Chain Compare

Blockchain guide

What is Solana?

By Chain CompareUpdated

Overview

Solana runs fast-moving apps such as trading and games. SOL pays for activity on the network.

Name the Solana program, accounts, transaction type, and priority fee. Also check how the data source defines activity. Do not rely on one headline throughput figure.

What is Solana used for?

Solana is a high-throughput Layer 1 for applications, with SOL used for fees and staking.

Use cases

  • Using high-frequency trading, payments, games, or collectible applications built for Solana.
  • Sending SOL and Solana Program Library tokens.
  • Staking SOL with a validator while using Solana-specific wallets and programs.

Who founded and maintains Solana?

Solana was started by Anatoly Yakovenko and early Solana Labs contributors, then launched as a public network in 2020. Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation have separate roles in development and ecosystem support.

  • Protocol company

    Solana Labs

    Founded by Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal; it develops products and software for the Solana ecosystem.

  • Foundation

    Solana Foundation

    A non-profit organisation that supports Solana's decentralisation, adoption, and developer ecosystem.

What is Solana's native token?

SOL is Solana's native token. It pays fees, secures the network through staking, and funds account storage requirements.

  • Fees: SOL pays transaction and prioritisation fees.
  • Security: Validators stake SOL to participate in consensus.
  • Accounts: SOL also covers the rent-exempt balance needed to keep some accounts on the network.

Source: Solana fees documentation.

12-month SOL price history

The chart shows the market price of SOL over the last 12 months. It does not show network usage, project revenue, or a future return.

How does Solana work?

Its non-EVM runtime combines proof-of-stake validation with proof-of-history-based time ordering.

Solana is a Layer 1 whose own network validates and records its transactions.

Programs, accounts, and transaction priority

Solana programs are stateless code, while mutable data lives in accounts supplied to a transaction. The accounts an action locks can determine whether it runs alongside other actions, and a priority fee changes scheduling preference rather than guaranteeing one universal outcome.

Source: Solana programs.

Apps, tools, and built-in features on Solana

Solana runs on-chain programs, usually written in Rust, with program code kept separate from the accounts that hold changing data.

  • Tools and language: Rust, often with the Anchor framework, plus Solana wallets and SDKs.
  • Trade-off: it is similar to Aptos as a non-EVM app platform, but Ethereum contracts and EVM tools need to be rewritten for Solana's account model.

Source: Solana program documentation.

What are Solana's trade-offs?

Solana is built for application activity and token accounts with a runtime that differs sharply from Ethereum's EVM.

  • Efficiency: Its program and account model is designed for frequent app actions, but a published maximum transaction figure is not the same as an application's observed throughput.
  • Compatibility: Rust and Anchor tooling differ from Solidity and the EVM, so Ethereum contracts and wallet integrations need dedicated Solana work.
  • Security and access: Proof-of-stake validators secure the network; compare validator operation, current prioritization costs, and the exact app workflow rather than relying on a headline speed claim.

Common questions about Solana

Is SOL a good investment?

SOL is Solana's native token. It pays fees, secures the network through staking, and funds account storage requirements. This profile does not contain current comparable price, liquidity, supply, exchange-access, governance-concentration, or regulatory evidence, so it cannot determine whether SOL is a good investment.

What should I verify before comparing Solana?

Verify how many transactions the actual app processes, the wallet fee shown before sending, and any extra payment for faster processing. Use the same transaction type, asset route, confirmation target, and observation window when comparing Solana with another network.

Compare Solana with related networks

These comparisons share a payment, asset, application, or network-design trait. The important-difference column names the boundary that can change the choice.

ComparisonShared focusImportant difference
Solana vs Aptosnon-Ethereum app tools, smart-contract apps, Layer 1 networksAptos is built around a shared network for Move-based apps; Solana is built around fast-moving apps using Solana's own tools.
Solana vs Cardanonon-Ethereum app tools, smart-contract apps, Layer 1 networksThe main split is apps and assets using Cardano's own tools for Cardano and fast-moving apps using Solana's own tools for Solana.
Solana vs Cosmos Hubnon-Ethereum app tools, smart-contract apps, Layer 1 networksCosmos Hub emphasizes ATOM staking, governance, and IBC-connected activity on Cosmos Hub; Solana emphasizes fast-moving apps using Solana's own tools.
Solana vs TONnon-Ethereum app tools, smart-contract apps, Layer 1 networksTON is built around Telegram-linked payments and apps; Solana is built around fast-moving apps using Solana's own tools.
Solana vs Polkadotnon-Ethereum app tools, smart-contract appsThe main split is connected blockchains built for a specific job for Polkadot and fast-moving apps using Solana's own tools for Solana.

Official Solana technical sources

Start with the primary documentation, then check live data separately when the decision depends on it.

Overview

Architecture and validation

Native token and market context

People and maintenance

Reviewed 15 September 2026; claims reflect the linked sources at review time.