Layer1 public chain performance ranking: real-world data shows you who is the strongest

The Huge Gap Between Theoretical TPS and Actual Measured Data

In the public blockchain space, many project teams like to boast about their performance using theoretical TPS values. However, actual performance in operation often falls far short. This review covers the top ten mainstream Layer1 public blockchains, ranking them based on the highest recorded real-world measured TPS, rather than exaggerated theoretical figures — only then can we truly assess the performance of these blockchains.

Traditional Blockchains with Poor Performance

Cardano’s maximum measured TPS is only 11.62, with a theoretical value of 18. Although it claims to compete with Ethereum, its actual performance is even below Bitcoin.

Bitcoin, despite widespread criticism of its performance, has a measured maximum TPS of 13.2/sec, surpassing its theoretical calculation of 7 transactions/sec. This is worth acknowledging.

Ethereum, as the benchmark for application blockchains, has a theoretical TPS of only 119, with a measured maximum TPS of just 62.34. This also explains why the mainnet quickly becomes congested and gas fees spike whenever there is a hot application (like MEME coins).

The Dilemma of Mid-Performance Tier

Avalanche’s theoretical maximum TPS is 357, but the actual measured TPS is only 93, just 1.5 times that of Ethereum. To build a robust ecosystem, Layer2 solutions are necessary.

Polkadot, founded by Gavin Wood from the Ethereum team, claims to reach millions of TPS theoretically, but actual data shows only 112, which is just twice that of the Ethereum mainnet.

Rise of Performance Leaders

BNB Chain has achieved a qualitative breakthrough. Although its theoretical TPS is only 2222, the measured maximum TPS reaches 1731, about 30 times that of Ethereum, demonstrating stable performance output.

Solana’s measured maximum TPS is 7229, 100 times that of the Ethereum mainnet. Although it only reaches about 10% of its theoretical 165,000 TPS, it still leaves room for future performance improvements.

Aptos, launched in 2022 with a team comprising former Facebook engineers, has broken the 10,000 TPS mark in actual measurement, with a theoretical value reaching 160,000. The professional team behind it clearly demonstrates expertise in performance optimization.

Dark Horse of Performance: ICP

Surprisingly, ICP takes the top spot. Although it hasn’t provided a complete historical maximum TPS data, its peak over the past 90 days, as reported by the official statistics, is 21,055, more than double that of the second-place Aptos. This fully reflects the deep technical expertise of its team in performance optimization.

From the actual measured data, the ranking of blockchain performance has already diverged significantly from market expectations. True performance leaders are often not the projects that boast the most, but those that speak with data and deliver real results.