavoidable but negligible.
Set by the KRC-20 standard: about 1 KAS per mint operation and about 1,000 KAS to deploy a new token. Identical everywhere — no tool can discount it. Holding and receiving cost nothing beyond a transfer's network fee.
Charged by whatever mints for you. Custodial bots take ~5% and often route funds through their wallet first; the radar is a flat 1.75%, and you sign from your own wallet. Same token — this is the number to compare.
A quick reference for every common KRC-20 action and the fees that apply to it.
| Action | What you pay | Percentage fee? |
|---|---|---|
| Hold a KRC-20 | Nothing — sits under your own keys | None |
| Send / transfer | Base network fee (a fraction of a KAS) | None |
| Mint (fair launch) | ~1 KAS min + network fee + tool fee | 1.75% here · ~5% on bots |
| Deploy a new token | ~1,000 KAS min + network fee | None (protocol only) |
| Buy on a marketplace | Token price + network fee + marketplace fee | Varies by marketplace |
| Sell / swap | Network fee when the swap settles | Varies (bots ~5%, PSKT swap none) |
All fees are paid in KAS. Protocol minimums (~1 KAS per mint, ~1,000 KAS deploy) and network fees move with the protocol and market — always confirm the current figures against official Kaspa and Kasplex sources before you transact.
The network fee and the ~1 KAS mint minimum are the same wherever you go, so they're not where the money is. The number that actually moves is the tool fee. The popular custodial minting bots commonly take around 5% of every mint — and many route your KAS through their wallet before the token reaches you. That's a business model, not a protocol rule: nothing in KRC-20 requires a 5% cut.
Because KRC-20 is indexer-based and non-custodial, a tool doesn't need to hold your funds to mint for you. That's how the radar charges a flat 1.75% — roughly 3× less on the one fee you can choose — while you sign every transaction from your own wallet. On a small mint the gap is a few KAS; on a large one it's the biggest single cost you can cut.
Cheaper isn't the whole story, though. Before you mint anything, it's worth knowing the launch itself is fair — a great fee on a rug is still a bad trade. Our free Fair-Launch Radar grades every live launch A–F on how its supply is distributed, and the rug-pull checklist shows the five signals it reads.
The network and protocol costs are fixed — the tool fee isn't. Mint through the radar at a flat 1.75% instead of the ~5% the custodial bots take, sign every transaction from your own wallet, and keep the difference. Same on-chain token, your keys, nearly 3× less on the one fee you control.
Kaspa charges a base network fee on every transaction, but it's not gas in the Ethereum sense — there's no per-computation gas market. Because the BlockDAG confirms many blocks per second, the base fee is very low and predictable, typically a small fraction of a KAS (the exact figure moves with conditions). For a KRC-20 action you also pay the ~1 KAS protocol minimum, plus any tool fee.
Three things: the tiny base network fee, the protocol minimum of about 1 KAS per mint, and — if you use a tool — its fee. The tool fee is the only part that varies meaningfully: the custodial bots take about 5%, while minting through the radar is a flat 1.75%, non-custodial, so you keep the difference.
Deploying a new token needs a protocol minimum of about 1,000 KAS for the deploy operation, plus the small network fee. It's a one-time spend to register the token's rules (ticker, max supply, per-mint limit) and is separate from minting — after deploy, each mint costs about 1 KAS plus any tool fee. Full walkthrough in how to create a KRC-20 token.
The popular custodial bots take a percentage of every mint — commonly around 5% — and many route your funds through their own wallet first. That's on top of the network and protocol costs, and it's a business model, not a protocol requirement. Nothing about KRC-20 forces a 5% cut, which is why a non-custodial tool can charge a flat 1.75% and let you sign from your own wallet.
The base network fee and the ~1 KAS minimum are fixed no matter how you mint, so the only lever is the tool fee. Minting non-custodially at a flat 1.75% instead of ~5% is roughly 3× cheaper on that fee, and because you sign every transaction yourself, nobody holds your KAS in between. On a large mint that gap is the biggest cost you control.
Holding costs nothing — the tokens sit on the Kaspa BlockDAG under your own keys, no custody or storage fee. Sending or transferring one costs a transfer operation: the small base network fee, paid in KAS. You never pay a percentage just to move tokens between your own wallets; percentage fees only appear when a tool sits between you and a mint or a marketplace swap. New here? See adding a KRC-20 to your wallet.
Yes. The base network fee, the KRC-20 mint and deploy minimums, and transfer costs are all paid in KAS, the native coin — there's no separate gas token. A minting tool's percentage fee is also settled in KAS within the same flow, so all you need in your wallet is enough KAS to cover the amount you're minting plus the small fees on top.
Now you know exactly what a KRC-20 mint costs. Check any live launch is fair first on the free radar, then mint from your own wallet at a flat 1.75% — nearly 3× cheaper than the bots, never custodial.