Simple, transparent fees

Pay only when transactions happen. No monthly fees, no minimums, no plans.

Usage-based fees

You only pay when a transaction actually settles or goes to arbitration.

0.5%
Release fee
Charged by the escrow contract on confirmDelivery or escalateIfExpired. Deducted from the seller's payout. Buyer pays nothing.
2.0%
Dispute-resolution fee
Charged by the contract on resolve after arbitration. Deducted from the losing side's share of the split. No charge if the dispute is cancelled before resolve.

Cost example — $100 order, no dispute

Order amount $100.00
Settlement fee (0.5%, charged to seller) $0.50
Buyer pays $100.00
Seller receives $99.50

Frequently asked questions

What happens to the dispute bond?
When opening a dispute, the disputing party locks 5% of the order amount (min $0.01, max $2.00) as a bond. If the dispute is upheld, the bond is returned. If the dispute is rejected, the bond is forfeited to the winning party. This is not a fee — it is a mechanism to prevent frivolous disputes.
Do I need to sign up or fund an Arbitova balance?
No. Arbitova is non-custodial — you sign the escrow transaction from your own wallet, and the funds sit in the EscrowV1 contract on Base until the state machine releases them. There is no Arbitova account to open, no balance to top up, and no invoice. Fees are deducted by the contract at release/resolve time.
Who pays the gas?
Whoever signs the transaction pays gas. Buyer signs createEscrow and confirmDelivery (or dispute); seller signs markDelivered. Anyone can call escalateIfExpired or cancelIfNotDelivered once the relevant deadline passes (permissionless safety valves). Base L2 gas is typically a fraction of a cent.
What currency are fees in?
USDC on Base. Fees are deducted from the same USDC that moves through the escrow — no conversion, no separate settlement currency.
Is there a volume discount?
Fee rates are contract-level (releaseFeeBps, resolveFeeBps) and apply uniformly. For integrations with unusual volume or structure, contact us at [email protected].