Ethereum maintained its dominance in blockchain fee earnings in 2024, raking in nearly $2.5 billion, more than double the amount earned by TRON, according to a new CoinGecko report. As blockchain activity surged last year, total fees across networks soared to $6.89 billion, with Ethereum leading the charge.
Ethereum’s gas fees totaled $2.48 billion, significantly outpacing the competition. TRON followed closely behind, earning $2.15 billion, a remarkable increase compared to 2023. CoinGecko analysts attribute TRON’s growth to its strong hold on the stablecoin market, with monthly earnings consistently climbing throughout the year. On average, Ethereum generated $6.79 million in daily fees, while TRON earned $5.89 million per day.
The data from CoinGecko, based on TokenTerminal and Artemis, covers blockchain fees from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, and excludes blockchains with limited publicly available fee data.
Other Blockchain Networks Show Strong Fee Growth
While Ethereum and TRON led the pack, other blockchain networks also saw significant fee growth in 2024. Solana, known for its meme coin activity, saw a staggering 2,838% surge in fee earnings, reaching $750.65 million. Bitcoin, benefiting from increased activity surrounding Ordinal NFTs, BRC-20 tokens, and Rune tokens, earned $922.89 million, marking a 15.9% increase from the previous year.
In the layer-2 space, Coinbase’s Base network stood out, earning $84.78 million in fees, a 548.2% increase year-over-year. While Ethereum continues to dominate in fee earnings, layer-2 networks like Arbitrum, Linea, and Optimism are making notable strides, earning $44.10 million, $39.20 million, and $37.97 million, respectively.
Layer-2 Fee Earnings and Future Outlook
CoinGecko noted that fluctuations in layer-2 fee earnings are largely driven by on-chain activity, including token airdrops and incentive marketing programs. It remains uncertain how sustainable these earnings will be in the long term, as layer-2 chains continue to develop and expand.
As the blockchain landscape evolves, Ethereum’s dominance in fee collection remains unchallenged, but other networks, including TRON, Solana, and various layer-2 solutions, are making significant strides in capturing market share. The continued growth in blockchain usage suggests that fee revenues across networks will likely continue to rise in the coming years.
