Solana stands out from Ethereum and other blockchains primarily due to its high-speed, low-cost transactions enabled by its unique Proof of History (PoH) consensus mechanism. Unlike Ethereum, which relies on Proof of Stake (PoS) and often suffers from network congestion and high gas fees, Solana combines PoH with PoS to achieve 50,000+ transactions per second (TPS) with near-instant finality and fees as low as $0.0001 per transaction. Ethereum, even after its upgrades, processes only 15-30 TPS and can have unpredictable gas costs during peak demand. Additionally, Solana’s scalability comes from its parallel processing capability (Sealevel), allowing multiple smart contracts to run simultaneously, whereas Ethereum processes transactions sequentially. While Ethereum remains the leader in decentralised finance (DeFi) and NFTs, Solana offers a faster and cheaper alternative, attracting developers for high-frequency trading, gaming, and decentralised applications (dApps). However, Solana has faced criticism over network outages and centralisation concerns, as its high-performance requirements favour powerful validators. In contrast, Ethereum prioritises decentralisation and security, making it more resilient but slower. Ultimately, Solana’s speed and efficiency make it ideal for scalable dApps, while Ethereum remains the go-to for robust, security-focused blockchain solutions.

Solana stands out from Ethereum and other blockchains due to its high-speed, low-cost transactions, powered by a unique Proof-of-History (PoH) consensus mechanism combined with Proof-of-Stake (PoS). While Ethereum relies on slower, more expensive transactions (especially before its upgrades), Solana processes thousands of transactions per second (TPS) with fees as low as a fraction of a cent.

Unlike Ethereum’s gradual shift to scalability via layer-2 solutions, Solana achieves scalability natively through its parallel processing capability, enabling efficient smart contract execution. Additionally, Solana supports decentralised applications (dApps) and NFTs but with faster finality and lower gas fees.

However, Solana has faced criticism for occasional network outages, whereas Ethereum prioritises decentralisation and security. These differences make Solana a strong competitor for high-performance blockchain applications.