Lightning Network Median Base Fee
- 1M1M
- 3M3M
- 6M6M
- 1Y1Y
- ALLALL
- LinearLinear
- LogLog
About this metric
What it measures
Lightning Network Median Base Fee takes the middle of observed advertised fixed routing charges, measured in satoshis (sats). The base fee is the fixed component charged for forwarding a payment, separate from the proportional fee that depends on the amount forwarded.
How to read it
A lower median means the middle fixed charge is cheaper, which matters especially for small payments. The series has often been at 1 sat and recorded a low of 0 on March 20, 2023; its full-history median is 1 sat. Flat readings can persist even as fees away from the midpoint change.
This is a median of advertised policies, not a payment-weighted record of fees actually paid. A route can contain multiple fee-charging hops, and each can also charge a proportional fee. A zero base fee therefore does not mean an end-to-end payment is free.
- Frequency
- Daily (UTC 00:00)
- Asset
- BTC
- Category
- Lightning Network
- Type
- Single value
- Unit
- sats
- Data since
- 2021-10-19
- Latest data
- 2026-10-27
- Data points
- 1,829
FAQ
Why can the base fee be less than one satoshi?
Lightning can express routing fees in millisatoshis, where 1,000 millisatoshis equal 1 satoshi. A displayed value of 0.001 sat therefore represents one millisatoshi rather than a rounding error.
How does the base fee differ from the proportional fee?
The base fee is fixed for forwarding a payment, while the proportional part scales with the forwarded amount. The routing charge at a hop combines those components, so small payments are more sensitive to a nonzero base fee.
Does a median of 1 sat mean every payment costs 1 sat?
No. It is the midpoint of observed fixed-fee policies, not a quote for an entire route. Actual cost depends on which hops are used, their proportional rates and the payment amount.
