2025 Layer 1 Coins Guide: 15 Essential Blockchain Networks You Should Track

Understanding Layer 1 Blockchains: The Foundation of Crypto

Layer 1 blockchains form the structural backbone of the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Unlike Layer 2 solutions that build on top of existing networks, Layer 1 networks operate as independent systems with their own consensus mechanisms and security protocols. They handle transaction finality directly on-chain and provide the fundamental security that the entire crypto infrastructure depends on.

What makes Layer 1 networks irreplaceable? These base-layer blockchains offer genuine decentralization, permanent immutability, and transparent transaction processing. Each Layer 1 network operates independently, executing transactions and smart contracts without relying on external systems. Most support native tokens for transaction fees, staking, and governance, creating economically self-sustaining ecosystems.

The appeal of Layer 1 blockchains lies in their wide adoption and network effects. Popular Layer 1 networks benefit from strong community support and developer activity. As more users join, network value increases exponentially. Even though Layer 2 solutions can reduce immediate congestion, they ultimately depend on Layer 1 for final settlement and security guarantees.

The Layer 1 Landscape in 2025: Market Performance Overview

The Layer 1 sector shows diverging performance trajectories in 2025. After explosive growth cycles, many projects face market corrections, presenting both opportunities and risks for observers. Here’s what the current data reveals:

Top Performers by Market Value:

• Ethereum (ETH) maintains dominance with $358B market cap, though down -15.16% from the previous year
• Bitcoin (BTC) continues as the largest Layer 1 by market cap at $1.77T, but declining -10.91% year-over-year
• BNB Chain (BNB) shows strength with +19.54% gains, reaching $115.67B market cap
• Solana (SOL) recovered to $69.49B market cap despite -37.47% yearly decline

Emerging Projects:

• Kaspa (KAS) and other smaller-cap Layer 1 coins experienced severe corrections
• ZetaChain (ZETA) dropped -88.84%, reflecting broader market volatility in newer Layer 1 networks

Bitcoin (BTC): The Unshakeable Foundation

Current Data - Bitcoin Layer 1:

• Price: $88.56K
• Market Cap: $1.77T
• 1-Year Performance: -10.91%

Bitcoin remains the ultimate Layer 1 standard—the first decentralized network and the gold standard for blockchain security. Its Proof of Work consensus creates an immutable ledger that has never been compromised since 2009.

Bitcoin’s ecosystem evolved significantly through 2023-2024. The introduction of Ordinals protocol enabled direct NFT minting on Bitcoin, while Layer 2 solutions like Stacks opened possibilities for smart contracts. Asset protocols such as Atomicals and ARC20 leveraged Bitcoin’s smallest unit (satoshis) to represent new token types. The Taproot upgrade enhanced Bitcoin’s technical capabilities, and various sidechains demonstrate Bitcoin’s versatility beyond simple payments.

The halving cycle remains central to Bitcoin’s narrative, occurring every four years and reducing mining rewards. This scarcity mechanism, combined with Bitcoin’s limited 21-million supply, reinforces its “digital gold” positioning and appeals to long-term holders and institutional investors.

Ethereum (ETH): The DApp Ecosystem Leader

Current Data - Ethereum Layer 1:

• Price: $2.97K
• Market Cap: $358B
• 1-Year Performance: -15.16%

Ethereum dominates the developer landscape with over 3,000 active decentralized applications. Since launch in 2015, Ethereum evolved from a digital currency platform into the largest ecosystem for DeFi, NFTs, and Web3 applications.

The network’s transition to Proof of Stake (completed in late 2022) fundamentally changed Ethereum’s security model. The shift to PoS reduced energy consumption while maintaining security. Layer 2 scaling solutions—rollups like Arbitrum and Optimism—have become critical for reducing costs and increasing throughput.

Looking forward, Ethereum 2.0 continues its roadmap with sharding improvements and danksharding proposals to handle more data. These upgrades promise to enhance scalability dramatically. The ecosystem’s strength lies in network effects: more developers build on Ethereum, attracting more users, which attracts more development resources. This positive feedback loop keeps Ethereum at the center of the blockchain world.

Solana (SOL): Speed-Focused Architecture

Current Data - Solana Layer 1:

• Price: $123.50
• Market Cap: $69.49B
• 1-Year Performance: -37.47%

Solana pioneered the “high throughput at low cost” positioning in Layer 1 design. Its Proof of History (PoH) innovation, combined with Proof of Stake, enables transaction speeds exceeding 65,000 per second—orders of magnitude faster than traditional blockchains.

