Polygon Surpasses Ethereum in Daily Fees as Polymarket Bets Surge

TLDR Polygon surpassed Ethereum in daily transaction fees for the first time ever, with $407,100 in fees compared to Ethereum’s $211,700. The surge in Polygon’s fees was driven by significant activity on Polymarket, especially surrounding Oscar betting. Polymarket recorded over $15 million in wagers on a single Oscar category over the weekend, contributing to Polygon’s fee growth. Polygon’s average transaction fee is around $0.0026, significantly lower than Ethereum’s fee of about $1.68. Ethereum’s recent volatility, driven by large whale movements, created a more favorable environment for Polygon’s fee surge. Polygon recently surpassed Ethereum in daily transaction fees, marking a significant shift in blockchain activity. This occurred when Polygon’s network recorded $407,100 in transaction fees on Friday, compared to Ethereum’s $211,700. The increase in Polygon’s revenue coincided with the surge in activity on Polymarket, particularly with Oscar betting. Polymarket Drives Fee Surge Polymarket, a decentralized prediction market, is behind much of Polygon’s newfound fee dominance. Over the weekend, it recorded more than $15 million in wagers for a single Oscar category, attracting considerable retail interest. This surge in betting activity directly translated into substantial network fees for Polygon, which exceeded $1 million in a single week. This boost in transaction volume significantly impacted Polygon’s overall fee performance. Polymarket, which is built on Polygon’s blockchain, saw consistent traffic, helping drive up daily revenue. As a result, Polygon briefly overtook Ethereum in daily transaction fees, an outcome few expected given Ethereum’s dominant position. Polygon just hit an all-time high in daily USDC transactions And it's not even close. 12M+ daily USDC txs on Polygon Every other chain? Below 3M Base, Arbitrum, Ethereum Mainnet barely register pic.twitter.com/SVlf5ci2xm — Leon Waidmann (@LeonWaidmann) February 17, 2026 Lower Transaction Fees Gi...