NEAR Protocol vs 
Solana
Both target high throughput with a strong developer story, and both have leaned into AI narratives. Solana runs a single fast chain and has the larger consumer ecosystem by some distance; NEAR uses sharding to scale and has invested heavily in making accounts and onboarding feel like ordinary web apps. Ecosystem gravity currently favours Solana; NEAR's pitch is that usability, not raw speed, is the real barrier.
12 months, both starting at 100 (AUD)
NEAR → 129 · SOL → 43| Measure | NEAR | SOL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | A$8.1B | A$96.2B |
| Rank | #23 | #7 |
| Price | A$6.16 | A$163.43 |
| 90-day change (AUD) | +119.5% | +65.4% |
| 12-month change (AUD) | +38.6% | −51.3% |
| From all-time high | −78.2% | −65.5% |
| Supply model | No fixed maximum | No fixed maximum |
| AU exchanges we verify it on | 3 | 5 |
About NEAR Protocol
NEAR is a proof-of-stake smart-contract platform focused on usability and scalability through sharding, with a developer experience designed to feel familiar to web programmers. The token pays fees and secures the network via staking.
About Solana
Solana is a high-throughput blockchain launched in 2020, known for fast, sub-cent transactions and a large ecosystem spanning DeFi, NFTs and consumer apps. SOL pays network fees and can be staked to help secure the chain.
FAQ
Which is bigger, NEAR Protocol or Solana?
By market value today: Solana (A$96.2B vs A$8.1B). Size measures money invested, not quality — but it does measure liquidity, which affects how easily you can buy and sell.
Which performed better this year?
Over the past 12 months in AUD terms: NEAR +38.6%, SOL −51.3% — the chart above shows the whole path, which matters more than the endpoints. Past performance is no indicator of future results, in either direction.
Can I buy both in Australia?
Yes — both are listed on AUSTRAC-registered exchanges we verify. NEAR appears on 3 of our reviewed platforms and SOL on 5. Compare costs first on the fee calculator, and remember every crypto-to-crypto swap between them is a CGT event.
Should I hold NEAR or SOL?
That's a personal decision we don't make for you — this page exists to make the structural differences clear so the choice is yours. What we'd say to anyone: understand what job each coin is designed for, size positions like the risk is real, and check the honest failure statistics before going further down the market-cap list.
Data from our market records (powered by CoinGecko), refreshed with the daily rebuild. General information only, not financial advice — we compare structure and history, we don't pick winners.