3 Reasons to Buy Solana Instead of Ethereum and 1 Reason Not to Buy

If Ethereum (ETH) is likened to an eight-lane highway for blockchain applications, then Solana (SOL) is like a high-speed train – both heading to the destination of Web3, but Solana seems to arrive faster, cheaper, and more conveniently. That is why more and more long-time cryptocurrency investors are considering moving some of their assets from Ethereum to Solana, if they haven't done so already. It is not a coincidence that Solana has made a significant impact recently. Despite the latest improvements from Ethereum such as the Pectra upgrade, Solana still maintains three sustainable advantages that could create a turning point in the long race between the two ecosystems. Let's explore these advantages in detail to understand why Solana is becoming a promising name not only in terms of performance but also in long-term development strategy.

1. Superior speed helps Solana stay ahead of new trends like AI and DePIN Solana is leading in performance with the ability to process over 1,000 transactions per second (TPS) and an almost instantaneous confirmation time – only about 0.4 seconds. Meanwhile, Ethereum is still "crawling" with a speed of only about 15–30 TPS, and each transaction has to wait 12 seconds to be recorded in a new block. To improve speed, Ethereum users are forced to "resort to" L2 scaling solutions (Layer 2), such as Arbitrum or Optimism. However, this brings about technical barriers, requiring the transfer of assets through the bridge (bridge), using separate tools, which causes complexity and a lack of user-friendliness. This difference becomes particularly important in areas that require low latency, such as on-chain AI and decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN). A prime example is the DePIN project named Roam on Solana, which surpassed 2.5 million users in March 2025 – a number sufficient to completely congest the Ethereum network if it were to occur there. For developers, the speed of Solana simplifies the application development process: from real-time AI data exchanges to global positioning protocols. Ethereum may catch up in the future, but currently Solana is clearly in the lead.
2. Transaction fees "as cheap as giving" – a key competitive advantage The average cost for a transaction on Solana typically ranges from 0.0001 to 0.0025 USD, while Ethereum on June 25, 2025, recorded an average token swap fee on Layer 1 of 5.55 USD – and it could even exceed 15 USD during network congestion. Although the period of $60 gas fees on Ethereum may be over, compared to Solana's almost zero fees, any number greater than $1 becomes a barrier for average users. For investors, this difference signifies accumulation over time. Automated DeFi strategies or trading bots may be feasible on Solana but cannot be applied on Ethereum due to the high transaction costs. More importantly, low costs are key to attracting new users – a vital factor for the long-term growth of any blockchain.
3. Reputation and user experience: an intangible yet very powerful advantage The year 2024 and early 2025 will be a boom period for the Solana ecosystem, while Ethereum seems quite silent. This is not only due to technical factors but also because Ethereum has fragmented into over 140 Layer 2s, creating separate "liquidity islands" that force users to use bridges, separate wallets, and complex tools just to perform simple tasks like checking assets. Solana, on the other hand, maintains a monolithic philosophy – everything operates on a single layer. This provides a smoother and more user-friendly experience, while also attracting developers more quickly. Moreover, Solana's public roadmap for 2025 focuses on increasing performance, expanding organizational access, and improving development tools. These efforts enhance trust – something that is greatly needed in the highly competitive and volatile crypto market. One reason not to sell all your Ethereum: Solana is no longer the "unshining star". Although Solana has many strengths, it does not mean that this is a "100 times return" bet. With a current market capitalization of approximately 77.5 billion USD, compared to 290.4 billion USD for Ethereum, Solana has been valued as a blue-chip asset. Selling Ethereum to buy Solana and hoping to multiply the asset by hundreds of times is unrealistic. While the ability to surpass Ethereum in the long term is entirely feasible – it could even happen in the next few years – this would only yield an increase of about 4 times, not the 100x shock that many expect. Therefore, for long-term investors, Solana should be seen as a calculated bet on speed, cost-effectiveness, and consistency in deployment – rather than a get-rich-quick ticket overnight. Summary Solana is emerging as a platform capable of providing a fast, cheap, and smooth user experience – three increasingly important factors in the next wave of Web3, DePIN, and AI. While Ethereum continues to hold its leading role and has an extremely rich ecosystem, Solana is proving that sometimes simplicity, speed, and efficiency are what lead the trend. Holding both – that could be the smartest strategy right now. But if forced to choose, the question is: do you prefer a heavy-duty truck that goes far or a high-speed train that zips through all barriers?