Ethereum mainnet averages record 2.16M daily transactions in 2026

Base-layer activity hit new highs while median fees fell to a fraction of a dime, but lower fees also shrank network revenue Ethereum’s main network is busier than it has ever been. The mainnet averaged a record 2.16 million daily transactions in 2026, alongside 899,000 daily active addresses. The activity surge arrived alongside a steep drop in costs and a sharp fall in fee revenue. That mix raises a real question about what heavy usage is actually worth to the network’s holders. The numbers behind the record A separate research tally covering January through October 2026 put the mainnet average at approximately 2.17 million daily transactions. That figure represents a 54% increase from the prior year. Cost is the clearest driver in the data. Median transaction fees dropped from 35 cents to 3.5 cents, a tenfold reduction over the period. The base layer is only part of the picture. Layer-2 networks, which are separate chains that bundle transactions and settle them back to Ethereum to ease congestion, averaged 23.3 million daily transactions over the same stretch. Combined, the broader Ethereum ecosystem handled roughly 25 million daily transactions. The mainnet still matters, but ...