Ethereum vs. Solana
A neutral side-by-side look at Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL): live market data, how each one works and what it's for.
Ethereum and Solana are both smart-contract platforms. Ethereum is older and larger, and keeps its base layer slower and easier to verify while pushing many transactions to layer 2 networks. Solana puts everything on one very fast chain, which needs more powerful validator computers.
Live comparison
| Measure | Ethereum ETH | Solana SOL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | — | — |
| Market cap | — | — |
| Market cap rank | — | — |
| 24h trading volume | — | — |
| 24h change | — | — |
| 7-day change | — | — |
| Circulating supply | — | — |
| Maximum supply (CoinGecko) | — | — |
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Key facts side by side
| Measure | Ethereum ETH | Solana SOL |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2015 (July 30) | 2020 (March, mainnet beta) |
| Created by | Vitalik Buterin and co-founders; supported by the Ethereum Foundation | Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal (Solana Labs); Solana Foundation |
| How it's secured | Proof of stake (since the Merge in September 2022) | Proof of stake, with proof of history for timekeeping |
| What it's for | A platform for smart contracts: home of most tokens, stablecoins, DeFi and NFTs | Fast, low-fee transactions for trading, payments and apps |
| Maximum supply | No fixed maximum (new ETH goes to validators; part of every fee is burned) | No fixed maximum (new SOL is issued at a declining inflation rate) |
How they differ
- Design: Ethereum scales with layer 2 networks built on top; Solana aims to scale on a single chain.
- Speed and fees: Solana produces a block about every 0.4 seconds with fees usually under a cent. Ethereum's base layer makes a block every 12 seconds and costs more, though layer 2s are cheap.
- Track record: Ethereum's main network has kept producing blocks since 2015 (it briefly stopped finalizing them in May 2023). Solana had several full outages between 2021 and February 2024.
- Supply: neither has a fixed maximum.
This page compares how two cryptocurrencies work. It doesn't say which to buy, and nobody can reliably predict their prices. Both can fall sharply. Read how to research a cryptocurrency before deciding anything.
Questions
Is Ethereum better than Solana?
Neither is better for everyone. They make different trade-offs between speed, cost, decentralization and simplicity. Ethereum has the bigger ecosystem and longer track record; Solana is faster and cheaper on its main chain. This isn't advice to buy either.
Why is one coin's price so much higher than the other's?
The price of a single coin mostly reflects how many coins exist. Ethereum and Solana have very different supplies, so comparing prices per coin is misleading. Market cap (price × coins in circulation) is a better measure of size; see market cap explained.
Where does the live data come from?
From CoinGecko's public API, averaged across many exchanges and refreshed about once a minute. The facts table comes from each project's own documentation and the references listed under Sources.
Where to next
Sources
- What is ether? (ethereum.org)
- The Merge (ethereum.org)
- ETH supply after the Merge (ethereum.org)
- Solana documentation
- Solana (Wikipedia)
- CoinGecko API (live market data)
Facts checked against the sources listed, as of October 29, 2026. Live data by CoinGecko, for information only and possibly delayed. Educational only; not financial advice. How we write and check pages.