---
title: "Polygon vs. Ethereum Statistics 2026: Powerful Usage Trends"
date: 2025-07-19
author: "Barry Elad"
featured_image: "https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/polygon-vs-ethereum-statistics.jpg"
categories:
  - name: "Cryptocurrency"
    url: "/crypto.md"
tags:
  - name: "Statistics"
    url: "/tag/statistics.md"
---

# Polygon vs. Ethereum Statistics 2026: Powerful Usage Trends

In the thick of the 2021 DeFi boom, Ethereum was the undisputed king of Layer-1 protocols. But today, the narrative has shifted dramatically. Polygon, once known merely as a scaling solution, now stands as a formidable Layer-2 contender carving out its ecosystem.

Picture a highway in rush hour, Ethereum, though powerful, was clogged with high tolls and slower speeds. Then came Polygon, building express lanes that rerouted traffic and reduced costs for millions of users. As both networks continue to evolve, this deep-dive comparison offers a data-backed view of how they stack up today across speed, cost, user base, and ecosystem scale.

## Key Takeaways

- 1Polygon processed over **12.3 billion** transactions in the first half of 2025, surpassing Ethereum’s **6.2 billion**.
- 2Ethereum still leads in TVL with **$218 billion**, compared to Polygon’s **$57.4 billion**.
- 3Polygon’s active user base reached **5.9 million** daily wallets, while Ethereum hovered around **1.7 million**.
- 4Ethereum NFT volume hit **$4.1 billion**, while Polygon surged to **$1.3 billion**.



## Total Value Locked (TVL) Across All Blockchain Networks

- **Ethereum** dominates with **57.06%** of total value locked, maintaining its lead as the primary DeFi ecosystem.
- **Solana** secures the second spot, holding **6.98%** of the total TVL across all chains.
- **Tron** comes in third with a **6.01%** share, showcasing its continued relevance in DeFi activities.
- **Binance Smart Chain (BSC)** accounts for **4.24%**, driven by its fast transactions and low fees.
- **Bitcoin**, though not DeFi-native, contributes **3.29%** to the total TVL through wrapped solutions.
- **Base**, Coinbase’s L2 network, represents **3.04%**, indicating growing adoption of layer-2 scaling.
- **Arbitrum**, a leading Ethereum L2, holds **2.54%**, reinforcing the rise of L2 ecosystems.
- **Hyperliquid**, a newer entrant, captures **1.71%**, showing traction in niche DeFi sectors.
- **Sui**, a layer-1 blockchain, holds **1.21%** of the TVL, demonstrating early adoption potential.
- **Avalanche** contributes **1.15%**, slightly trailing behind Sui in DeFi lockups.
- The remaining **12.77%** is spread across **other blockchains**, reflecting a diverse but fragmented DeFi landscape.

![Total Value Locked Tvl Across All Blockchain Networks](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/total-value-locked-tvl-across-all-blockchain-networks.jpg "Total Value Locked (TVL) Across All Blockchain Networks")*(Reference: MoonPay)*

## Total Transactions Comparison

- In 2025, [Polygon](https://coinlaw.io/polygon-statistics/) averaged **68 million** transactions per day, while Ethereum handled **34 million**.
- Polygon’s total transaction count hit **12.3 billion**, double Ethereum’s **6.2 billion**.
- Ethereum’s transaction growth slowed to **5.4%**, while Polygon rose by **35.7%** year-over-year.
- Polygon set a new record in May with **92 million** transactions processed in one day.
- Ethereum saw **37%** of its volume routed through L2s due to mainnet congestion.
- Polygon zkEVM contributed **1.9 billion** transactions this year.
- The Polygon PoS chain processed over **9.4 billion** transactions so far in 2025.
- Ethereum still leads in transaction value, averaging **$3,500** per transfer vs Polygon’s **$180**.
- Ethereum Layer-1 throughput held at **16.3 TPS**, while Polygon averaged **71.2 TPS**.
- Polygon accounted for **64%** of all Ethereum L2 transactions.
- Ethereum’s total transaction fees topped **$3.8 billion** this year; Polygon’s came in at **$83 million**.

## Active Wallets and User Growth

- Polygon grew to **5.9 million** daily active wallets.
- Ethereum reached **1.7 million** daily wallets, growing **7%** YoY.
- In April alone, Polygon onboarded **1.3 million** new wallets.
- Ethereum saw a slowdown, averaging **220,000** new addresses per month.
- Polygon’s user retention rate is **71%**, higher than Ethereum’s **54%**.
- Web3 social apps helped Polygon add **18 million** new users in H1.
- Ethereum wallets holding NFTs declined from **6.3 million** to **5.6 million**; Polygon NFT wallets rose to **4.9 million**.
- DeFi users on Polygon reached **2.4 million** monthly.
- Polygon added over **6,500** dApps with user bases above 10,000; Ethereum added around **3,700**.
- Cross-chain activity on Polygon bridges brought in **3.8 million** unique users.
- Average wallet balances: Ethereum at **$1,240**, Polygon at **$320**.

