Key Takeaways
- HIP-1084 removes fees for successful Ethereum Transactions submitted by relay operators on Hedera.
- The update simplifies business models while improving EVM compatibility and reducing friction.
- Relay operators will only incur costs when transactions fail critical pre-checks.
Hedera rolled out HIP-1084, a plan that removes transaction costs associated with successful Ethereum Transactions requested by relay operators.
Previously, platforms such as Thirdweb, Arkhia, and HGraph paid a fixed charge of approximately $0.0001 for every transaction they relayed, independent of whether or not they succeeded. The minimal charges, when accumulated in high-volume applications, tallied quickly.
As part of this workaround, most operators implemented non-standard fee models to offset these charges, adding to the complexity of development processes and user experience. HIP-1084 pushes such a burden aside, marking Hedera’s clear pledge to minimize blockchain development frictions.
The newer model makes economic incentives align with success, which opens the way for an improved developer-friendly Hedera ecosystem.
Hedera’s HIP-1084 Brings Fee-Free Transactions for Most Users
Under HIP-1084, fee charges are set only in case of failed transactions due to pre-execution checks by Hedera. This covers instances with invalid signatures, wrong nonces, malformed data, or inadequate HBAR balances.
These are all cases in which network resources would be spent, where a fee is warranted. The other cases, that is, successfully executed smart contract calls, transactions reverted, and ordinary token transfers, are all free for relay operators.

The advantages are twofold. For developers and relay services, they are about decreasing overhead. They don’t have to pay for failed or reverted transactions anymore or write back-end logic to handle platform-specific charges.
For users, it is all about being consistent. Hedera now behaves more similarly to Ethereum in the places where usability matters, with its low-latency, energy-friendly design intact.
This also makes more experimentation possible. Developers who have shied away from using high-volume interactions for fear of accumulated transaction costs will now have greater access to Hedera.
Processing normal user interactions without network charges encourages innovation, particularly for startups experimenting with smart contract behavior or creating multi-chain applications.
Seamless Transition, Tangible Results
The transition to HIP-1084 is seamless. There is no need for code changes for relay operators or end-users. The update is implemented at the network level with backward compatibility to provide instant advantage.
More than an exercise in cost savings, this proposal is also a technical and philosophical advance. By eliminating charges from successful transactions, Hedera demonstrates its commitment to advancing with developer needs in mind, guaranteeing security and efficiency.
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