Starcies Model 4000 · Guide

Get STRK

Checked 2026-10-11

From ETH on Ethereum to STRK on Starknet. Starcies needs STRK for everything: catching, trading and the deploy. Pick one of two bridge routes, send a small test first, and arrive with 5 to 10 STRK for gas.

The short version

Since Starknet v0.14.0, fees can only be paid with STRK. ETH alone on Starknet cannot pay for a swap, a transfer or the deployment of your account.
Arrive on Starknet with at least 5 to 10 STRK. A typical transaction costs about 0.1 STRK, so that pays for dozens.
Two bridge routes. Layerswap delivers STRK directly; StarkGate needs a few STRK for gas before its swap:

LayerswapETH on Ethereum in, STRK on Starknet out, in one step.Third party
StarkGate + swapBridge ETH with StarkGate, then swap it to STRK on AVNU or Ekubo.Official bridge

Nothing on this site moves funds for you: every transfer is one you confirm yourself, in your own wallet. Prices for catching and trading are on Catch and Trade.

1 · What you needChecked 2026-10-11

What you need

Plan in STRK. Dollar values are a rough guide only: STRK moved +50% in 24 hours on 2026-10-11.

STRK to have on Starknet, per role
Who	STRK to have on Starknet	Where the number comes from
Collector, catching	The mint price × how many you catch, plus about 0.1 to 0.2 STRK network fee per catch transaction, plus 5 to 10 STRK spare for gas.	The mint price is shown on Catch.
Collector, buying	The item price, plus about 0.11 STRK network fee per purchase, plus spare for gas.	Prices are on Trade.
A brand-new wallet account	About 0.01 to 0.03 STRK once, on top of its first transaction’s normal fee (about 0.1 STRK): that transaction deploys the account.	Measured on mainnet.
Deployer account (project owner)	Hold about 400 STRK before the deploy starts. Plan for about 110 to 150 STRK to be spent; the rest stays in the account and you send it back yourself afterwards.	The Sepolia deploy of 2026-10-10 was charged 107.85 STRK for its 6 transactions; the rest is a margin for a higher gas price. The dry run prints the exact estimate and refuses to start below it.
Owner account	A few STRK for admin actions.	A simple setting costs about 0.02 STRK.

Collector, catching

STRK to have on Starknet: The mint price × how many you catch, plus about 0.1 to 0.2 STRK network fee per catch transaction, plus 5 to 10 STRK spare for gas.
Where the number comes from: The mint price is shown on Catch.

Collector, buying

STRK to have on Starknet: The item price, plus about 0.11 STRK network fee per purchase, plus spare for gas.
Where the number comes from: Prices are on Trade.

A brand-new wallet account

STRK to have on Starknet: About 0.01 to 0.03 STRK once, on top of its first transaction’s normal fee (about 0.1 STRK): that transaction deploys the account.
Where the number comes from: Measured on mainnet.

Deployer account (project owner)

STRK to have on Starknet: Hold about 400 STRK before the deploy starts. Plan for about 110 to 150 STRK to be spent; the rest stays in the account and you send it back yourself afterwards.
Where the number comes from: The Sepolia deploy of 2026-10-10 was charged 107.85 STRK for its 6 transactions; the rest is a margin for a higher gas price. The dry run prints the exact estimate and refuses to start below it.

Owner account

STRK to have on Starknet: A few STRK for admin actions.
Where the number comes from: A simple setting costs about 0.02 STRK.

1.1How much ETH to start with

Take the STRK you need from the table.
Get a live quote for ETH to STRK: the swap or bridge screen shows one before you confirm.
Add about 10% for price movement and slippage.

Example from 2026-10-11: a quote for 0.05 ETH gave about 1,141 STRK on AVNU, so 400 STRK was about 0.0175 ETH, and about 0.02 ETH with the margin. At $0.1088 per STRK (CoinGecko), 400 STRK was about $43.5 and 110 to 150 STRK about $12 to $16. Your quote will differ.

1.2ETH to keep on Ethereum for gas

An ETH deposit through StarkGate cost about $0.15 to $0.60 in total at the gas prices seen on 2026-10-11 (0.06 to 2 gwei). During a 30 gwei spike the same deposit costs about 0.0029 ETH (about $7).
StarkGate adds its fees on top of the amount you enter. For an ETH deposit, keep about 0.003 ETH extra in the Ethereum wallet and you are covered even during a spike.
Bridging STRK from Ethereum takes two transactions (an approval and the deposit): under 0.001 ETH at the 2026-10-11 gas prices, up to about 0.006 ETH during a 30 gwei spike. That ETH must be in the same wallet as the STRK.