## Most Popular Currencies for Crypto Payouts

- **USDC** leads crypto payouts with a dominant **68%** share, indicating strong trust in this stablecoin for business transactions.
- **Bitcoin (BTC)** ranks second with **17%**, showing continued preference for the original cryptocurrency in payroll and payments.
- **USDT (Tether)** follows with **8.7%**, benefiting from its wide adoption and liquidity across platforms.
- **Ethereum (ETH)** accounts for **6.0%**, used less frequently likely due to its gas fees, but still relevant in the payout space.

![Most Popular Currencies For Crypto Payouts](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/most-popular-currencies-for-crypto-payouts.png "Most Popular Currencies for Crypto Payouts")*(Reference: CoinGate)*

## Network Speed and Throughput

- Polygon’s average transaction confirmation time is **2.1 seconds**, versus Ethereum’s **12.4 seconds**.
- Polygon zkEVM clocks in at **0.98 seconds**, making it one of the fastest L2s.
- Ethereum’s block finality remains at **13.1 seconds**.
- Polygon handles **71.2 TPS** on average, peaking at **92 TPS** during surges.
- Ethereum mainnet holds around **16.3 TPS**, with L2s boosting total throughput to **41 TPS**.
- Polygon Nightfall delivers up to **115 TPS** for enterprise applications.
- Polygon CDK chains average between **50–75 TPS** in production.
- L2s now carry **69%** of Ethereum’s total network activity.
- Polygon uptime remains stable at **99.99%**, higher than Ethereum’s average.
- Ethereum’s time-to-inclusion rose to **18.6 seconds** under high congestion.
- Polygon SDK-based chains sync **10x faster** than Ethereum-compatible nodes.

## Average Gas Fees and Cost Efficiency

- The average gas fee on Polygon sits at just **$0.0009**, compared to Ethereum’s **$1.58** in 2025.
- Polygon’s gas fees have decreased by **41%** YoY, while Ethereum’s have decreased only **7%** due to improved L2 usage.
- Users moving assets via Polygon bridges paid under **$0.03** on average; Ethereum L1 bridge costs exceeded **$12.00**.
- A standard token swap costs approximately **$0.0014** on Polygon versus **$15.60** on Ethereum.
- Over **83%** of transactions on Polygon cost less than **$0.01**, compared to just **5%** on the Ethereum mainnet.
- Ethereum rollups like Arbitrum and Optimism offer lower fees, but Polygon remains the cheapest at scale.
- Polygon zkEVM fees average **$0.0021**, while Ethereum’s L2 median is around **$0.18**.
- For NFT minting, Polygon charges under **$0.05**, while Ethereum averages **$30.70** in busy periods.
- Year-to-date, Ethereum users spent over **$3.8 billion** in gas fees; Polygon users spent under **$83 million**.
- Polygon’s gas fee-to-TVL ratio is **0.0014**, far more cost-efficient than Ethereum’s **0.017**.
- 2025 marks the third consecutive year where Polygon maintained fees **98% lower** than Ethereum’s.

## Polygon (MATIC) Token Allocation Breakdown

- **Ecosystem** development receives the largest share with **23.3%**, supporting growth, adoption, and platform integration efforts.
- The **Foundation** holds **21.9%**, ensuring long-term sustainability and strategic governance of the Polygon network.
- **Binance Launchpad** participants were allocated **19.0%**, highlighting early public distribution through the IEO.
- The **Team** receives **16.0%**, incentivizing continued development and project leadership.
- **Staking Rewards** account for **12.0%**, encouraging network security and participation through validator incentives.
- **Advisors** were allocated **4.0%**, compensating strategic contributors and consultants.
- **Private Investors** received the smallest portion at **3.8%**, likely from early fundraising rounds.

