As the blockchain industry evolves, two prominent networks have emerged as key players in the race for adoption and technological supremacy: TON (The Open Network) and Solana . This comprehensive analysis explores the current state of both ecosystems, their strengths and weaknesses, and the factors driving project migrations between them.
TON, developed by the founders of Telegram, boasts a significant advantage in user accessibility. With Telegram’s massive user base of over 1 billion, TON has a built-in audience for its blockchain services. The integration allows users to send and receive cryptocurrencies directly through the Telegram app, providing a seamless experience for newcomers to the crypto space. TON utilises a unique “multi-blockchain” architecture, offering high transaction speeds and scalability. Its dynamic sharding system, featuring 232 “workchains” that can be further subdivided, enables near-instantaneous communication between shards. This design and Instant Hypercube Routing allow TON to achieve impressive transaction throughput, with a record of 104,715 transactions per second (tps) during a live test. The TON ecosystem has experienced rapid growth, with active wallets increasing by 30 times in 2024.
This surge was largely driven by popular tap-to-play games and airdrops. At the beginning of 2025, TON has approximately 500,000 active daily wallets, with a significant decline in the first quarter of 2025.
Solana is renowned for its high-performance blockchain, offering low transaction fees (average $0.01) and impressive throughput. While its theoretical peak is 65,000 tps, real-world performance typically ranges from . Solana’s focus on speed and efficiency has made it a popular choice for decentralised applications (dApps) and NFT projects. 4,000 to 4,800 tps.
Solana’s mature ecosystem is a significant draw for projects and developers. It features established NFT marketplaces and robust DeFi integrations, providing a comprehensive environment for blockchain applications. This ecosystem strength has been a key factor in attracting projects from other blockchains, including TON.
Two notable projects, Whale.io and PAWS, have recently announced migrations from TON to Solana, highlighting a trend in the blockchain space.
- Whale.io: This NFT collection is bridging from TON to Solana to expand interoperability and accessibility. The move aims to leverage Solana’s low-fee environment and active NFT ecosystem.
- PAWS: A popular Telegram Mini App with 80 million users, PAWS migrated to Solana in response to Telegram’s policy requiring exclusive operation on TON. This migration resulted in over 9 million Phantom wallet downloads and more than 1 million funded Solana addresses. PAWS co-founder Subohn stated:
“We wanted more for our community than waiting for TON to improve”.
Despite TON wallet’s significant growth, its low liquidity and restrictive environment pushed developers toward Solana.
- Ecosystem Flexibility: Solana’s open ecosystem allows for greater innovation and cross-chain utility, contrasting with TON’s more restrictive policies.
- Infrastructure Maturity: Solana’s established NFT marketplaces and DeFi protocols offer immediate benefits for projects seeking liquidity and user engagement.
- Transaction Efficiency: While both networks offer low fees, Solana’s proven infrastructure for high-frequency trading and NFT activity is attractive to projects prioritising seamless user experiences.
As we move through 2025, both TON and Solana are poised for continued growth and development:
- $TON is expected to reach 20 million active wallets by the end of 2025, with Toncoin potentially rising to $307.
- $SOL price is predicted to find support around $215 and potentially reach $750 in 2025.
- The competition between these networks is likely to drive innovation in areas such as scalability, user experience, and ecosystem development.
In conclusion, while TON benefits from its integration with Telegram and rapid user growth, Solana’s technical performance and mature ecosystem continue to attract projects and developers. The ongoing competition and project migrations between these networks reflect the dynamic nature of the blockchain industry, where technological advantages and ecosystem strength play crucial roles in determining success.
Do you believe in TON or Solana superiority?
