Cardano (ADA) vs Solana (SOL): comparison
Side-by-side comparison of Cardano and Solana: how their prices moved, how they differ technically and what each is used for.
ADA and SOL: key specs
| Cardano (ADA) | Solana (SOL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.208015 | $101.63 |
| Ticker | ADA | SOL |
| Type | native blockchain coin | native blockchain coin |
| Launched | 2017 | 2020 |
| Created by | Charles Hoskinson | Anatoly Yakovenko |
| Consensus | Proof of Stake (Ouroboros) | Proof of Stake + Proof of History |
| Block time | ~20 sec | — |
| Max supply | 45 B ADA | no cap |
| Transaction privacy | public transactions | public transactions |
| Circulating supply | 37.51 B ADA | 586.54 M SOL |
| Market cap | $7.81 B | $59.66 B |
| Market cap rank | #19 | #7 |
CoinGecko data as of Sep 11, 2026, 19:33. How we calculate the data
Price change: ADA vs SOL
Both prices are set to 100 at the start of the period, so the chart shows which coin grew or fell more, not the prices themselves.
| Period | ADA | SOL |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | −6.42% | −4.07% |
| 30 days | +10.71% | +30.85% |
| 90 days | +20.56% | +44.78% |
The correlation of their daily price changes over the last 90 days is 0.62 (moderate).
ADA or SOL: what each is used for
- Smart contracts and appsCardano and Solana
How Cardano and Solana work
How Cardano works
Cardano uses the Ouroboros consensus protocol, with a block about every 20 seconds, and an extended UTXO model. ADA holders can delegate to stake pools without locking their coins. The maximum supply is 45 billion ADA.
What Cardano is used for
ADA pays fees, is staked to secure the network and is used in Cardano-based DeFi and NFT applications.
How Solana works
Solana combines Proof of Stake with Proof of History, a cryptographic clock that helps order transactions. Slots last about 400 milliseconds and transactions are processed in parallel. Tokens on Solana follow the SPL standard.
What Solana is used for
SOL pays network fees and is staked to secure the network. Solana hosts decentralized exchanges, payment apps, NFT marketplaces and many popular tokens.