How to compare Hedera with other blockchains
Compare Hedera with other blockchains by fixing one use case and your criteria, then checking each chain's consensus, finality, governance and node rules.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
- Fix your use case and criteria before you read any docs.
- A lab benchmark and a live figure are not comparable.
- Check the date on every governance and node fact.
Start with your own needs, because a chain that fits one job may not fit another. Turn those needs into criteria and hold both chains to the same list.
Before you compare Hedera
Choose one use case, such as tracking goods through a supply chain. Write down what that job needs most and turn those needs into criteria for both chains.
- How fast a transaction becomes final
- What a transaction costs
- Which smart contract tools it supports
- Who controls upgrades
Compare Hedera step by step
Ask the same questions of Hedera and of the other chain. Use official sources for every figure.
- 1Gather matching sourcesOpen Hedera's docs and the other chain's own sources, and collect the same categories from each.
- 2Check consensus and finalityDescribe how each network orders transactions and how soon a transaction becomes final. Ethereum moved to proof of stake in 2022.
- 3Line up throughput and contractsRecord who measured each throughput claim, under what conditions, and what smart contract tools each chain supports.
- 4Review governance and nodesList who can propose a change, who votes, what running a node requires, and who releases upgrades.
Know Hedera's design differences
Hedera does not add blocks one at a time the way Bitcoin does. Its nodes spread transactions by gossip, and the hashgraph algorithm uses that shared history to settle a fair order; Hedera says messages sent for consensus get a trusted timestamp and a fair place in line. A council of organizations runs the mainnet nodes and votes on upgrades, and HBAR pays for network services. A proof-of-stake chain works differently.
After you finish comparing
Network facts and roadmaps change, so a comparison is only as good as its dates. Bitcoin's blockchain passed 600 GB by 2024.
Frequently asked questions
HBAR pays for Hedera's network services, including transactions.
Hedera publishes the code for its consensus algorithm and services in public repositories.
No. Seats go to invited organizations that meet the network's requirements, and members serve limited terms.