![Polygon (MATIC) Token Allocation Breakdown](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/polygon-matic-token-allocation-breakdown.jpg "Polygon (MATIC) Token Allocation Breakdown")*(Reference: CoinGecko)*

## Developer Activity and GitHub Commits

- Polygon recorded over **460,000** new developer registrations in 2025; Ethereum followed with **310,000**.
- Polygon’s GitHub saw **7.2 million** commits across repos; Ethereum logged around **5.4 million**.
- Weekly active dev contributors for Polygon surpassed **4,900**, while Ethereum averaged **3,200**.
- Polygon SDK and zkEVM repositories were the most forked, with a combined **83,000** forks.
- [Ethereum](https://coinlaw.io/ethereum-statistics/) had more Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) published, totaling **178** in 2025.
- Polygon launched its Chain Development Kit (CDK), adopted by over **2,300** developer teams.
- More than **1,200** hackathon projects were deployed on Polygon versus **700+** on Ethereum in 2025.
- Polygon’s dev grants exceeded **$190 million**, outpacing Ethereum Foundation’s **$130 million** allocation.
- Daily commits to the Polygon zkEVM repo averaged **340**, reflecting rapid updates and tooling growth.
- Ethereum saw a strong focus on protocol upgrades, especially around EIP-7002 and account abstraction.
- GitHub repo watchers for Polygon grew to **98,000**, closing the gap with Ethereum’s **106,000**.

## Ecosystem Size and DApp Deployments

- Polygon now supports over **24,300** dApps, growing **19% YoY**; Ethereum has about **17,400** active dApps.
- GameFi dApps exploded on Polygon, now accounting for **6,000+**.
- Ethereum’s DeFi sector remains dominant, with **$112 billion** in DeFi TVL across its ecosystem.
- Polygon’s dApps registered over **59 million** MAUs in H1 2025; Ethereum dApps saw **31 million**.
- Polygon’s ecosystem includes over **420** deployed subnets or appchains using Polygon CDK.
- Ethereum saw new entrants in real-world assets (RWAs), with **$8.3 billion** of tokenized assets on-chain.
- Daily dApp usage is higher on Polygon, averaging **8.2 million** transactions vs Ethereum’s **3.1 million**.
- Web3 social dApps like Lens helped bring **15 million** new MAUs to Polygon in 2025.
- Ethereum remains the leader in DAOs, hosting over **6,100** active organizations.
- Polygon’s DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) projects grew to **1,200+**, showing hardware protocol traction.
- Polygon surpassed **190 million** total smart contracts deployed to date; Ethereum holds **240 million**.

## Ethereum Supply Breakdown by Issuance Type

- **Initial Coin Offering (ICO)** accounts for the largest share at **49.29%**, marking the major source of Ethereum’s initial supply.
- **Proof-of-Work Mining** represents **40.34%**, reflecting the network’s original consensus mechanism prior to Ethereum’s shift to PoS.
- **Premine to Ethereum Foundation + Early Project Contributors** makes up **9.87%**, allocated for core development and early backers.
- **Proof-of-Stake Validating** holds a minimal share at **0.50%**, indicating its relatively recent role in Ethereum issuance post-Merge.

![Ethereum Supply Breakdown By Issuance Type](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ethereum-supply-breakdown-by-issuance-type.jpeg "Ethereum Supply Breakdown by Issuance Type")*(Reference: Galaxy)*

## Staking and Validator Count

- Ethereum’s validator count reached **1.56 million** in 2025; Polygon’s reached **3,900**.
- Polygon validators are selected by stake and reputation, with the minimum stake now set at **500,000 MATIC**.
- Ethereum’s annualized staking yield is around **3.8%**, while Polygon offers **5.4%** average APR.
- Total ETH staked surpassed **36 million ETH**, representing **30%** of the circulating supply.
- Polygon’s total MATIC staked stands at **5.3 billion**, or roughly **49%** of the total supply.
- LSTs (Liquid Staking Tokens) on Ethereum, like Lido, account for **$27 billion** of the total staked value.
- Polygon’s staking participation rate increased by **12.7%** in 2024.
- Validator slashing on Ethereum remains under **0.04%**, with Polygon reporting **0.01%** incidents.
- The average Polygon staking delegation per user is **17,200 MATIC**; Ethereum’s is **2.8 ETH**.
- Validator decentralization on Polygon improved, with **22%** of validators now located outside the top 5 countries.
- Ethereum continues to rely heavily on Lido, which controls **29.4%** of staked ETH.

