Cosmos (ATOM) vs Polkadot (DOT): comparison
Side-by-side comparison of Cosmos and Polkadot: how their prices moved, how they differ technically and what each is used for.
ATOM and DOT: key specs
| Cosmos (ATOM) | Polkadot (DOT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.70 | $1.06 |
| Ticker | ATOM | DOT |
| Type | native blockchain coin | native blockchain coin |
| Launched | 2019 | 2020 |
| Created by | Jae Kwon, Ethan Buchman | Gavin Wood |
| Consensus | Proof of Stake (CometBFT) | Nominated Proof of Stake |
| Block time | ~6 sec | ~6 sec |
| Max supply | no cap | — |
| Transaction privacy | public transactions | public transactions |
| Circulating supply | 530.12 M ATOM | 1.7 B DOT |
| Market cap | $902.62 M | $1.8 B |
| Market cap rank | #79 | #49 |
CoinGecko data as of Sep 11, 2026, 19:03. How we calculate the data
Price change: ATOM vs DOT
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 | ATOM | DOT |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | +16.52% | +26.1% |
| 30 days | +22.37% | +41.88% |
| 90 days | −9.94% | +14.32% |
The correlation of their daily price changes over the last 90 days is 0.68 (moderate).
ATOM or DOT: what each is used for
- Smart contracts and appsCosmos and Polkadot
How Cosmos and Polkadot work
How Cosmos works
The Cosmos Hub uses Proof of Stake with CometBFT (formerly Tendermint) consensus, producing a block every few seconds. Chains built with the Cosmos SDK can exchange tokens through the IBC protocol. Staked ATOM has a 21-day unbonding period.
What Cosmos is used for
ATOM is used for staking, governance and fees on the Cosmos Hub, and moves between Cosmos chains via IBC.
How Polkadot works
Polkadot consists of a relay chain that provides shared security and many connected chains (parachains). It uses Nominated Proof of Stake with a block every 6 seconds. Staked DOT has an unbonding period before it can be transferred.
What Polkadot is used for
DOT is used for staking, for governance of the network and for securing blockspace for connected chains.