1.3Wallets

Wallets for each side
Side	Wallet
Ethereum	Any Ethereum wallet that StarkGate lists under Connect wallet. It holds the ETH and pays the Ethereum gas.
Starknet	Ready X (formerly Argent X) or Braavos. It receives the STRK. Install only from the official links in section 8.

Ethereum

Wallet: Any Ethereum wallet that StarkGate lists under Connect wallet. It holds the ETH and pays the Ethereum gas.

Starknet

Wallet: Ready X (formerly Argent X) or Braavos. It receives the STRK. Install only from the official links in section 8.

A Starknet account is a small contract. A new account can receive tokens at once, but it is not deployed until it sends its first transaction, and that transaction is paid in STRK.

Deployer only: use a plain single-key account (no email smart account, guardian, two-factor protection, Ledger or multisig). The deploy tool signs with one private key.

2 · Gas on StarknetChecked 2026-10-11

Gas on Starknet

Since Starknet v0.14.0 (September 1, 2025), fees can only be paid with STRK. Mainnet ran v0.14.4 on 2026-10-11. Bridging in is paid in ETH on Ethereum; everything after that is paid in STRK.

2.1Why ETH alone is not enough

Bridging in is fine. You pay the gas on Ethereum, in ETH. The StarkGate FAQ says you do not need STRK upfront to bridge in.
Everything after that needs STRK. The Starknet docs say fees “can only be paid with STRK”. Every fee in a sample of 174 recent mainnet transactions was charged in STRK.
Depositing does not deploy your account. The account must send a transaction itself, and that transaction is paid in STRK.
Paymasters are the only exception, and whether one pays for you depends on your wallet.

2.2What a transaction costs

Starknet fees measured on mainnet
Transaction	Fee in STRK
Typical transaction	Median about 0.09 to 0.10; 90% below about 0.3 to 0.45
Deploying a new account	About 0.012 to 0.020, on top of the first transaction
A catch on Starcies	About 0.1 to 0.2 per transaction
A market purchase	About 0.11

Typical transaction

Fee in STRK: Median about 0.09 to 0.10; 90% below about 0.3 to 0.45

Deploying a new account

Fee in STRK: About 0.012 to 0.020, on top of the first transaction

A catch on Starcies

Fee in STRK: About 0.1 to 0.2 per transaction

A market purchase

Fee in STRK: About 0.11

So 5 to 10 STRK pays for dozens of transactions.

2.3Ways to get your first STRK

Ways to get your first STRK
Way	What it gives	Status
Layerswap, ETH to STRK	STRK directly, in one step. Needs a connected Ethereum wallet.	Confirmed
Layerswap refuel	Turn refuel on when you bridge ETH with Layerswap: about 4.6 STRK for about $0.50 arrive with the ETH.	Confirmed
STRK you already hold on Ethereum	Bridge it with StarkGate (section 4.2, variant).	Confirmed
AVNU paymaster (gasless mode)	Pay gas in a supported token such as ETH. Needs an SNIP-9 compatible account; not confirmed for a brand-new account.	Check first
Braavos mobile	Its homepage says send, swap and stake gas free. Not confirmed for a new account that holds only ETH.	Check first
Ready X paying gas in ETH	The store listing mentions a paymaster; Ready's help centre says Starknet fees are paid in STRK.	Not confirmed

Layerswap, ETH to STRK

What it gives: STRK directly, in one step. Needs a connected Ethereum wallet.
Status: Confirmed

Layerswap refuel

What it gives: Turn refuel on when you bridge ETH with Layerswap: about 4.6 STRK for about $0.50 arrive with the ETH.
Status: Confirmed

STRK you already hold on Ethereum

What it gives: Bridge it with StarkGate (section 4.2, variant).
Status: Confirmed

AVNU paymaster (gasless mode)

What it gives: Pay gas in a supported token such as ETH. Needs an SNIP-9 compatible account; not confirmed for a brand-new account.
Status: Check first

Braavos mobile

What it gives: Its homepage says send, swap and stake gas free. Not confirmed for a new account that holds only ETH.
Status: Check first

Ready X paying gas in ETH

What it gives: The store listing mentions a paymaster; Ready's help centre says Starknet fees are paid in STRK.
Status: Not confirmed

3 · Routes comparedChecked 2026-10-11

Routes compared

Snapshots from 2026-10-11 for a transfer of about 0.05 ETH. Layerswap delivers STRK, so it does not have the gas problem.