## NFT Market Performance on Polygon vs Ethereum

- Ethereum still leads in total volume, with **$4.1 billion** in [NFT](https://coinlaw.io/nft-market-growth-statistics/) sales so far in 2025.
- Polygon’s NFT market surged to **$1.3 billion**.
- Monthly Polygon NFT mints average **28 million**, far higher than Ethereum’s **3.5 million**.
- Polygon became the top choice for gaming NFTs, hosting over **16 million** active game-linked NFTs.
- Ethereum remains dominant in high-value collections, averaging **$1,230** per sale vs Polygon’s **$72**.
- Polygon powered **70%** of all brand-led NFT campaigns in Q1 2025.
- Reddit Avatars and Starbucks Odyssey drove over **4 million** NFT mints on Polygon this year.
- Ethereum saw a decline in daily NFT buyers, dropping to **14,000**, while Polygon reached **38,000**.
- Polygon launched NFT royalty enforcement contracts, with over **68%** adoption across marketplaces.
- Ethereum’s leading collections (like Bored Ape) lost **28%** volume YoY; Polygon-native collections grew **54%**.
- Polygon NFT wallets grew to **4.9 million**, while Ethereum dropped from **6.3 million to 5.6 million**.

## USDC Usage Across Blockchain Networks

- **Ethereum** leads with **23.3%** of USDC usage, reinforcing its role as a core infrastructure layer for stablecoin transactions.
- **Binance Smart Chain (BSC)** follows with **21.6%**, reflecting its popularity for fast and cost-efficient transfers.
- **Solana** captures **15.0%**, showing strong adoption driven by high throughput and low fees.
- **Arbitrum**, an Ethereum Layer-2, holds **9.5%** of USDC activity, highlighting growth in the L2 ecosystem.
- **Polygon** accounts for **8.5%**, continuing to attract stablecoin users due to its scalability.
- **Base**, Coinbase’s L2 solution, sees **6.1%**, indicating rapid adoption in its early phase.
- **Optimism** registers **1.5%**, suggesting modest traction among L2 users.
- **Tron** trails with just **0.03%**, despite its historical relevance in stablecoin circulation.

![USDC Usage Across Blockchain Networks](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/usdc-usage-across-blockchain-networks.jpg "USDC Usage Across Blockchain Networks")*(Reference: CoinGate)*

## Institutional and Enterprise Adoption

- Over **420 enterprises** are now building or piloting solutions on Polygon in 2025.
- Ethereum remains the primary choice for on-chain settlement, with over **65%** of Fortune 500 blockchain experiments utilizing it.
- Polygon’s enterprise tools, like Nightfall and zkEVM, saw **118** new corporate deployments this year.
- Ethereum is integrated in nearly **78%** of [tokenization](https://coinlaw.io/payment-tokenization-statistics/) platforms targeting financial institutions.
- Major brands like Adobe, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton are building on Ethereum in 2025.
- Polygon partnered with major logistics and supply chain firms, including **Maersk and DHL**, for verifiable document tracking.
- Banking pilots on Ethereum now span **12 countries**, with central banks testing programmable CBDCs.
- Polygon announced a partnership with **AWS**, supporting zero-knowledge rollups natively on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.
- Ethereum custody tools, like Fireblocks and Anchorage, saw institutional inflows of over **$28 billion** in H1 2025.
- Polygon’s NFT ticketing initiatives processed over **9.8 million** verifiable event tickets this year.
- More than **50 universities** now use Polygon blockchain credentials for diplomas and certifications.

## Environmental Impact and Energy Consumption

- Ethereum reduced energy usage by over **99.95%** after its 2022 transition to proof-of-stake, consuming around **0.0026 TWh/year** in 2025.
- Polygon’s mainnet uses just **0.0009 TWh/year**, with near-zero emissions from PoS operations.
- Polygon’s carbon offset initiatives reached **120% net neutrality**, making it climate-positive in 2025.
- Ethereum remains carbon-neutral via purchased offsets, covering about **100%** of emissions from validator operations.
- Polygon Labs pledged to maintain a **zero-carbon** target through 2030 and reports its metrics quarterly.
- The average Polygon transaction emits **0.00012 kg CO₂**, versus **0.00079 kg CO₂** on Ethereum.
- Polygon zkEVM chains have adopted energy-minimized SNARK generation, cutting power costs by **33%**.
- Ethereum validator nodes now use energy-efficient hardware with avg power draw below **65W**.
- Polygon joined the **Crypto Climate Accord**, reporting **100% renewable energy** usage across all validator infrastructure.
- Ethereum Foundation’s “Green Chain” initiative launched in 2025, with **$19 million** earmarked for climate R&D.
- Polygon has helped offset over **22,000 tons** of carbon since 2023 through ecosystem-funded efforts.

## ETH Allocation Breakdown

- **Ethereum Crowdsale** accounts for **83.3%** of the total ETH allocation, emphasizing its community-driven launch through public participation.
- **Foundation and Early Contributors** received **16.7%**, reserved for development, research, and initial project supporters.

