Skip to main content

How Do Gas Fees Compare between a Direct Transfer and an Approve() Transaction?

Both a direct transfer() and an approve() transaction are state-changing operations on the blockchain, so both consume gas and incur a fee. The exact cost varies based on network congestion and contract complexity.

Generally, they are comparable in cost as they involve a similar amount of computational work ▴ writing to a single storage slot on the blockchain. However, the two-step process of approve then transferFrom means a user pays gas twice to complete an interaction with a dApp for the first time.

What Is the Difference between ‘Gas Limit’ and ‘Gas Price’?
Which Type of Option (Call or Put) Is Generally More Affected by Theta?
Explain the Difference between “Gas” and “Gas Limit” in a Transaction
Compare the Capital Cost of a PoS Attack to the Energy Cost of a PoW Attack