Can You Add Plasma to MetaMask?
Plasma runs the Reth execution client and processes the same bytecode as Ethereum. MetaMask therefore recognizes it as a standard EVM-compatible chain. Your existing 0x address works unchanged, without a Snap or separate wallet.
Assets held on Ethereum will not automatically appear on Plasma because each network maintains a separate ledger. They must first be bridged or withdrawn from an exchange. The same separation applies to gas balances. Plasma charges fees in XPL rather than ETH, so a newly added network begins with no funds.
Our guide to adding a network to MetaMask explains the settings screen in more detail for anyone adding a custom chain for the first time.
How to Add Plasma to MetaMask
ChainList provides the safest shortcut. Its entries come from the community-maintained ethereum-lists registry, which is a public record of verified network settings. Even so, compare the listed values with Plasma's documentation before approving the connection.
- Open the Plasma listing: Visit the Plasma page on ChainList, check that the address bar shows chainlist.org and click 'Connect Wallet'.
- Check the entry: Confirm that the mainnet listing displays Chain ID 9745 and XPL as the currency. Plasma Testnet, which uses Chain ID 9746, appears under the testnet toggle.
- Add to MetaMask: Click 'Add to MetaMask'. Before approving, compare every field in the pop-up with the official mainnet details.
- Switch networks: Select Plasma Mainnet Beta from MetaMask's network menu. Any XPL or USDT0 already held at your address should appear after the switch.
Avoid copying wallet settings from Telegram or Discord. The operator of an RPC endpoint controls the information shown in your wallet, and a malicious endpoint can fabricate balances or conceal what a signature authorizes.
Plasma Mainnet RPC and Chain ID
To add Plasma manually, open MetaMask settings and select 'Add a custom network'. Enter the following values from the Plasma mainnet documentation:
- Network Name: Plasma Mainnet Beta
- RPC URL: https://rpc.plasma.to
- Chain ID: 9745
- Currency Symbol: XPL
- Block Explorer URL: https://plasmascan.to
The public RPC is rate limited and intended for normal wallet activity. Bots, indexers and production applications should use one of the providers listed in Plasma's developer documentation. Official materials still call the network 'Mainnet Beta', although that name may change before its Chain ID does.
Plasma Testnet RPC and Chain ID
Developers can use the testnet to deploy contracts and test payment logic without putting real funds at risk. Add it using these values from the testnet documentation:
- Network Name: Plasma Testnet
- RPC URL: https://testnet-rpc.plasma.to
- Chain ID: 9746
- Currency Symbol: XPL
- Block Explorer URL: https://testnet.plasmascan.to
Mainnet and testnet both use XPL as the displayed gas symbol. Check the Chain ID before signing, as this is the only reliable way to distinguish between them. Free testnet XPL is available from the QuickNode faucet and openfaucet.org, but these tokens have no market value.
Using a separate MetaMask account for testnet activity also keeps experiments away from the address where you hold real assets.
How to Get XPL and USDT on Plasma
A newly saved network has no balance. Most activity requires XPL for gas, except for USDT transfers sponsored through the relayer. Users will generally also need USDT0 to interact with the chain.
The main ways to move assets onto Plasma are:
- Exchange withdrawal: XPL trades on Binance, Bybit, OKX and Bitget. Several of these exchanges support withdrawals directly to Plasma. Check that Plasma is selected as the destination network because transfers sent over the wrong chain may be difficult to recover.
- Stargate: Plasma's documentation identifies Stargate as the default bridge. USDT transferred from Ethereum arrives as USDT0, the LayerZero-based version of Tether used natively on Plasma.
- Across and other aggregators: Across has supported Plasma since its launch day and can settle small transfers within seconds. Our best crypto bridges guide compares leading providers by fees and security.
- Plasma One: Funds deposited into the Plasma One app settle on Plasma. However, the application manages its own accounts instead of depositing to your MetaMask address.
Start with a small test transaction, which should only cost a few cents. Keep some spare XPL in the wallet as well, since token approvals, swaps and bridge claims all consume gas.
