Solana vs Ethereum: Will Solana Overtake Ethereum in 2024?

Key takeaways:

• Ethereum’s Evolution: Ethereum, founded in 2013, has grown into the second-largest crypto, pioneering smart contracts and evolving into a global hub for decentralized applications.
• Solana’s Speed and Cost Efficiency: Solana, launched in 2020, distinguishes itself with a hybrid consensus model, enabling transaction verification within seconds at a minimal cost of $0.00025, addressing challenges in transaction fees and speed.
• Investment Considerations: Investors are advised to weigh the unique features, pros, and cons of Solana and Ethereum, considering factors like transaction speed, scalability, and platform stability before making investment decisions in the dynamic crypto market.

What is Ethereum?

Ethereum, the second-largest crypto in terms of market capitalization, operates as an open-source blockchain system featuring its native digital currency called Ether (ETH). Serving as a platform for various crypto, Ethereum facilitates the execution of Decentralized Smart Contracts.

In 2013, Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, along with his co-founder, outlined the concept in a white paper. Funding for the project was secured through a public crowd sale in 2014, leading to the official launch of the Ethereum blockchain on July 30, 2015. Since its inception, Ethereum has undergone several updates, with the most recent being the London Hard Fork.

Ethereum’s primary objective is to establish itself as the global hub for decentralized applications (Ethereum Dapps). This vision aims to empower programmers worldwide to create and run software that is free from censorship, fraud, and downtime. Ethereum introduced the widely used term “smart contracts,” pioneering the concept of executing contracts through blockchain technology. Co-founder Gavin Wood envisioned Ethereum as “one computer for the entire planet.”

More recently, the Ethereum Dencun Upgrade went live on the mainnet. This Ethereum Dencun upgrade brings along with it proto-danksharding and blobs, also known as EIP-4844 to bring in scaling efficiencies and lower transaction costs on the blockchain.

Additional Read: Bitcoin vs Ethereum

Key features of Ethereum:

• Smart contracts, introduced by Ethereum, are contracts whose terms are encoded directly into code, allowing for self-execution.
• Developers have the capability to construct decentralized applications (DApps) on the Ethereum blockchain, fostering the creation of trustless and censorship-resistant applications.
• Ethereum’s native crypto is employed for transactions and reward miners contributing to the network’s security.
• Featuring a Turing-complete virtual machine, Ethereum executes smart contracts, showcasing its versatility for a wide range of applications.
• Ethereum enables the formation of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), where code rather than individuals govern organizations, and decisions are reached through consensus.

Read more: How to buy Ethereum in INR

Latest Ethereum News:

• Spot Ethereum ETF might be around the corner: With the spot Bitcoin ETFs out of the way, we could potentially be looking at a spot Ethereum ETF sometime in the near future. However, the timeline for this has not been set yet.
• On March 13, 2024, the Ethereum Dencun Upgrade went successfully live on the mainnet after having deployed it on all the Ethereum testnets. As mentioned earlier, this is a major improvement in the Ethereum network and the next step in its journey to Ethereum 2.0.

What is Solana(SOL)?

Solana, an open-source initiative, leverages the decentralized nature of blockchain technology to deliver cost-effective DeFi solutions with a primary emphasis on speed. While the initial development of the project commenced in 2017, it was formally introduced to the crypto community when the Solana Foundation launched it in March 2020.

The Solana protocol is engineered to facilitate the creation of decentralized applications, also known as DApps, by deploying smart contracts onto its blockchain. The goal of Solana is to enhance scalability through a unique combination of proof-of-history (PoH) consensus and the foundational proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus of the blockchain. As of March 2, 2022, the price of the SOL crypto stands at $104.69, having reached an all-time high (ATH) of $260.06 on November 6, 2021.

Notably, Solana’s speed and cost-efficient model enable the verification of payments on its chain within seconds, incurring an average cost of $0.00025. This aspect serves as Solana’s unique selling proposition (USP), addressing common challenges in the crypto space related to transaction fees and speed. The innovative hybrid consensus model of Solana ensures equal accessibility on the platform for both small-scale and institutional traders. The Solana Foundation places significant emphasis on broadening access to decentralized finance on a larger scale.

Additional Read: Solana vs Cardano

Key features of Solana:

• Solana employs the Proof of History (PoH) consensus mechanism for its SOL crypto, granting each node its independent clock and decision-making capability without the need for constant consultation with other nodes.
• The Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) algorithm in Solana safeguards the system from disruptions caused by the failure of a specific node, ensuring that the overall functionality remains unaffected.
• Within the Solana ecosystem, the capability for multiple smart contracts to operate simultaneously is facilitated, enhancing the efficiency and versatility of the platform.

Read: How to Buy Solana

Latest Solana News:

• Solana was one of the best performing major altcoins in the market in 2023 and 2024 is also turning out to be a strong year for this altcoin as it is the fourth largest crypto by market capitalization after Bitcoin, Ethereum and Binance Coin.

Prices are as of December 2024.

