While blockchain is continually evolving, one key metric that has traditionally pointed at the success of any blockchain is daily active addresses. It refers to the number of unique addresses that have interacted on a blockchain either through sending or receiving assets; it gives insight into how real-world applications are faring in popularity.
A few days ago, CryptoRank revealed the top 10 blockchains of this year. The list is ordered by average daily active addresses. Let’s take a look at the top three with a summary of the rest of the networks.
1. NEAR Protocol
NEAR Protocol emerged as the leader, with 2.7 million daily active addresses, marking a 766% year-on-year growth. NEAR’s focus on scalability and user-friendly tools has been pivotal. Its innovative sharding technology called Nightshade divides the blockchain into smaller parts, ensuring high transaction throughput at low costs. This scalability attracted developers creating decentralized applications (dApps), particularly in gaming and social networks, boosting user engagement.
2. Solana
Solana had 2.6 million daily active addresses, up by 702% year on year. Much of the growth came from the highly active memecoin ecosystem of the network, especially places like Pump.fun, proving popular among both retail and institutional investors. Its high-speed, low-cost infrastructure meant that it was an attractive destination for both DeFi and NFT projects, placing it among the top-performing blockchains.
3. TRON
TRON ranked third with 1.9 million daily active addresses and a steady 20.3% year-on-year growth. The network’s dominance in stablecoin transactions, particularly Tether (USDT), contributed significantly to its user base. TRON’s low transaction fees and high-speed transfers made it a preferred platform for users seeking seamless, cost-effective operations, especially in DeFi.
Here are the Rest of the Top 10
Rank | Blockchain | Daily Active Addresses | Year-on-Year Growth (%) | Key Drivers and Insights |
4 | 1 Million | -4.8% | DeFi and token trading remain strong | |
5 | Polygon (MATIC) | 855,000 | +139% | Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution |
6 | Base (Coinbase) | 655,000 | +2,098% | Integration with Ethereum and Coinbase |
7 | Sui | 519,000 | +908% | Innovative programming language & dApps |
8 | Bitcoin (BTC) | 496,000 | -19% | Market dominance but declining activity |
9 | TON (Telegram) | 414,000 | +5,185% | Integration with Telegram boosted adoption |
10 | Arbitrum | 413,000 | +180% | Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution |
Comparing Daily Active Addresses and Total Value Locked (TVL)
Whereas daily active addresses reflect user engagement, TVL underlines the financial depth of a blockchain’s DeFi world. As of December 30, 2024, Ethereum led with 56.22% of the total TVL, driven by a well-established DeFi ecosystem and a strong developer community. However, Ethereum ranked lower in daily active addresses, emphasizing the differences between TVL and user activity.
Solana and TRON, which ranked high in daily active addresses, hold lower TVL rankings of 6.94% and 6.07%, respectively, indicating their strength in user engagement rather than high-value financial operations.
In summary, while TVL reflects capital committed to DeFi applications, daily active addresses highlight user activity and engagement. Together, these metrics provide a more complete understanding of blockchain networks’ adoption and utility, showing that no single measure captures the full picture of a blockchain’s performance.
Disclaimer
FAQ
Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology ensuring secure and tamper-proof transactions, shared across a network.
Yes, blockchain enhances cybersecurity by making data difficult to hack or alter through it's decentralized structure.
Blockchains record cryptocurrency transactions like Bitcoin securely and transparently.
