To be honest, many chains now boast 'low fees', but they actually rely on a subsidy model.

For example, just a few seconds ago it was 0.0001 U, and as soon as the event ended, it immediately surged tenfold. Not to mention that some chains directly burn financing to create a so-called '0 Gas experience', but in reality, you are secretly footing the bill for the platform.

So I initially thought that the low Gas of @Plasma was a trick-type 'new chain benefit'.

The result was actually used for a while, and I found out it wasn't. Its fees are low, it's not a 'limited-time offer', but the entire chain's operational architecture is designed from the ground up for this purpose.

This article aims to clarify: how Plasma's low transaction fees stand strong at the structural level.



1. The premise of low Gas: the chain itself is 'light enough'.

Plasma does not rely on expansion but compresses the structural cost of each transaction.

What does it mean?

Other chains have a bunch of additional fields in transaction data, for example:

  • Network ID, routing path

  • Contract jumping, external listening

  • Layer2 still needs to write back to the main chain.

  • Cross-chain also needs to leave event state logs.

But on Plasma, a payment action only requires:

  • Token source

  • Token target

  • Amount + call module

With contract layer support for 'native payment triggers', even the approve and authorization processes are eliminated, resulting in extremely lightweight overall data packaging.

Light data, low pressure on nodes, so Gas is naturally low.



2. It is not about 'packing more', but about 'reducing waste'.

Many high TPS chains today, to put it bluntly: I can package thousands of transactions per second, so the unit cost is low.

Sounds reasonable, but this actually conceals a problem:

You are also passing on more 'internal costs that users should not bear' to the users.

For example:

  • State synchronization costs

  • Multi-hop verification fees

  • Authorization paths that are unnecessary but must be taken

  • Cumbersome on-chain confirmation delays

The structure of Plasma is the opposite:

  • First, define the user behavior model (e.g., payment, authorization, unlocking).

  • Then only retain the necessary on-chain steps to complete this action.

  • Next, optimize storage and bandwidth using lightweight contract logic + local state processing mechanism.

The ultimate result is:

When you send a transaction, the chain only processes the truly necessary actions.
No redundant states, no extra records, and very few rollbacks.

This is not a cheap performance trade-off; it is a structural efficiency.



3. XPL does not have 'economic inflation-style Gas drag'

Many chains have poorly designed Gas models.

The most common pitfalls:

  1. Using a deflationary mechanism to pull up prices actually increases on-chain operating costs.

  2. Token volatility is high, and users have no cost expectations when using it.

  3. Transaction fee logic is complex, and one must rely on platforms for discounts and rebates to make it workable.

But XPL's approach is:

  • Clear purpose = Gas + system fuel, no multi-functional hype.

  • The price stabilization mechanism does not rely on hard ceilings but promotes circulation through 'low prices + real usage'.

  • Gas estimation is highly accurate, with no floating premiums, ensuring you don't waste a single cent.

  • On average, each operation only requires 0.0001 ~ 0.001 U, which is extremely user-friendly for DApp users.

Under this mechanism, users are not 'held hostage by XPL', but naturally consume XPL, just like paying for electricity and water: imperceptible but always operational.



Summary: The low Gas of Plasma is established by a whole set of architecture, not relying on subsidies or financing.

This is what I appreciate the most.

Unlike some chains: 'free during the event', and when the subsidy ends, everyone runs away.

The Gas cost of Plasma comes from three things:

  1. Light architecture: transaction data compression, lightweight on-chain state management.

  2. Simple behavior: the system recognizes interaction logic and only takes necessary paths.

  3. Stable tokens: XPL is pure fuel and does not create market cap stories.

This type of chain is suitable for long-term development and real users.

Because you can predict the cost of the next transaction and assess whether the product can 'sustain'.

This is not low Gas; this is a 'low-pressure development chain'.