Pricing and Economics
This guide shows exactly what launching on Opals costs. Every number is verifiable in the smart contracts. No hidden fees.
The Simple Version
Platform fee: 2% of ETH raised
Gas costs: Approximately $15 for deployment
That's it. No setup fees, no monthly costs, no hidden charges.
Platform Fee Breakdown
The 2% fee is hardcoded in the smart contracts and distributed transparently:
Fee split:
50% to token creator (you)
20% to protocol treasury
15% to platform referrer
15% to order referrer
Net cost to you: 1% of your raise back as the creator fee. Your net cost is 1% plus gas.
How Fee Collection Works
Fees are collected during NFT mints:
When a supporter mints a Patron Card for 1 ETH:
0.98 ETH goes to your project
0.02 ETH goes to fee distribution
Fee distribution happens automatically. No manual processing needed.
Fee Verification
The 2% fee is defined in SteppedMarket.sol, FixedMarket.sol, and MembersMarket.sol as a constant:
TOTAL_FEE_BPS = 200 (200 basis points = 2%)
This cannot be changed. It's immutable.
Gas Cost Breakdown
Deployment uses EIP-1167 minimal proxy pattern. You pay gas only for creating contract clones, not full deployments.
Approximate gas usage:
Project contract: 150,000 gas
Token contract: 150,000 gas
Operator contract: 100,000 gas
Card contract: 150,000 gas
Market contract: 200,000 gas
PatronClaim contract: 200,000 gas
LiquidityLauncher contract: 150,000 gas
Total gas: ~1,100,000 gas
At 20 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$15 total
At 50 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$35 total
At 100 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$70 total
Cost Comparison
Opals vs Traditional Deployment
Traditional deployment:
Full contract deployment: ~5,000,000 gas per contract
7 contracts: ~35,000,000 gas total
At 20 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$500
At 50 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$1,250
At 100 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$2,500
Opals deployment:
Minimal proxy clones: ~1,100,000 gas total
At 20 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$15
At 50 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$35
At 100 gwei and $2,000 ETH: ~$70
Savings: 95%+ reduction in gas costs
Opals vs VC Funding
VC funding costs:
Legal fees: $50,000-$200,000
Equity dilution: 20-40% of company
Time cost: 6-12 months
Ongoing obligations: Board meetings, reporting
Opals costs:
Platform fee: 1% of raise
Gas costs: ~$15
Time cost: 1 week
Ongoing obligations: None
Example: $2M raise
VC cost: $100,000 legal + 30% equity ($600,000 value) = $700,000 total
Opals cost: $20,000 platform fee + $15 gas = $20,015 total
Savings: $680,000 + 30% equity retained
Opals vs Other Launchpads
Other launchpad costs:
Platform fee: 5-20% of tokens
Upfront cost: $50,000-$500,000
Legal fees: $10,000-$50,000
Time cost: 2-8 weeks
Opals costs:
Platform fee: 1% of raise
Gas costs: ~$15
Legal fees: $0 (standard contracts)
Time cost: 1 week
Example: $1M raise
Other launchpad: 10% tokens ($100,000 value) + $100,000 upfront + $25,000 legal = $225,000 total
Opals: $10,000 platform fee + $15 gas = $10,015 total
Savings: $215,000 + 10% tokens retained
Real-World Examples
Small Project ($100k raise)
Opals cost:
Platform fee: $1,000 (1% of $100k)
Gas cost: $15
Total: $1,015
VC alternative:
Legal fees: $50,000
Equity dilution: 25% ($25,000 value)
Total: $75,000
Savings: $74,000 + 25% equity retained
Medium Project ($1M raise)
Opals cost:
Platform fee: $10,000 (1% of $1M)
Gas cost: $15
Total: $10,015
VC alternative:
Legal fees: $100,000
Equity dilution: 30% ($300,000 value)
Total: $400,000
Savings: $390,000 + 30% equity retained
Large Project ($10M raise)
Opals cost:
Platform fee: $100,000 (1% of $10M)
Gas cost: $15
Total: $100,015
VC alternative:
Legal fees: $200,000
Equity dilution: 35% ($3.5M value)
Total: $3.7M
Savings: $3.6M + 35% equity retained
Fee Structure Details
Platform Fee (2%)
Creator fee (50%): 1% of raise returned to you Protocol treasury (20%): 0.4% of raise for protocol development Platform referrer (15%): 0.3% of raise for platform growth Order referrer (15%): 0.3% of raise for order flow
Gas Costs
Deployment gas: 1,100,000 gas ($15 at 20 gwei) Transaction gas: 65,000 gas per Patron Card mint ($1 at 20 gwei) Claiming gas: 45,000 gas per reward claim ($0.70 at 20 gwei)
Additional Costs
Legal fees: $0 (standard contracts) Setup fees: $0 Monthly fees: $0 Hidden fees: $0
Cost Optimization
Gas Optimization
Deploy during low gas periods: Gas costs vary significantly Use gas optimization tools: MetaMask and other wallets show gas estimates Batch operations: Some operations can be batched to save gas
Fee Optimization
Referrer programs: Use referrer codes to reduce net costs Volume discounts: Larger raises have better fee economics Efficient pricing: Better pricing strategies reduce overall costs
Transparency and Verification
On-Chain Verification
Fee structure: All fees are defined in smart contracts Gas costs: All gas costs are visible on block explorer No hidden fees: Every cost is transparent and verifiable
Community Verification
Open source: All code is publicly available Audit reports: All contracts are audited and verified Community reviews: Anyone can review and verify costs
Common Questions
Q: Are there any hidden fees? A: No. All fees are transparent and defined in smart contracts.
Q: Can fees change after deployment? A: No. All fees are immutable once deployed.
Q: What if gas prices are high? A: Gas costs are typically $15-$70 depending on network conditions.
Q: Do I need to pay anything upfront? A: Only gas costs for deployment (~$15). Platform fees are collected during sales.
Q: What if my project fails to raise funds? A: You only pay gas costs. No platform fees are charged if you don't raise funds.
Q: Can I get a refund? A: Gas costs are non-refundable, but platform fees are only charged on successful raises.
Best Practices
Cost Management
Plan your raise carefully: Set realistic targets to avoid overpaying Optimize your pricing: Better pricing strategies reduce overall costs Use referrer programs: Take advantage of referrer discounts Monitor gas costs: Deploy during low gas periods when possible
Value Maximization
Focus on value creation: Build something people actually want Engage your community: Strong communities raise more effectively Be transparent: Transparency builds trust and reduces costs Deliver on promises: Success reduces long-term costs
Next Steps
Ready to launch your project?
Design your tokenomics - Plan your token distribution
Choose your market type - Select the right mechanism
Deploy your project - Launch your token
Monitor your progress - Track your success
Remember: The cost of launching on Opals is transparent and minimal. Focus on building something great and let the economics work in your favor. The platform fee is small compared to the value you'll create.
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