Ethereum is stuck around the $2,800 mark today, while network users are paying noticeably higher gas fees. Despite recent upgrades that slashed transaction costs to multi-year lows—below $0.15—intermittent fee spikes are cropping up, signaling renewed congestion or temporary demand shifts.
Ethereum’s Price Plateau: What’s Happening?
Ethereum’s price is grappling with resistance near $2,800. Recent reports show ETH pegged just below that level, struggling to break out amid a mix of technical resistance and fading bullish momentum.
On-chain data suggests the price rebound failed to gain traction, and volatility remains subdued as market players await fresh catalysts. Without renewed demand or institutional inflows, ETH may linger in this range.
Why Mismatched: Low Average Fees vs. Occasional Spikes
Record-low fees, but not always
In early 2026, Ethereum hit new milestones. Average gas fees collapsed to around $0.15, and daily transactions surged near all-time highs. This was fueled by the Fusaka upgrade and increased block gas limits that allowed the network to scale more efficiently.
Yet these improvements don’t guarantee consistency. Periodic congestion or large-scale activity bursts can still drive fees up, even when averages are historically low.
Still vulnerable to spikes
Past incidents show gas fees can spike dramatically. For instance, in February 2025, some swap transactions briefly hit nearly $50, then quickly normalized. This volatility comes from unpredictable activity surges—whether from high-demand dApps, NFT drops, or DeFi protocols.
Market watchers note that while average costs are tempting, the risk of fee spikes remains. So, users and developers should stay cautious.
What’s Behind the Temporary Fee Jumps?
Several factors may drive sudden surges in transaction costs:
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Network congestion from events
High-profile launches or memecoin experiments can flood the network. For example, an Ethereum price rally pushed by a memecoin triggered fee spikes before collapsing.
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Shifting demand back to mainnet
Even with Layer-2s taking over much activity, mainnet usage can momentarily rise—for instance, during settlement bursts or validator-driven operations.
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Emerging market behaviors
In some cases, whales or bots might swarm transactions opportunistically, creating temporary bottlenecks.
These dynamics reveal Ethereum’s complexity—optimizations help, but recurring pressure points still appear.
Real-World Impacts & Trader Cautions
For developers and users
The return of modest fee spikes means Ethereum isn’t entirely free from cost hurdles. This affects:
- App developers who depend on predictable transaction costs.
- Everyday users doing micro-transactions or DeFi interactions.
- NFT or gaming platforms scaling usage.
Even if fees average low, these intermittent hikes can erode usability.
For traders and analysts
Ethereum’s price reaction to these fee surges remains cautious. The resistance at $2,800 reflects a broader hesitation: without sustained institutional inflows or fresh narratives, bulls find it tough to push through.
How Ethereum Achieved Lower Fees—And What That Looked Like
Ethereum’s recent transformation rests on several layered improvements:
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Fusaka upgrade
Deployed in December 2025, it introduced PeerDAS and doubled gas limits, significantly boosting capacity and efficiency.
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Higher gas limits
Block gas capacity increased from 45 to 60 million, allowing more throughput and lowering mainnet pressure.
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Layer-2 adoption
Rollups moved most activity off mainnet. Cost per user action dropped dramatically—often to mere cents.
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Blob and data parameter upgrades
Changes in “blob” capacity and data handling improved scalability, allowing high throughput without fee spikes.
These combined shifts enabled Ethereum to break records: 2.88 million transactions in a day while fees dropped to historic lows.
Quote from the Field
“Usage is moving back to L1 after years of scaling work. The network is processing record transactions with fees under $0.01 in many cases, with no congestion and stable finality.”
— Vitalik Buterin (on Ethereum’s performance post-upgrades)
What’s Next: Outlook & Recommendations
For Users & Developers
- Track average and known gas fee patterns—but stay ready. Occasional spikes remain.
- Adopt Layer-2 solutions strategically. They offer lower, more stable transaction costs.
- Plan activity around network lulls, when possible.
For Market Watchers
- ETH price stuck near $2,800 reflects cautious market sentiment. A clear breakout needs sustained demand, volume, or ETF-driven momentum.
- Watch institutional flows to Ethereum ETFs. Their return could revive sentiment around ETH price.
- Keep an eye on macro data—like Fed policy or dollar strength—since they influence broader crypto appetite.
Concluding Summary
Ethereum now processes record-high activity with fees that once seemed unimaginable—around a dime or less per transaction. Thanks to Fusaka, data capacity improvements, and Layer-2 scalability, the network is more efficient than ever. But intermittent fee spikes still occur, reminding users that the system isn’t yet perfect. Meanwhile, ETH hangs near $2,800, stalled by technical resistance and lack of fresh catalysts. The network’s strength is clear, but whether price follows depends on institutional interest, macro trends, and renewed confidence in crypto’s infrastructure future.
FAQs
Why are gas fees sometimes high if average rates are low?
Occasional congestion from high activity, major dApp events, or market-driven bursts can temporarily overwhelm capacity, even when upgrades keep averages low.
What’s driving Ethereum’s sluggish price near $2,800?
Resistance levels, faded liquidations rallies, and lack of strong institutional inflows or new narratives have left price stuck around $2,800.
Will low gas fees last?
Long-term trends are positive thanks to upgrades and Layer-2 adoption. But expect occasional volatility from temporary demand spikes.
How can users avoid high fees?
Use Layer-2s for most transactions, schedule activity during low-traffic periods, and monitor on-chain data for early signals of congestion.