The two bridge routes compared
Route	What you do	Time	Cost	Who you trust	Gas on arrival
Layerswap	One transfer: ETH on Ethereum in, STRK on Starknet out.Needs a connected Ethereum wallet and a Starknet wallet.	About 37 seconds on average (Layerswap's quote).	About $0.65 fee for 0.05 ETH, up to 2.5% slippage (the quote shows the minimum you receive), plus your Ethereum transfer's gas.	A third party. StarkGate’s own interface says external services “might charge additional fees and are not trustless”.	None: you receive STRK.
StarkGate + swap	Bridge ETH, get a few STRK for gas, swap ETH to STRK.Needs an Ethereum wallet and a Starknet wallet.	Bridge about 3.5 to 4 minutes measured (the FAQ says about 5). The swap takes seconds.	Ethereum gas about $0.15 to $0.60 at 0.06 to 2 gwei, plus a bridge message fee (0.00005 ETH seen). Then the swap price and about 0.1 STRK.	StarkGate, the official Starknet bridge, and the swap contracts.	Yes: the swap needs STRK first (section 2.3).

Layerswap

What you do: One transfer: ETH on Ethereum in, STRK on Starknet out.Needs a connected Ethereum wallet and a Starknet wallet.
Time: About 37 seconds on average (Layerswap's quote).
Cost: About $0.65 fee for 0.05 ETH, up to 2.5% slippage (the quote shows the minimum you receive), plus your Ethereum transfer's gas.
Who you trust: A third party. StarkGate’s own interface says external services “might charge additional fees and are not trustless”.
Gas on arrival: None: you receive STRK.

StarkGate + swap

What you do: Bridge ETH, get a few STRK for gas, swap ETH to STRK.Needs an Ethereum wallet and a Starknet wallet.
Time: Bridge about 3.5 to 4 minutes measured (the FAQ says about 5). The swap takes seconds.
Cost: Ethereum gas about $0.15 to $0.60 at 0.06 to 2 gwei, plus a bridge message fee (0.00005 ETH seen). Then the swap price and about 0.1 STRK.
Who you trust: StarkGate, the official Starknet bridge, and the swap contracts.
Gas on arrival: Yes: the swap needs STRK first (section 2.3).

Rhino.fi lists ETH, EURC, USDC, USDT and WBTC on Starknet, but not STRK: you would still need a swap and gas.

Orbiter is named by the Braavos FAQ, but its current Starknet routes were not confirmed. Check before you rely on it.

4 · Route stepsChecked 2026-10-11

Route steps

Easiest first. Whatever the route: copy your Starknet address with the wallet’s copy button, check every character, and send a small test amount first.

4.1Layerswap, ETH to STRK in one step

layerswap.io/app

Layerswap is not official and not trustless. It is useful because it delivers STRK directly, which avoids the gas problem. Read every screen before you confirm.

Open layerswap.io/app from the key above or your bookmark.
Choose from Ethereum, ETH and to Starknet, STRK.
Connect your Ethereum wallet (the one that holds the ETH). This route does not work with a deposit address.
Enter your Starknet address as the destination (or connect your Starknet wallet). Check every character.
Read the quote: the STRK you receive, the fee and the minimum you receive. On 2026-10-11, 0.05 ETH was quoted at about 1,138 STRK, fee about $0.65, slippage up to 2.5% (minimum about 1,110 STRK), about 37 seconds on average.
Start with a small test amount. Confirm in your Ethereum wallet.
Check the balance (4.2, step 5).

4.2StarkGate, then a swap

starkgate.starknet.io

StarkGate is the official Starknet bridge. It moves your ETH to Starknet; a swap then turns it into STRK. The swap needs a few STRK for its fee, so plan your first STRK before you start.

Before you start

Your Ethereum wallet holds the ETH to bridge plus about 0.003 ETH for gas.
Your Starknet wallet comes from an official link, is set to Starknet mainnet, and its recovery phrase is on paper.
You know where your first 5 to 10 STRK will come from (step 3).
You bookmarked starkgate.starknet.io. Its page title is “Bridge crypto to Starknet | StarkGate”.

Bridge ETH. On StarkGate choose Ethereum to Starknet, the token ETH, and the amount (a small test the first time). Press Connect wallet for your Ethereum wallet. On a computer connect your Starknet wallet too; on a phone choose Manual destination address and paste your Starknet address. Check every character. “This account is not yet deployed.” is normal for a new wallet. The fees are added on top of the amount. Confirm in your Ethereum wallet.
Wait. Measured deposits took about 3.5 to 4 minutes (the StarkGate FAQ says about 5). Follow StarkGate’s Activity log. Nothing after 30 minutes: see section 6.
Get your first STRK for gas. Put 5 to 10 STRK on the same Starknet address: Layerswap with refuel or ETH to STRK (4.1), or a transfer from another of your own accounts.
Swap ETH to STRK. On AVNU (an aggregator), connect your Starknet wallet, check it shows Starknet mainnet, choose ETH to STRK, keep your 5 to 10 STRK for gas, read the quote (what you receive, the minimum and the fees) and confirm. The wallet shows the network fee in STRK. Ekubo, or the swap inside your wallet, work too: read the fee before you confirm.app.avnu.fi (AVNU, opens in a new tab)ekubo.org (Ekubo, opens in a new tab)
Check the balance. In the wallet, on Starknet mainnet. On the explorer, open your address and look at the token balances; the token contract must be the STRK address in section 8.voyager.online (Voyager, opens in a new tab)

