Answer
What is a priority fee on Solana?
A priority fee is an optional, market-set tip added on top of Solana's fixed 5,000-lamport base fee to raise a transaction's chance of landing in the next block, and it is charged even when the transaction fails.
Base fee and priority fee are different things
Solana prices a transaction in two parts. The base fee is fixed at 5,000 lamports per signature. The priority fee is whatever the sender chooses to add on top, and it exists because block space is finite.
The priority portion is priced per compute unit, so a transaction that does more work can pay more at the same rate. It is also a market: a quiet afternoon and a contested mint do not cost the same, and a fee that worked yesterday can be too low today.
- Base fee: 5,000 lamports per signature, fixed, charged on failure.
- Priority fee: optional, sender-chosen, set by competition for block space.
- The measured pump.fun launch paid 0.00051 SOL in total network fees — one base fee plus a small tip.
Why a launch usually pays one
A new coin attracts bots. Snipers watch for new mints and try to buy in the first slot, and the launch transaction competes with everything else in the queue at that moment.
The fee is a queue position, nothing more. It buys inclusion, not outcome — a bigger tip does not improve the price you pay on the curve, because the curve prices the trade the same whoever sends it.
- A launch is time-sensitive: the earlier the coin exists, the earlier it can be bought.
- A priority fee raises the chance of landing in the next block; it does not guarantee it.
- Bots pay the same market rate as everyone else; there is no reserved lane.
- Paying more does not buy a better entry price or a better position in the curve.
Failed transactions still cost
Fees are charged whether or not the transaction succeeds. A launch that reverts, a buy that slips past its limit, a collect that lands on an empty vault — each one pays its base fee, and usually the priority fee as well.
That asymmetry is worth internalising before a crowded mint: the cost of trying is paid up front whether or not the attempt works. Budget for retries the way you budget for the trade itself, and check a wallet's fee settings before signing anything in a hurry.
- A failed transaction is not free and is not refunded.
- Rent on accounts that were never used can be reclaimed by closing them.
- Repeated retries are repeated fees, which is how a stuck launch ends up costing more than the launch itself.
Related questions
Is a priority fee required?
No. A transaction paying only the base fee is valid; it is simply less likely to be included when the block is contested.
How much should I pay?
There is no fixed answer because the fee is market-set. Wallets usually suggest a recent percentile; the measured pump.fun launch paid a tip small enough that total network fees came to 0.00051 SOL.
Who receives the priority fee?
The validator that includes the transaction.
Where to go next
- How much SOL do I need in my wallet to launch a coin?
- How much does it cost to create a Solana token without a launchpad?
- The full launch guide: costs, socials, 21-day runway
- Every question we have answered
If the brand and the page are what is stopping you
Mint a Brand draws the icon, banner and stickers, builds the token site on its own subdomain and prepares the launch for your wallet to sign, for $30. Your wallet pays the network fee and is the creator of record.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-31 · nothing here is financial advice, and most meme coins go to zero.