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Comparing Cosmos with other blockchains: what to check

Cosmos is a network of independent chains linked by IBC, not one blockchain, so compare each chain's consensus, security, token role and governance.

Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked

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What is Cosmos compared with other chains?What do you need before you compare?What should you check chain by chain?What should you check after comparing?FAQ

Short answer

Compare Cosmos with other blockchains as a group of sovereign chains, checking each one's software, connections, security and token role.

Cosmos is an ecosystem of independent chains that share software and a messaging protocol. Each chain keeps its own validators, so you compare them one at a time.

What is Cosmos compared with other chains?

Cosmos is not one blockchain. It is a network of independent chains, called zones, and each zone runs its own consensus and validators. Zones link through IBC, the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol, which lets chains verify each other's messages directly. The Cosmos Hub is one zone, and its native token is the atom.

What do you need before you compare?

Gather the same details for every chain on your list. A chain may run the Cosmos SDK with CometBFT for consensus, or a custom stack, and without that detail you cannot tell what the chains share.

Gather these details

List the chains you want to compare.
Read each chain's documentation.
Note whether it runs the Cosmos SDK and CometBFT or a custom stack.

What should you check chain by chain?

Run the same checks on every chain so the differences stand out.

1Check the IBC connectionLook for a native IBC link, which lets each chain verify the other's messages directly without a bridge.
2List bridges and messagingNote any bridges or layer 2 messaging a chain uses instead, because contracts or operators then sit between the chains.
3Compare validator securitySee whether the chain runs its own validators or rents security. Sovereign zones secure themselves, while shared security chains and many rollups inherit it.
4Compare token dutiesCheck what the token pays for and whether staking carries voting rights. On the Cosmos Hub the atom pays fees, can be bonded for rewards, and stakers vote on proposals.

What should you check after comparing?

Your notes go stale as chains join and leave IBC and projects change their software. IBC went live in 2021, and the list has changed since.

Check the official Cosmos list of IBC-connected chains.
Confirm each chain still runs the Cosmos SDK and CometBFT, or note the change.
Date your notes so you know when they were accurate.

Frequently asked questions

It is the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol. Chains use it to verify each other's messages and move tokens without a bridge operator.

No. A validator set belongs to one chain, so two Cosmos chains usually have different validators.

Cosmos favors sovereign chains that link through IBC, while Polkadot uses a central relay chain that provides shared security to its parachains.

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Written byVahe HakobyanVahe Hakobyan is the editor-in-chief of World-Crypt. He covers bitcoin, markets and regulation, and leads the newsroom that fact-checks every story before it goes live.