How XRP Fees Have Changed Over Time

Since the XRP Ledger launched in 2012, the base transaction fee has remained at 10 drops (0.00001 XRP). According to blockchain analytics platform Dune, average XRP fees have been among the lowest of any major blockchain consistently since 2015.

Notable Fee Events in XRP History

During periods of peak speculative activity (notably late 2017 and early 2021), total daily fees collected on the XRP Ledger briefly spiked as transaction volume surged. However, the per-transaction fee remained negligible. Glassnode's 2024 analysis confirmed that fee spikes are brief and self-correcting, with rapid normalisation after congestion clears.

In December 2025, total daily XRP fees dropped to approximately 650 XRP per day – down significantly from 5,900 XRP per day at the February 2025 peak. This reduction reflected normalised transaction volumes rather than any protocol change.

Reserve Requirement Changes

Beyond the per-transaction fee, the XRP Ledger requires accounts to hold a minimum XRP reserve. In a significant accessibility upgrade approved by validators, the account reserve was reduced from 10 XRP to just 1 XRP. Similarly, the per-object reserve for NFTs and other on-ledger objects was dramatically reduced, encouraging broader adoption of the network.

These reserve adjustments are distinct from the transaction fee and do not affect the cost of sending payments, but they lower the barrier to entry for new users and developers building on XRPL.