The Solana ecosystem showcases diverse projects: DeFi protocols (Marinade Finance, Jito), NFT marketplaces, gaming applications (STEPN, Star Atlas), and music platforms (Audius). The ecosystem received a major boost through the BONK airdrop to Solana Mobile Saga owners, demonstrating commitment to hardware integration and real-world applications.

Technical improvements continued through upgrades like Firedancer, which aims to increase validator performance significantly. Partnerships with Google Cloud and AWS improved network infrastructure. Despite market corrections, Solana maintains strong developer interest and transaction volume, making it a key Layer 1 for tracking in 2025.

BNB Chain (BNB): The Exchange-Backed Blockchain

Current Data - BNB Chain Layer 1:

• Price: $839.80
• Market Cap: $115.67B
• 1-Year Performance: +19.54%

BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain) maintains exceptional performance in 2025, being one of few Layer 1 projects showing year-over-year gains. Launched in 2020 by Binance, BNB Chain combines high performance with seamless Ethereum dApp compatibility.

The dual-chain architecture enables frictionless asset movement between chains. BNB Chain’s PoSA consensus delivers faster, cheaper transactions than Ethereum mainnet. With over 1,300 active dApps as of late 2024, the ecosystem demonstrates strong developer adoption.

The 2023 rebranding from “Binance Smart Chain” to “BNB Chain” signaled expansion beyond exchange infrastructure into genuine DeFi and NFT ecosystems. Cross-chain bridges improve interoperability. The native BNB token fuels the platform economy and enjoys broad adoption within the Binance ecosystem and beyond. Strategic layer-2 integrations are expected to further enhance scalability in 2025.

Avalanche (AVAX): Sub-Second Finality

Current Data - Avalanche Layer 1:

• TVL: $1.5B
• Market Cap: $13.4B
• 1-Year Performance: +83%

Avalanche achieves something rare: transaction finality in under one second. Its hybrid consensus mechanism combines Classical and Nakamoto consensus elements, offering security, scalability, and decentralization simultaneously.

The network recorded 3.07 million transactions on its C-Chain in 2023-2024, with inscription transactions representing over 50% of activity. This surge demonstrated network capacity but also revealed fee pressure as users competed for block space. The ecosystem processed 40+ transactions per second at peak, showcasing genuine scalability.

Avalanche’s “subnets” enable customized blockchain creation, attracting enterprise partnerships like J.P. Morgan’s Onyx blockchain. The ecosystem expanded with diverse DeFi projects, gaming applications, and enterprise use cases. AVAX token holders participate in governance and network security through staking.

Polkadot (DOT): Multi-Chain Interoperability

Current Data - Polkadot Layer 1:

• Price: $1.71
• Market Cap: $2.82B
• 1-Year Performance: -77.14%

Polkadot pioneered the “parachain” model for blockchain interoperability. The network enables different specialized blockchains to operate independently while sharing security and communicating through the relay chain.

The 2023-2024 period saw Polkadot 2.0 announcements promising upgrades in scalability and governance. Developer contributions hit 19,090 on GitHub in March 2024, indicating sustained development activity. The introduction of parathreads provided cost-effective entry points for blockchain projects, while Next-Generation Scheduling improved network flexibility.

Nomination Pools expanded staking participation, increasing security. Integration of USDC and Circle protocols enhanced liquidity. Notable technical improvements and institutional investor outreach through services like Zodia Custody strengthened the ecosystem foundation. Despite recent price declines, Polkadot remains relevant for projects seeking sovereignty plus security.

The Open Network (TON): Telegram’s Blockchain Layer 1

Current Data - TON Layer 1:

• Price: $1.53
• Market Cap: $3.75B
• 1-Year Performance: -74.27%

TON operates as Telegram’s Layer 1 blockchain platform, originally conceived by Telegram founders Nikolai and Pavel Durov. After regulatory challenges with the SEC in 2020, development transferred to the TON Foundation and independent developers.

The multi-level sharded structure enables high-volume transaction processing. Toncoin serves as the native token for transaction fees, validation, and network governance. The ecosystem expanded to include social platforms, DeFi services, and NFT marketplaces throughout 2024.

A critical development emerged in March 2024 when Telegram announced plans to distribute 50% of advertising revenue to channel owners via Toncoin payments on the TON blockchain. This announcement drove Toncoin up 40%, providing a real use case beyond speculation. Potential Telegram IPO announcements could dramatically impact TON’s utility and market perception, as blockchain integration with Telegram’s massive user base would create significant network effects.

