Contract Verification Calculator

Estimate source code and formal verification costs

Contract Details

Source Code Verification

Formal Verification (Optional)

Additional Services

Total Verification Cost

Total Cost $0
Source Verification
$0
Formal Verification
$0
Time Estimate 0 hours
Verifications Needed 0
Cost per Contract $0

Source Verification Details

Explorer API Fees $0 (Free)
Developer Time 0 hours
Developer Cost $0
Troubleshooting Buffer $0

Formal Verification Details

Base Service Fee $0
Complexity Multiplier 1.0x
Estimated Duration 0 weeks
Specification Writing Included

Time Breakdown

Per Contract (Source) 0 min
Per Chain 0 min
Setup & Config 0 min
Total Source Verification 0 hours

Verification Methods Comparison

Method Cost Time/Contract Multi-Chain Best For
Manual (Etherscan UI)Free10-30 minTediousSingle contract, one chain
Hardhat PluginFree2-5 minConfig per chainHardhat projects
Foundry (forge verify)Free1-3 minConfig per chainFoundry projects
SourcifyFree5-10 minAutomaticMulti-chain deploys
TenderlyFreemium2-5 minGoodDebugging + verification

Formal Verification Providers

Certora

  • • Industry leader
  • • CVL specification language
  • • $30K-$150K typical
  • • 4-12 weeks
Used by: Aave, Compound, MakerDAO

Runtime Verification

  • • K Framework
  • • Academic rigor
  • • $25K-$100K typical
  • • 3-8 weeks
Used by: Uniswap, Gnosis

In-House / Tools

  • • Slither, Mythril, Echidna
  • • Lower cost, less rigorous
  • • $5K-$20K (dev time)
  • • Ongoing
Best for: Smaller projects, continuous testing

When to Use This Calculator

Multi-Chain Launch

Deploying on 10 chains? Calculate total verification time and budget for your DevOps team.

Formal Verification Budget

Considering Certora for your DeFi protocol? Get a ballpark estimate before reaching out.

Sprint Planning

How many dev hours for verification? Plan your sprint with accurate time estimates.

Client Proposals

Building for clients? Include verification costs in your project quotes.

Tool Comparison

Manual vs Hardhat vs Foundry? Compare time savings across verification methods.

Complex Systems

20 contracts with proxies and libraries? Calculate the full verification scope.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why verify contracts?

Trust. Unverified contracts are black boxes. Users can't see what they're interacting with. Verified = transparent = trustworthy. It's expected for any serious project.

Do I need formal verification?

Depends on TVL. Holding $100M+? Strongly consider it. Under $1M? Probably overkill. Formal verification catches bugs audits miss, but costs 10-50x more.

Verification keeps failing?

Check: exact compiler version, optimizer runs, EVM version, constructor args (ABI encoded). Use the same settings as deployment. Foundry's --show-standard-json-input helps debug.

What about proxy contracts?

Verify both proxy and implementation. Link them on Etherscan using "Is this a proxy?" feature. Users need to see the actual logic, not just the proxy shell.

Can I verify after deployment?

Yes, anytime. But do it immediately - you need exact source code and compiler settings. Lose those, and verification becomes painful or impossible.

Sourcify vs Etherscan?

Sourcify is decentralized and multi-chain. Etherscan is the standard users check. Do both if possible. Sourcify verification often auto-populates to other explorers.

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