Aptos ($APT ) and Sui ($SUI ) are Layer-1 blockchain platforms that spawn from Meta's Diem (formerly Libra) project. Both share a common heritage, including the use of the Move programming language, but they have taken distinct architectural and strategic paths.
Token Supply is 1 billion APT (initial but not fixed) against a Fixed 10 billion SUI .
As you will see, the differences between the 2 are only technicalities. Superiority would be subjective. Both have the same potential to grow or stall, as they are competing for the same audience as a blockchain.
TOKENOMICS (APT vs. SUI):
Both APT and SUI are native utility tokens for their respective networks, primarily used for:
Transaction fees (gas): Paying for operations on the blockchain.
Staking: Securing the network through Proof-of-Stake, with stakers earning rewards.
Governance: Participating in on-chain governance decisions.
APT Initial total supply of 1 billion tokens. Distribution includes community, core contributors, and investors, with vesting schedules. A significant portion of tokens is staked.
SUI's total supply is capped at 10 billion tokens. Similar to APT, a portion entered circulation at mainnet launch, with the rest subject to vesting schedules for ecosystem development, community rewards, and team incentives. Sui also has a storage fund mechanism to compensate validators for long-term data storage.
Key Differences
Execution Model and Architecture
Aptos utilizes a technology called Block-STM (Software Transactional Memory) for parallel execution, which allows it to process multiple transactions simultaneously, even if they are interdependent. This approach is designed for highly complex and interdependent smart contracts.
Aptos uses a modified Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus protocol (AptosBFT) combined with Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and a Address-centric data model, similar to most traditional blockchains, where activity relates to updating data associated with user addresses.
Sui's core innovation is its object-centric data model. Instead of accounts, Sui treats all on-chain data (including tokens, NFTs, and smart contracts) as "objects." This allows for a unique approach to parallelization:
Independent Transactions: For transactions involving independent objects (e.g., transferring an NFT from one user to another), Sui can bypass traditional consensus mechanisms and process them almost instantly using causal ordering, achieving extremely low latency.
Shared Objects: For transactions involving shared objects (e.g., interacting with a DeFi liquidity pool), Sui uses its Narwhal and Tusk consensus mechanisms, which are optimized for high throughput.
Parallelization: Sui's object-centric model inherently allows for a high degree of parallel processing, particularly for simple transactions that don't involve shared state.
Transaction Speed and Fees
Aptos: reported a capacity of 160,000 transactions per second (TPS) in testing environments. On mainnet, it has demonstrated consistent high speeds and the average transaction fees have been very low.
Sui emphasizes ultra-low latency and high throughput, especially for its independent object transactions. It has demonstrated impressive TPS in testing environments (e.g., 300,000 TPS) and also aims for low transaction fees.
Use Cases and Target Focus:
Aptos aims to be a versatile platform suitable for a broad range of applications, including DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and enterprise solutions. Its design emphasizes modularity and ecosystem adaptability.
Sui focuses heavily on high-performance use cases that require rapid transaction processing and efficient asset management. This includes real-time applications, gaming, social applications, and complex financial instruments. Its object-centric model is particularly well-suited for applications where digital assets are frequently created, transferred, or mutated.
Upgradability
Aptos emphasizes on-chain upgradability, allowing for seamless and frequent system improvements without requiring hard forks.
Sui, while also upgradeable, focuses on optimizing real-time transactions and data state management.
Move Programming Language
Both Aptos and Sui leverage the Move programming language, originally developed for Diem. Move is a Rust-based, resource-oriented language designed for safe and efficient smart contract development. Its key advantages include:
Asset-centric design: Move treats digital assets as "resources" that cannot be duplicated or implicitly discarded, enhancing security and preventing common smart contract vulnerabilities.
Formal verification: Move includes a verifier that can mathematically prove the correctness of smart contracts, contributing to higher security.
Parallel execution capabilities: Move is designed to support parallel transaction processing, which is crucial for achieving high throughput.
Despite their shared Move foundation, Aptos and Sui have implemented Move differently, leading to distinct execution models.
P.S
Their differing architectural choices, particularly in how they implement Move and handle data, cater to slightly different niches within the broader Web3 ecosystem. The long-term success of each will depend on developer adoption, ecosystem growth, and sustained innovation.