Cosmos (ATOM): The Inter-Blockchain Hub

Current Data - Cosmos Layer 1:

• Price: $2.03
• Market Cap: $982M
• 1-Year Performance: -70.82%

Cosmos addresses blockchain fragmentation through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. The network enables independent blockchains to interact while maintaining sovereignty—a genuine advancement in blockchain architecture.

2024 brought key developments: Interchain Security expanded protection for smaller blockchains, while Interchain Accounts enhanced cross-chain interactions. The Cosmos Hub processed average 500,000 daily transactions, showing real adoption. The 20-million ATOM trading volume reflected active participation.

The Interchain Foundation allocated $26.4 million for 2024 development, signaling continued investment. Migration of projects like dYdX and integration of Noble’s USDC demonstrated ecosystem value. The Cosmos Hub 2.0 whitepaper outlined ATOM’s evolving role in the broader ecosystem. Despite price challenges, Cosmos remains foundational for multi-chain futures.

Kaspa (KAS): Proof-of-Work Scaling

Current Data - Kaspa Layer 1:

• Price: $0.05
• Market Cap: $1.21B
• 1-Year Performance: -62.20%

Kaspa introduced the GHOSTDAG consensus mechanism, enabling high throughput while maintaining Proof-of-Work security. The network prioritizes raw speed through novel architecture rather than delegated consensus.

The transition from GoLang to Rust enabled exploitation of modern hardware capabilities, significantly improving transaction processing speeds. The shift to Dag Knight consensus refined block confirmation mechanisms further. Development of high-performance mobile wallets met growing demand for portable cryptocurrency access.

Kaspa increased block rates and transactions per second dramatically, with Rust enabling continued performance gains. P2P archival node improvements expanded historical data access. Despite recent price declines (down -62% year-over-year), the project maintains focus on becoming a robust fast and scalable Layer 1 PoW platform supporting smart contracts and dApps.

Internet Computer (ICP): Decentralized Computing

Current Data - Internet Computer Layer 1:

• Price: $3.03
• Market Cap: $1.65B
• 1-Year Performance: -72.87%

ICP, developed by the DFINITY Foundation, pursues an ambitious vision: reinventing the internet through decentralized, serverless computing. Smart contracts on ICP can host entire web applications with traditional database functionality.

2024 advancements included Websocket integration for real-time applications and expanded stable memory for complex systems. Direct Bitcoin integration streamlined cross-chain transactions. Permissionless token issuance through the Service Nervous System (SNS) democratized DAO governance.

The DFINITY Foundation issued grants stimulating ecosystem growth. Community-driven NFT and social projects reflected organic ecosystem expansion. The ICP token funds transaction processing, staking for network participation, and governance through the Network Nervous System (NNS).

Sui (SUI): Parallel Execution Performance

Current Data - Sui Layer 1:

• Price: $1.41
• Market Cap: $5.25B
• 1-Year Performance: -68.77%

Sui represents a newer generation of Layer 1 design, emphasizing parallel execution of transactions rather than sequential processing. This architectural choice enables significantly higher throughput and lower latency.

The network achieved 65.8 million daily transactions post-mainnet launch, demonstrating genuine scalability. TVL peaked at $188 million, placing Sui in the top 10 blockchains by value locked. The zkLogin feature revolutionized dApp access through Web2 social account integration with privacy enhancements.

Strategic initiatives like the TurboStar program supported ecosystem project growth through fundraising, awareness, and zero-commission trading for Sui projects. Despite market headwinds causing -68% annual decline, the project maintains strong developer interest in its Move-based programming model.

Aptos (APT): Move Language Innovation

Current Data - Aptos Layer 1:

• Price: $1.69
• Market Cap: $1.27B
• 1-Year Performance: -82.32%

Aptos focused on high scalability through the Move programming language, enabling secure and efficient smart contract development. The parallel execution engine dramatically enhanced transaction speed and throughput.

The project attracted $400+ million funding from prominent investors including Tiger Global and PayPal Ventures. TVL exceeded $85 million, reflecting growing trust. Transaction volumes frequently reached hundreds of thousands, with consistent new account creation.

Strategic partnerships expanded ecosystem value: Sushi integration for DeFi services, Coinbase Pay collaboration, and gaming/entertainment ventures with Microsoft and Korean entertainment companies (NEOWIZ, MARBLEX). The Digital Asset Standard enables real-world applications. Advanced tools like MSafe’s multi-sig solution enhanced security infrastructure. Despite severe market decline (-82%), Aptos maintains development momentum.