Variant: you already hold STRK on Ethereum

STRK also exists on Ethereum as an ERC-20 token. Bridge it with StarkGate: choose the token STRK instead of ETH. Your Ethereum wallet asks for two transactions, an approval (about 46,000 gas) and the deposit (about 116,000 to 125,000 gas): roughly $0.15 to $1 together at the 2026-10-11 gas prices. You receive STRK, so there is no gas problem and no swap.

6 · TroubleshootingChecked 2026-10-11

Troubleshooting

What people run into, the likely cause, and what to do.

Troubleshooting
You see	Likely cause	What to do
StarkGate: the ETH has not arrived after 30 minutes	The Ethereum transaction is still pending, or the wallet does not show the token.	Check in your Ethereum wallet that the transaction is confirmed (if it is pending, wait or speed it up). Open StarkGate’s Activity log with the same wallet. Look up your Starknet address on the explorer: the funds may be there while the wallet hides the token; add it by its address (section 8). Last resort, after contacting StarkGate support: a deposit that is never processed can be cancelled from Ethereum and reclaimed after about five days (StarkGate docs).
The wallet shows 0 although the explorer shows the funds	The wallet is on Sepolia, or the token is hidden.	Switch the wallet to Starknet mainnet. Add the token by its address (section 8).
“This account is not yet deployed.” on StarkGate	A new account that has never sent a transaction.	Normal. The deposit still arrives. Check the address and go on; the first outgoing transaction deploys the account.
No STRK for gas: the swap or transfer fails, or the wallet asks for STRK	The account holds only ETH.	Get 5 to 10 STRK first (2.3).
“A minimum deposit of … is required” on StarkGate	The amount is below StarkGate's minimum for that token.	Raise the amount. The exact minimum was not confirmed; a 0.0002 ETH deposit, plus the 0.00005 ETH fee, worked on mainnet.
StarkGate transaction failed	The balance does not cover the amount plus the fees.	Lower the amount or add ETH. The fees are added on top.
Deploy dry run: the deployer is not deployed, or holds too little	The deployer never sent a transaction, or the STRK is below the estimate.	Send 1 STRK from the deployer to another of your accounts to deploy it, add STRK by any route, then run the dry run again.

StarkGate: the ETH has not arrived after 30 minutes

Likely cause: The Ethereum transaction is still pending, or the wallet does not show the token.
What to do: Check in your Ethereum wallet that the transaction is confirmed (if it is pending, wait or speed it up). Open StarkGate’s Activity log with the same wallet. Look up your Starknet address on the explorer: the funds may be there while the wallet hides the token; add it by its address (section 8). Last resort, after contacting StarkGate support: a deposit that is never processed can be cancelled from Ethereum and reclaimed after about five days (StarkGate docs).

The wallet shows 0 although the explorer shows the funds

Likely cause: The wallet is on Sepolia, or the token is hidden.
What to do: Switch the wallet to Starknet mainnet. Add the token by its address (section 8).

“This account is not yet deployed.” on StarkGate

Likely cause: A new account that has never sent a transaction.
What to do: Normal. The deposit still arrives. Check the address and go on; the first outgoing transaction deploys the account.

No STRK for gas: the swap or transfer fails, or the wallet asks for STRK

Likely cause: The account holds only ETH.
What to do: Get 5 to 10 STRK first (2.3).

“A minimum deposit of … is required” on StarkGate

Likely cause: The amount is below StarkGate's minimum for that token.
What to do: Raise the amount. The exact minimum was not confirmed; a 0.0002 ETH deposit, plus the 0.00005 ETH fee, worked on mainnet.

StarkGate transaction failed

Likely cause: The balance does not cover the amount plus the fees.
What to do: Lower the amount or add ETH. The fees are added on top.

Deploy dry run: the deployer is not deployed, or holds too little

Likely cause: The deployer never sent a transaction, or the STRK is below the estimate.
What to do: Send 1 STRK from the deployer to another of your accounts to deploy it, add STRK by any route, then run the dry run again.

