Ethereum (ETH) vs Solana (SOL) — Jan 15, 2026
ETH is the mature, institutional-grade platform.
SOL is the high-speed, low-cost challenger driving retail and real-time apps.
Snapshot (Mid-Jan 2026)
Metric Ethereum (ETH) Solana (SOL)
Price ~$3,300–$3,370 ~$144–$146
Market Cap ~$400B ~$82B
Real TPS 15–30 (L1); ~5,000+ w/ L2s 2,000–5,000+
Fees ~$0.10–$1+ (L2); higher on L1 peaks <$0.001
DeFi TVL ~$50B–$85B+ ~$8B–$11B+
Daily Users ~0.5M–1M (L1+L2) ~3M–3.6M+
Strength Security, RWAs, liquidity Speed, cost, UX
Risk L2 complexity Volatility, past outages
Verdict (2026)
Ethereum: Safer blue-chip for high-value finance and institutions.
Solana: Faster, cheaper, higher user growth; bigger upside with higher risk.
Bottom line: No single winner.
ETH = stability & trust.
SOL = speed & growth.