Sei (SEI): DeFi-Optimized Architecture

Current Data - Sei Layer 1:

• Price: $0.11
• Market Cap: $724M
• 1-Year Performance: -75.49%

Sei specializes in DeFi through native order book functionality and integrated matching engines—architectural features that reduce latency in trading and financial protocols compared to traditional DEXs.

The Sei Ecosystem Fund reached $120 million through strategic raises, funding Web3 applications across NFTs, gaming, and DeFi verticals. Growth strategy emphasized Asian market penetration, leveraging the region’s technological sophistication and high crypto adoption. Partnerships like Graviton in India demonstrated regional focus.

Chain-level optimizations specifically enhanced decentralized exchange performance, attracting developers building trading applications. Despite -75% annual decline, Sei maintains positioning as a specialized Layer 1 for financial applications.

Kava (KAVA): Cosmos + EVM Hybrid

Current Data - Kava Layer 1:

• Price: $0.08
• Market Cap: $83M
• 1-Year Performance: -84.09%

Kava combines Cosmos SDK’s scalability and interoperability with EVM compatibility, enabling Ethereum dApps to leverage Kava’s features. This hybrid “co-chain” architecture positions Kava as a DeFi hub with low fees and fast transactions.

The ecosystem grew to 110+ active dApps with $250 million TVL. Kava 12 and Kava 13 upgrades focused on flexibility for Cosmos DAOs, scaling, and user experience optimization. Integration of major stablecoins and bridges enhanced liquidity.

A pivotal change emerged through “Kava Tokenomics 2.0,” transitioning to fixed token supply aims to foster scarcity and adoption. The community-owned Strategic Vault with $300+ million in assets signifies deep commitment to decentralization. The Kava 14 upgrade enabled direct USDt minting on Cosmos, supported by strategic partnerships enhancing DeFi utility.

ZetaChain (ZETA): Omnichain Infrastructure

Current Data - ZetaChain Layer 1:

• Price: $0.07
• Market Cap: $81M
• 1-Year Performance: -88.84%

ZetaChain pursues a revolutionary vision: becoming the first truly omnichain Layer 1 that connects and interacts with any blockchain regardless of architecture. This enables seamless asset transfers, data exchange, and smart contract execution across different chains.

Launched in March 2023, ZetaChain exceeded 1,000,000 active testnet users from 100+ countries. Over 6.3 million cross-chain transactions processed and 200+ dApps deployed on testnet, indicating rapid ecosystem development.

Partnerships with Chainlink for infrastructure and The Sandbox for gaming demonstrated strategic alignment. Additional partnerships with BYTE CITY and Ultiverse introduced cross-chain functionality to social entertainment and gaming. A $27 million funding round supported interoperability advancement. Despite -88% price decline, the project pursues ambitious technological goals.

Layer 1 vs. Layer 2: Understanding the Relationship

The relationship between Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions remains symbiotic rather than competitive. Layer 2 solutions build on top of Layer 1 blockchains to address immediate scalability and speed limitations, but they fundamentally depend on Layer 1 for final transaction settlement and security guarantees.

Layer 1 blockchains provide the decentralized security foundation and immutability that Layer 2 solutions rely upon. Without robust Layer 1 networks, Layer 2 solutions would lack the security properties that make them valuable.

Conversely, successful Layer 2 implementations provide valuable feedback informing Layer 1 upgrades. As blockchain technology finds mainstream adoption, this dual-layer approach balances essential properties: Layer 1 ensures security and decentralization, while Layer 2 brings scalability and speed to meet real-world transaction volumes.

Final Thoughts: Layer 1 Coins in 2025

Layer 1 blockchains remain fundamental to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Each network offers distinct attributes—Bitcoin’s unmatched security, Ethereum’s developer ecosystem, Solana’s speed, Polkadot’s interoperability, or specialized solutions like Kava and ZetaChain—contributing to blockchain’s diverse landscape.

Market corrections in 2025 create both challenges and opportunities for Layer 1 participants. Networks demonstrating genuine adoption, sustained development, and ecosystem expansion will likely weather volatility better than projects relying solely on speculation.

The future of blockchain technology depends on Layer 1 networks continuing to evolve, addressing scalability without sacrificing security, and finding real-world utility beyond financial trading. The projects outlined above represent different approaches to solving blockchain’s fundamental challenges, making them essential to monitor as the space matures.