7 · TestnetChecked 2026-10-11

Testnet

On Starknet Sepolia, fees are paid in test STRK. It is free, has no value, and never becomes real STRK.

7.1Starknet Foundation faucet

starknet-faucet.vercel.app

What the Sepolia faucet gives
Mode	Per request	How often	Needs
Anonymous	100 STRK	Once every 24 hours per address	A human check
Signed in	3,000 STRK	No other limit named in the faucet's FAQ	The faucet's developer sign-in, then the human check

Anonymous

Per request: 100 STRK
How often: Once every 24 hours per address
Needs: A human check

Signed in

Per request: 3,000 STRK
How often: No other limit named in the faucet's FAQ
Needs: The faucet's developer sign-in, then the human check

Read on the faucet page on 2026-10-11. No funds were requested to check it.

7.2Steps

Set your wallet (Ready X or Braavos) to Starknet Sepolia and copy your address.
Open the faucet, paste the address and pass the human check.
Request 100 STRK. Each address can ask once every 24 hours.
After a few seconds the STRK shows in the wallet (on Sepolia). The explorer shows it too.sepolia.voyager.online (Voyager Sepolia, opens in a new tab)

8 · Links and addressesChecked 2026-10-11

Links and addresses

Type these or bookmark them. Every link opens in a new tab; Copy copies the full address.

Official links

StarkGate
The official bridge, Ethereum and Starknet
starkgate.starknet.io (StarkGate, opens in a new tab)
Layerswap
ETH to STRK in one step (third party)
layerswap.io/app (Layerswap, opens in a new tab)
AVNU
Swap ETH to STRK on Starknet
app.avnu.fi (AVNU, opens in a new tab)
Ekubo
Swap on Starknet (an alternative to AVNU)
ekubo.org (Ekubo, opens in a new tab)
Voyager
Explorer, mainnet: balances and transactions
voyager.online (Voyager, opens in a new tab)
Voyager Sepolia
Explorer, Sepolia
sepolia.voyager.online (Voyager Sepolia, opens in a new tab)
Sepolia faucet
Free test STRK
starknet-faucet.vercel.app (Sepolia faucet, opens in a new tab)
Ready X for Chrome
Starknet wallet, browser extension
chromewebstore.google.com (Ready X for Chrome, opens in a new tab)
Ready X for iOS
Starknet wallet, iPhone
apps.apple.com (Ready X for iOS, opens in a new tab)
Ready X for Android
Starknet wallet, Android
play.google.com (Ready X for Android, opens in a new tab)
Braavos
Starknet wallet (install from the links on its site)
braavos.app (Braavos, opens in a new tab)
STRK fee docs
Starknet docs: STRK is the only fee token
docs.starknet.io/architecture/strk (STRK fee docs, opens in a new tab)
StarkGate docs
Limits, cancel and reclaim
docs.starknet.io/learn/protocol/starkgate (StarkGate docs, opens in a new tab)

Contract addresses, to compare

STRK tokenStarknet
0x04718f5a0fc34cc1af16a1cdee98ffb20c31f5cd61d6ab07201858f4287c938d
ETH tokenStarknet
0x049d36570d4e46f48e99674bd3fcc84644ddd6b96f7c741b1562b82f9e004dc7
STRK token (ERC-20, 18 decimals)Ethereum
0xCa14007Eff0dB1f8135f4C25B34De49AB0d42766
StarkGate ETH bridgeEthereum
0xae0Ee0A63A2cE6BaeEFFE56e7714FB4EFE48D419
StarkGate STRK bridgeEthereum
0xcE5485Cfb26914C5dcE00B9BAF0580364daFC7a4

You never send tokens to these addresses by hand: use them only to compare with what an app or explorer shows.
The Starknet token addresses are the same on mainnet and Sepolia. Always look at the network badge in your wallet.
Checked on 2026-10-11. The Starknet token addresses come from the Starknet docs; the Ethereum ones from the StarkGate app’s token list, confirmed with read-only calls on Ethereum mainnet.

8.1Not confirmed: check before you rely on it

StarkGate’s exact minimum deposit for ETH and STRK (evidence suggests it is tiny: a 0.0002 ETH deposit worked on mainnet).
Whether Ready X or Braavos can pay Starknet gas in ETH today.
Whether Braavos mobile’s gas-free swaps work for a new account that holds only ETH.
Whether a brand-new account can be deployed through the AVNU paymaster while paying in ETH.

Orbiter’s current Starknet routes, and the Ready X swap fee.
Every fee, time and price in this guide: they were true on 2026-10-11.