Who actually gets the network fee?

The participants who process and secure the transaction — not the wallet, not the exchange, and not us.

Every transfer competes for space in the next block. The fee is what you offer for that space, and it goes to whoever produces the block: miners on a proof-of-work network, validators on a proof-of-stake one.

That is why fees rise when the network is busy and fall when it is quiet — you are bidding, not paying a price list. Nobody sets it, which also means nobody can waive it.

Wallets and exchanges sometimes add their own charge on top, and that one does go to them. On an exchange withdrawal the "network fee" quoted is frequently a fixed amount larger than what the transfer actually costs.

The fee is always paid in the network's own coin, which is why you can hold a token and still be unable to move it.

What is gas and the network comparison have the details.

Last checked 19 Oct 2026.