- The Layer 1 blockchain war is heating up in 2025, with top contenders like Solana, Cardano, SUI, Avalanche, and even unconventional players like Hyperliquid battling to become the core infrastructure for dApps, DeFi, gaming, and real-world adoption in a multi-trillion-dollar market.
- Each chain offers a unique advantage: Solana leads in speed and adoption, Cardano focuses on decentralization and long-term resilience, SUI brings cutting-edge architecture and rapid growth, Avalanche enables custom subnets for enterprises, and Hyperliquid blurs the line between exchange and L1 with unmatched performance.
- There may not be one single winner, but rather a multi-chain future where success is defined by real-world use, community strength, and consistent innovation—making these chains the ones to watch (and possibly invest in) as crypto enters its next major phase.
Everyone’s out here searching for the next 10x altcoin—but what if it’s hiding in plain sight? While most people are chasing shiny new tokens, the real battleground might actually be something much bigger: the war between Layer 1 blockchains. And with the bull market back in full swing, the heat’s been turned way up.
Solana, Cardano, SUI, Avalanche—each one is fighting to be the go-to chain for the next wave of dApps, DeFi, gaming, and Web3 adoption. And then there are wildcard contenders like Hyperliquid, which are flying under the radar but doing things no one else is.
So let’s break it all down. Who’s got the momentum? Who’s building for the long haul? And most importantly, where should your eyes (and maybe your portfolio) be in 2025?
First, What Are Layer 1s—And Why Do They Matter So Much?
Layer 1 blockchains are the base layer of crypto. They’re the foundation, the core, the infrastructure everything else is built on. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano—all L1s. They don’t rely on another chain to process transactions. That makes them powerful—and extremely valuable.
As of mid-2025, the total market cap of Layer 1s is sitting at around $2.86 trillion. Yep, with a “T.” That’s the lion’s share of crypto’s total value. And as blockchain adoption picks up steam, especially across industries like finance, gaming, and digital identity, these chains are where the action starts.
Ethereum’s still leading by a mile, but it’s not alone anymore. Solana has clawed its way into the mainstream. Cardano’s quietly building. SUI is gaining momentum fast. Avalanche is making big institutional moves. And there’s even a case to be made for brand-new entrants challenging what it means to even be a Layer 1.
Solana: The Lightning-Fast Beast That Won’t Slow Down
Solana is fast—like, ridiculously fast. It can handle way more transactions per second than Ethereum or Bitcoin. And its fees? Basically pocket change. That makes it the chain of choice for things that need speed—like DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and lately… memecoins.
During the recent memecoin craze, Solana’s network activity absolutely exploded. Daily users spiked. Memecoins launched left and right. Tools like Pump.fun and Jupiter onboarded millions. Even Solana Pay is gaining traction in the real world, aiming to make crypto payments feel as smooth as using Apple Pay.
Yes, the FTX fallout dinged Solana hard. But the recovery? Pretty impressive. Big VCs are backing it again. Devs are launching. And the community—still loud, still growing.
Bottom line: Solana’s already proven it works. It’s scaling. It’s cheap. It’s adopted. And it might be the fastest horse in the race… for now.
Cardano: Slow Grind, Big Brain, and Even Bigger Upside
Cardano isn’t flashy. It doesn’t hype like Solana. But don’t let that fool you—under the hood, there’s some serious work going on.
Built on academic research and peer-reviewed code, Cardano’s aim has always been long-term security and decentralization. It’s had its fair share of “too slow” criticism, but with recent upgrades like Plutus, Mithril, and now Leios, that narrative is changing. Cardano is scaling—quietly, efficiently, and without any network downtime (ever).
There’s also serious ecosystem growth. Over 9 million native assets have been minted. The Lace wallet is gaining users. Sidechains like Midnight are exploring privacy and even Bitcoin bridges. And rumors of government partnerships, XRP integrations, and real-world adoption have started to swirl.
Hoskinson, love him or hate him, is still pushing the long-term vision—identity, governance, and RWAs (real-world assets). Cardano might not pop like a meme coin overnight, but the upside? Still massive. Especially if the market catches on to what’s been built.
SUI: New Kid, Clean Tech, and a Lot of Noise
SUI might be the most exciting Layer 1 to emerge in the last year. Built by former Meta devs at Mysten Labs, this chain was designed from scratch to be simple, fast, and scalable. It uses something called object-centric data structures—basically a fancy way of saying it avoids the traffic jams most blockchains deal with.
This lets SUI process a crazy number of transactions per second with nearly zero gas fees. Ideal for gaming, NFTs, and apps that need real-time speed. Projects like Cetus, Typus, and Aftermath Finance are already popping up fast. Wallet creation is spiking. DeFi activity is growing. And yes, the VC money is flowing in.
And here’s what really stands out—SUI’s response to its first major challenge. When a $200M exploit hit Cetus, the foundation acted quickly, freezing assets and showing maturity most new chains can’t pull off. It gave users confidence. And that’s rare for such a young protocol.
If you’re betting on potential + performance + fast growth, SUI deserves a serious look. It’s still early. But it’s definitely not small anymore.
Avalanche: The Custom Chain Champ Flying Under the Radar
Avalanche isn’t chasing hype—it’s building infrastructure. Its biggest feature? Subnets. These are custom blockchains that developers can spin up inside the Avalanche ecosystem. Want your own chain with your own rules? Boom. Done. That flexibility is what’s attracting banks, gaming studios, and Web3 platforms by the dozen.
FIFA picked Avalanche for digital collectibles. JPMorgan and Citi are experimenting with it for tokenized finance. Not bad company to keep, right?
Speed-wise, Avalanche is no slouch either. Two-second finality. Low fees. Proof-of-stake. And it’s been one of the most eco-conscious chains on the market since day one.
It’s not a meme. It’s not a hype machine. But it might be one of the smartest, most quietly adopted Layer 1s out there. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
The Sleeper Hit: Hyperliquid—A L1 In All But Name
Now here’s where things get weird—in a good way. Hyperliquid isn’t technically a Layer 1 blockchain… but it acts like one. It’s a decentralized perpetuals exchange that built its own custom infrastructure, basically functioning like a super-fast, scalable L1 tuned specifically for trading.
No gas fees. Fully on-chain order book. And performance that rivals centralized exchanges. Traders are loving it. And it’s pulling in serious liquidity.
What makes it interesting is that Hyperliquid might be blazing a trail for a new kind of Layer 1. One that doesn’t call itself an L1 but performs like one anyway. With its own token ($HYPR) gaining traction and its tech stack outperforming expectations, this could be one of those projects that sneaks up and then suddenly everyone’s talking about it.
So is it a stretch to put it in the L1 conversation? Maybe. But in crypto, labels don’t matter as much as functionality. And Hyperliquid is delivering in a big way.
Who Takes the Throne?
Honestly, there may not be just one winner. Each of these chains is carving out its own space. Solana dominates speed and scale. Cardano owns decentralization and methodical growth. SUI brings new-school tech and UX. Avalanche gives builders their own playground. And Hyperliquid? It’s redefining what an L1 even is.
We’re heading into a multi-chain future. The question isn’t “which chain wins?” It’s “which ones survive and thrive?” And for investors, that’s the key. You don’t need to pick just one—just pick the ones building real stuff, growing their community, and showing signs of life beyond speculation.
The Layer 1 war isn’t over. In fact, it’s just getting started. And the winners won’t just dominate headlines—they’ll reshape the future of crypto entirely.