Gas on Plasma: XPL, USDT0 and the Zero-Fee Relayer
Zero-fee USDT transfers are only available through applications built to request them. The Plasma Foundation funds a paymaster, which is a contract that covers gas on the user's behalf. It sponsors direct USDT0 transfers, subject to identity checks and rate limits designed to prevent spam. Integrated apps access the service through a relayer API, including Plasma One for in-app transfers.
MetaMask does not connect to this relayer. When USDT0 is sent from the wallet, it becomes a standard ERC-20 transaction with the usual XPL fee. That cost is typically a fraction of a cent, but the XPL balance cannot be zero.
According to the official fees page, XPL remains the only active gas token on mainnet. Direct payment of gas in USDT through the paymaster is still on the roadmap, along with the opt-in confidential payments module. Anyone holding only USDT0 should withdraw a few dollars of XPL from an exchange.
Our USDT vs USDT0 explainer examines why Plasma's version of Tether has a different ticker and how it converts back into standard USDT on other networks.
About Plasma
Plasma is a Layer 1 designed specifically for moving dollar stablecoins. Its mainnet beta launched on 25 September 2025 with more than $2 billion in stablecoin liquidity on the first day. Aave, Ethena, Fluid and Euler were available from launch. The project is backed by Bitfinex, Founders Fund and Framework Ventures. Our Plasma chain explainer examines its architecture in greater depth.
The chain uses PlasmaBFT, a pipelined Fast HotStuff consensus mechanism that produces a block roughly every second and reaches finality within seconds. Reth provides the execution layer, allowing Ethereum contracts to deploy without modification. State checkpoints anchor to Bitcoin, while the planned pBTC bridge had not launched at the time of writing.
Total value locked rose above $5 billion during launch week before declining as incentives ended. DefiLlama currently reports approximately $630 million in DeFi deposits and about $940 million in stablecoins, with USDT accounting for four fifths. Daily transactions exceed 500,000, indicating that payment activity has expanded even as DeFi deposits have contracted. Our stablecoin statistics roundup follows the same pattern across other networks.
Plasma One opened to the public in June. The product combines a stablecoin account with a Rain-issued Visa card that pays cashback in XPL, although US residents are excluded. See our best crypto debit cards guide for alternatives. Plasma also acquired a VASP-licensed entity in Italy in October 2025 and is seeking EU CASP and EMI authorization, an uncommon step among new Layer 1 networks.
Common Plasma Setup Mistakes
Most unsuccessful Plasma transactions stem from wallet configuration rather than the network itself. Outages are uncommon and can be checked on the Plasma status page.
Check these before assuming something is broken:
- Testnet selected by mistake: Chain ID 9746 belongs to Plasma Testnet. Mainnet applications will not load there, and its balances have no value.
- No XPL: A USDT0 balance cannot cover MetaMask gas fees. Withdraw a few dollars of XPL before treating the issue as an RPC failure.
- Expecting free sends: Zero-fee transfers require an application integrated with Plasma's relayer. Sending USDT0 from MetaMask will always display a small XPL charge.
- Tokens not showing: MetaMask may require users to import USDT0 and other assets by contract address. Obtain those addresses from plasmascan.to rather than a social media post.
- Approving switch requests unread: Applications can request a network change through MetaMask. Review the details carefully because a lookalike network using a different RPC can appear in the same prompt.
- Fake XPL claims: Counterfeit claim pages began appearing within days of launch and remain in circulation. A legitimate website will never ask for your recovery phrase.
Final Thoughts
Plasma can be added to MetaMask in about a minute through ChainList or by entering Chain ID 9745 and https://rpc.plasma.to manually. Compare every field with the official documentation before approving the network. Then fund the address with USDT0 and a small amount of XPL.
MetaMask transfers still incur XPL gas, including those involving USDT0, because the zero-fee service operates through Plasma's relayer rather than the wallet. Activity has moderated since the network's substantial launch. Validator staking and the pBTC bridge remain worth monitoring, alongside Plasma One's growth outside the US.
