Blockchain duel: speed vs scale
Ethereum has long been considered the flagship among blockchains that support smart contracts. Its role in the development of DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and institutional adoption is hard to overestimate. But Solana, with its lightning speed and minimal fees, is increasingly mentioned as a potential competitor. Can it truly$SOL overtake$ETH ?
Solana uses a unique combination of Proof of History and Proof of Stake, allowing it to process tens of thousands of transactions per second. Ethereum, even after transitioning to Proof of Stake, remains significantly slower — the main network processes only a few dozen transactions per second. Fees on Ethereum often reach several dollars, while on Solana, they are mere cents.
However, Solana's speed comes at a price: the network has faced outages multiple times, while Ethereum demonstrates stability and deep decentralization. This is critically important for institutional players who choose reliability.
Ethereum is an ecosystem with thousands of developers, hundreds of protocols, and billions of dollars in locked assets. Its role in DeFi, NFTs, L2 solutions, and even in launching ETF projects makes it indispensable.
Solana, on the other hand, is actively developing new directions: GameFi, DePIN, mobile applications through Solana Mobile, as well as innovative solutions like Firedancer and Jito. Its NFT market (MadLads, Tensor) is gaining momentum, and partnerships with Circle, Visa, and Shopify demonstrate serious intentions.
As of August 2025, Ethereum has a market capitalization of over $500 billion, while Solana is around $97 billion. To overtake ETH, SOL must grow more than five times, or Ethereum must lose a significant portion of its value. Such a scenario seems unlikely without deep changes in the market.
Solana does not necessarily need to overtake Ethereum to be successful. They can coexist as complements to each other. Ethereum is the foundation of a decentralized economy, a platform for complex financial solutions. Solana is a tool for mass applications, microtransactions, and mobile Web3.
In the coming years, Solana may become a leader in GameFi and UX solutions, but Ethereum will remain indispensable for institutions and global protocols. Overtaking does not mean replacing. Sometimes true strength lies in coexistence.
