This is our most frequently asked question and the answer is: it's complicated... However, the reason it is complicated is quite simple. There are several factors to consider, and we have outlined them all. We will also give you advice on how to reduce the cost of gas fees for your airdrop. After reading this, if you still have any questions regarding gas fees, feel free to contact us.
Before reading on, it is important you understand how gas fees are calculated. If you are unfamiliar, we recommend you read this explanation provided by Etherscan and then come back to this.
Not All Tokens are Created Equal
Gas requirements commonly differ from one token to another. In most cases, the difference is minuscule. Typically, gas consumption will be low for tokens that have simple transfer functions. What we mean by this is that the smart contract code that implements the transfer function is not complex. An example of such a transfer function would simply deduct X amount of tokens from the initiator's balance and will add X amount of tokens to the balance of the recipient. That's as simple as it gets.
Moving on, tokens with transfer functions that consume loads of gas will definitely have complex transfer functions (e.g. tokens that are deflationary with taxation and those that have automatic swap logic). Some of these tokens can actually consume 10x more gas than those with simple transfer functions.
A Bit of Advice
If you have a token that has automatic swap logic, try disabling the swap and liquify option temporarily while you airdrop your token, and then re-enable it after. This should drastically reduce gas consumption and will save you a lot in gas fees. Additionally, if your token has taxation logic, you can try whitelisting your sending account to exempt it from being taxed, and therefore hopefully reduce gas consumption.
Watch Out for the Gas Price
This one may be obvious to most. However, if you are new to all of this, you should definitely keep an eye on the gas price. Ideally, you should avoid airdropping your token during times when gas prices are unusually high. Below are some online resources that you can use to track gas prices in each one of our supported blockchain networks.
The Airdrop Gas Fees
As you may have already gathered from this post, there is no straightforward answer when it comes to estimating the cost as there are several factors that can impact it. Having said that, you will be able to see the estimated gas fee on your wallet before signing a transaction for a batch transfer. However, there is one thing that certain: for large scale airdrops, the gas fees will be your biggest cost, and there is no way around it, even for tokens that have simple transfer functions. This is because you're being charged for each transfer. For example, you need to have your token distributed to 10,000 addresses, so you will essentially have to pay the gas fees for 10,000 individual token transfers.
Having said that, the best way to get an estimate of the gas fee is to enter the addresses and amounts of tokens to send and then approve our smart contract to distribute your token. Just click the "SUBMIT AIRDROP" button and you will see the estimated gas fee on your wallet for a single batch.