To do anything on Base — mint, deploy, swap, buy NFTs — you need ETH on Base for gas. A few dollars is plenty to start.
Option 1: Buy directly on Base (easiest)
Most wallets have a built-in fiat on-ramp:
- MetaMask: open the extension → Buy → choose Base as the network → pay with card or bank.
- Rabby: click Receive → Buy crypto and pick Base.
- Coinbase Wallet: native to Base, buy ETH and it lands on Base directly.
Or use a third-party on-ramp (MoonPay, Transak, Coinbase Onramp) and select Base as the destination network.
Option 2: Bridge from Ethereum mainnet
If you already have ETH on Ethereum L1:
- Open the official Base bridge: https://bridge.base.org.
- Connect your wallet.
- Enter the amount and click Bridge.
- ETH lands on Base in a few minutes.
Third-party bridges (Across, Hop, Orbiter) are usually faster and cheaper for smaller amounts.
Option 3: Withdraw from Coinbase / an exchange
- On Coinbase, click Send/Receive → Send → ETH.
- In the network dropdown, pick Base.
- Paste your wallet address (start with
0x...). - Confirm. ETH typically arrives within a minute.
Most major exchanges (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, OKX) now support direct Base withdrawals — check the network dropdown.
How much do I need?
- Mint an NFT: ~$0.05 gas + the mint price.
- Deploy a token: ~$0.20–$1 of gas.
- Swap: ~$0.05 gas.
$5–$10 of ETH on Base goes a long way.
Verify the deposit
Paste your address into https://basescan.org and confirm the balance. Or just reload trustor — your balance shows in the header.
⚠️ Always confirm the network is "Base" before sending. ETH sent on the wrong network (e.g. Ethereum L1) will not arrive in your Base balance and may be unrecoverable.