![ETH Allocation Breakdown](https://coinlaw.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/eth-allocation-breakdown.png "ETH Allocation Breakdown")*(Reference: CoinGecko)*

## Recent Developments

- Polygon 2.0 launched its governance layer and unified liquidity framework in Q2 2025.
- Ethereum finalized **EIP-7002**, enabling native account abstraction features for smart wallets.
- Polygon introduced AggLayer, an aggregator bridge protocol, reducing settlement times by **62%**.
- Ethereum launched “Verkle Trees” on the mainnet, reducing node sync sizes by over **65%**.
- Polygon CDK now supports pluggable execution layers, attracting over **230 appchain launches** in 2025.
- Ethereum saw **42 major protocol upgrades** and security patches implemented this year.
- Polygon partnered with Google Cloud for data indexing APIs integrated into BigQuery.
- Ethereum’s Beacon Chain now supports validator rotation intervals of just **12 hours**, improving liveness.
- Polygon ecosystem tokens saw a **19%** average gain in Q2 2025, driven by NFT and gaming activity.
- Ethereum saw its first full-fledged bond issuance via smart contracts by a US bank, worth **$73 million**.
- Polygon announced the opening of **3 new R&D hubs** in the US and Europe to accelerate zero-knowledge research.

## Conclusion

Polygon and Ethereum no longer occupy the same lanes in the blockchain world; they are both foundational in their own right. Ethereum remains the go-to for security, institutional adoption, and high-value DeFi. Meanwhile, Polygon has carved out a space focused on speed, affordability, and Web3 scalability.

The numbers speak clearly: Polygon is no longer just a scaling solution. It’s a parallel ecosystem powering millions of users, dApps, and businesses. Ethereum continues to innovate and lead, especially in value retention and deep protocol research. Together, they now define a multi-chain Ethereum future, where collaboration, not competition, is the new norm.

Definition of dApp (Decentralized Application). Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**dApp (Decentralized Application)**A decentralized application that runs its backend on a [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) via [smart contracts](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/smart-contract/), combining on-chain logic with a standard web front-end.

[Read more about dApp (Decentralized Application)](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/dapp/)

Definition of Blockchain. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Blockchain**A distributed digital ledger that records transactions across a network, with each block cryptographically linked to the previous one for security.

[Read more about Blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/)

Definition of Smart Contract. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Smart Contract**A smart contract is a self-executing program stored on a [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) that automatically enforces agreement terms when predefined conditions are met, without intermediaries.

[Read more about Smart Contract](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/smart-contract/)

Definition of Staking. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Staking**Staking is the process of locking cryptocurrency in a proof-of-stake network to help validate transactions and earn rewards, replacing energy-intensive mining.

[Read more about Staking](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/staking/)

Definition of DeFi. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**DeFi**Decentralized finance leverages [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) protocols and [smart contracts](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/smart-contract/) to enable lending, trading, and borrowing without banks or traditional intermediaries.

[Read more about DeFi](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/defi/)

Definition of Consensus Algorithm. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Consensus Algorithm**A consensus algorithm is a protocol that lets a distributed network agree on which block is added next, securing the [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) without a central authority.

[Read more about Consensus Algorithm](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/consensus-algorithm/)

Definition of Layer 1. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Layer 1**A Layer 1 is the base [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) layer that settles its own transactions, enforces its own consensus, and secures its own ledger. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana.

[Read more about Layer 1](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/layer-1/)

Definition of NFT. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**NFT**A non-fungible token is a unique [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/)-based asset that verifies ownership of digital or physical items such as art, collectibles, or real-world assets.

[Read more about NFT](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/nft/)

Definition of Cross-Chain. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Cross-Chain**Cross-chain is the ability to move data or assets between separate blockchains via bridges, messaging protocols, or interoperability networks.

[Read more about Cross-Chain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/cross-chain/)

Definition of Layer 2. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Layer 2**A Layer 2 is a secondary [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) built on top of Ethereum that bundles transactions off-chain and posts compressed data back to the main chain, cutting fees and raising throughput.

[Read more about Layer 2](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/layer-2/)

Definition of Gas Fee. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Gas Fee**A gas fee is the transaction cost paid to Ethereum validators for the computational effort needed to process and confirm [blockchain](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/blockchain/) operations.

[Read more about Gas Fee](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/gas-fee/)

Definition of Stablecoin. Link to full glossary entry follows the description.**Stablecoin**A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency tied to a reserve asset like the US dollar, designed to maintain a stable value for trading, payments, and transfers.

[Read more about Stablecoin](https://coinlaw.io/glossary/stablecoin/)