The best way to spend Gems in Clash of Clans (free to play)

Buy all five Builder's Huts first (the 3rd, 4th and 5th cost 500, 1,000 and 2,000 Gems). After that, spend Gems on the Trader's magic items, which save more time than spending Gems directly. Never use them to finish upgrades or top up Starry Ore.

Last updated 3 November 2026

Priorities at a glance

1st: 3rd, 4th and 5th builders
2nd: Trader magic items
3rd: Trader ore deals
Avoid: Instant-finishing upgrades
Avoid: Topping up resources or ore

1. Buy every Builder's Hut first

You start with two builders. The 3rd costs 500 Gems, the 4th 1,000 and the 5th 2,000, and the Clash of Clans Wiki's first piece of Gem advice is to spend on builders before anything else. Each builder adds a whole extra upgrade queue for the rest of the game, which is worth more than any one-off speed-up. The 6th builder can't be bought. It comes from the Builder Base (see how to get the 6th builder).

Where free-to-play players get Gems

Achievements. Most of the early Gems a free player gets.
Obstacles. Trees, rocks and bushes give up to 6 Gems each, and the rare Gem Box gives 25. Keep a builder free now and then to clear them.
The Gem Mine in the Builder Base makes up to 5.04 Gems a day at max level, before Clock Tower boosts.
Clan Games and events. Rewards often include Gems or magic items you can sell.
Selling spare magic items. If you hold the maximum of an item, selling extras turns them into Gems.

2. After builders: Trader magic items

Gem prices at the Trader for items that are often offered.

Item	Gems	What it does
Research Potion	120	1 hour of Laboratory at 24x speed
Builder Potion	285	1 hour of every builder at 10x speed
Book of Heroes	500	Finishes a hero upgrade
Book of Fighting, Spells or Building	925	Finishes one troop, spell or building upgrade
Rune (Gold, Elixir or Dark Elixir)	1,000	Fills that storage
Epic Hero Equipment	1,500	Only when offered

With six builders, a Builder Potion saves 54 builder-hours for 285 Gems. The wiki works out that this is always better value than instantly finishing any upgrade, even a 20-day one (2,603 Gems). Clock Tower Potions are always better value than paying Gems to boost the Clock Tower.

Video: what to spend Gems on

Don't Spend a SINGLE Gem Until Watching THIS Video by BDLegend - Clash of Clans. The video loads from YouTube only when you press play.

How to get the most from Gem spending

Save for builders until you have five.
Use Books on the longest upgrades. A Book of Heroes or Book of Building finishes an upgrade outright, so use it on the longest one you can, such as a hero or a new Town Hall defence.
Time Builder Potions for when all builders are busy on long upgrades.
Buy ore deals only from the Trader. The 15 Starry Ore for 150 Gems is 10 Gems each, against 35 at the Blacksmith (see the ore guide).
Plan your upgrades first. Our upgrade planner shows which upgrades take longest, so you know where a Book or potion saves the most time.

Common mistakes

Finishing upgrades with Gems at the end of a timer. It's the worst exchange rate in the game.
Buying Gold, Elixir or Dark Elixir with Gems. Raids and Trader Raid Medal deals are better.
Spending Gems before you have five builders.
Wasting a Book on a short upgrade. Books are worth the most on the longest timers.
Letting Raid Medals overflow the 5,000 cap. They turn into Gems at only 1 per 100.

Sources

Checked 3 November 2026. Supercell, Century Games and Lilith change these games often. If something in game disagrees with this page, trust the game and let us know through the contact page.

FAQ

What should I spend Gems on first in Clash of Clans?

Builder's Huts. The 3rd, 4th and 5th builders cost 500, 1,000 and 2,000 Gems, and every extra builder speeds up everything you do afterwards.

How do free-to-play players get Gems?

From Achievements, clearing obstacles (up to 6 Gems each, and 25 from a Gem Box), the Builder Base Gem Mine, Clan Games rewards, event rewards and selling spare magic items.

Is it worth buying Builder Potions with Gems?

Usually, once you have 6 builders. A Builder Potion costs 285 Gems at the Trader and saves 9 hours on every active builder, which works out cheaper than finishing upgrades with Gems.