Three costs, and only one of them varies by tool. The base network fee is tiny, the ~1 KAS per-mint minimum is fixed — the one that varies is the tool fee (a flat 1.75% here). 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. Minting through the radar is a flat 1.75%, non-custodial. Tool fees differ by tool and by structure (some are flat, some a percentage), so compare the actual KAS amount for your mint size before you choose.
Two of these are set by the network and the protocol — you can't shop around on them. The third depends on the tool you pick.
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 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, in KAS, for your mint size.
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 · varies by tool |
| 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 by venue (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. Many custodial minting bots route your KAS through their wallet before the token reaches you. Their fee is a business model, not a protocol rule. Tool fees differ by tool and by structure (some are flat, some a percentage), so compare the actual KAS amount for your mint size before you choose.
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% while you sign every transaction from your own wallet.
The fee isn't the whole story, though. Before you mint anything, it's worth knowing the launch itself is fair — a good 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% and sign every transaction from your own wallet. Same on-chain token, your keys.
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 varies by tool: minting through the radar is a flat 1.75%, non-custodial. Tool fees differ by tool and by structure (some are flat, some a percentage), so compare the actual KAS amount for your mint size before you choose.
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.
Most do. A tool fee is on top of the network and protocol costs, and it's a business model, not a protocol requirement. Tool fees differ by tool and by structure (some are flat, some a percentage), so compare the actual KAS amount for your mint size before you choose. Custodial bots also route your funds through their own wallet first; a non-custodial tool like the radar charges a flat 1.75% and lets you sign from your own wallet.
Use a non-custodial tool: you sign every transaction yourself, so nobody holds your KAS in between. The base network fee and the ~1 KAS minimum are the same no matter how you mint; the radar adds a flat 1.75% tool fee as one transparent output.
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%.