---
title: "Which proof system is cheapest to verify on Ethereum?"
description: "Groth16 is the cheapest widely deployed option: a constant-size proof of three group elements verified with a fixed pairing check, at a cost that does not…"
type: "question"
url: "https://zkpick.com/faq/which-proof-system-is-cheapest-to-verify-on-ethereum/"
section: "01 Choosing a proof system"
authors:
  - "MarketComp"
publisher: "MarketComp"
version: "1.3"
updated: "2026-09-12"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
json: "https://zkpick.com/data/faq/which-proof-system-is-cheapest-to-verify-on-ethereum.json"
---

*By MarketComp. Updated 2026-09-12. Version 1.3. CC BY 4.0.*

# Which proof system is cheapest to verify on Ethereum?

Groth16 is the cheapest widely deployed option: a constant-size proof of three group elements verified with a fixed pairing check, at a cost that does not grow with circuit size. PLONK-family verifiers are somewhat more expensive but remove the per-circuit ceremony. FRI-based STARK proofs are considerably larger and more expensive to verify on-chain, which is why STARK-based systems that settle on Ethereum typically wrap the STARK in a final SNARK before submitting it. See Section 01.