*Source: CoinMarketCap

Pros and Cons of Solana vs Ethereum

Pros

Cons

Solana vs Ethereum: Technical Analysis

SOL vs ETH | Source: TradingView

The year 2024 has proven pivotal for both Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH), as these blockchain giants navigate distinct price trajectories and market dynamics. Ethereum has experienced a notable surge, with its price nearing the $4,000 mark after Bitcoin’s record-breaking ascent to an all-time high of over $106,000. However, ETH has struggled to breach a crucial resistance level, hovering below $4,093 for over a week. This resistance has resulted in the accumulation of short positions and a contraction of Bollinger Bands, indicating reduced volatility. A breakout could propel ETH past $4,258, setting the stage for a rally towards its previous all-time highs and beyond. Yet, Ethereum’s progress remains contingent on sustained trading activity and the ability to overcome critical resistance levels.

In contrast, Solana has maintained a consistent ascending trend in 2024, demonstrating remarkable resilience against bearish interference. SOL has shown strong recovery potential, with technical indicators such as the Directional Movement Index (DMI) signaling a bullish crossover. Despite minor pullbacks, Solana has managed to attract above-average trading volumes, fueling optimism for a continued upward trend. The Bollinger Bands for SOL are also contracting, signaling a potential breakout. If this breakout materializes, SOL could surpass the $250 resistance level and aim for a new all-time high near $270. Solana’s steady momentum and technical strength position it as a formidable competitor to Ethereum in terms of performance and investor confidence.

While Ethereum remains a leader in the blockchain space with its established ecosystem and dominance, Solana’s consistent price growth and technical resilience in 2024 highlight its potential to challenge Ethereum’s position, particularly in attracting traders seeking high-growth opportunities. Both networks have demonstrated strength, but their price movements and market performance offer investors distinct opportunities depending on their risk tolerance and market outlook.

Solana Price Prediction 2024

SOL/USD | Source: TradingView

The Solana (SOL) price continues to follow a steady ascending trend, as depicted in the chart, demonstrating resilience against bearish pressures that arise intermittently. Although minor pullbacks have been observed, the asset shows strong potential for recovery, supported by key technical signals. The Directional Movement Index (DMI) indicator is on the verge of a bullish crossover, signaling an impending upward trend. A flip in the price trend could attract increased trading volume, which already sits above the average, indicating a bullish continuation might be on the horizon.

Meanwhile, the Bollinger Bands have started to contract, indicating reduced liquidity and lower volatility in the market. Historically, this level of compression often precedes a significant breakout. If SOL price follows this pattern, the price could push past the immediate resistance level of $250. Sustaining above this key threshold could set the stage for a strong rally, potentially driving the price toward a new all-time high (ATH) near $270. As momentum builds, Solana’s steady trend and supportive technical indicators position it favorably for further upward movement in the near term.

Additional Read: Solana Price Prediction

Ethereum Price Prediction 2024

ETH/USD | Source: TradingView

The crypto markets are showing strong bullish momentum as Bitcoin (BTC) surged to a new all-time high (ATH) above $106,000, lifting sentiment across the board. Ethereum (ETH) followed suit, climbing near the $4,000 mark. However, despite BTC’s rally, ETH has struggled to break past a crucial resistance level over the past week. This extended consolidation has likely led to an accumulation of short positions just above its current price range, reflecting market participants’ uncertainty. At the same time, a noticeable decline in trading volume has contributed to reduced volatility, compressing the Bollinger Bands, a technical indicator often linked to breakout patterns.

Historically, Ethereum price has witnessed significant breakouts following such contractions, and a similar move could see the price leap beyond its multi-month resistance at $4,258. Key resistance levels to watch include $4,093, which may act as a pivotal barrier before ETH can sustain a more decisive move upward. Should ETH overcome this hurdle, it could ignite a rally toward new highs, possibly surpassing its current ATH. This potential upswing aligns with the growing optimism in the broader crypto market, fueled by BTC’s robust performance and increasing investor confidence.

Read On: ETH Price Prediction 2024

Solana (SOL) or Ethereum (ETH): Which is the better investment?

With the volatility of the crypto market and the recent multiple resetting of the same, the crypto giants have been a major interest for investors, mostly institutional or tech giants who have recently been acquiring native crypto tokens. 

As for the mass crypto investors, newer tokens with wider use case examples have crawled up the portfolios. Given we take that lens, Solana and its community are driving pretty big possibilities in the near future, whereas the native Ethereum has undergone various updates in the past years – with everything from the Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade to the more recently executed Ethereum Dencun Upgrade.

To put it simply, analysts suggest including a small percentage of the native crypto tokens like Ethereum in your portfolio to enjoy the passive income in the long run while also stating that if your own research points towards newer tokens like Solana. However, before choosing any crypto asset to invest in, it is imperative to conduct thorough research and deep dive into the projects.

How to invest in both Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH)?

Investing in crypto has never been simpler, safer, and more secure with CoinDCX. It doesn’t matter whether you want to invest in the SOL or the ETH coin, we have got you covered.  CoinDCX, India’s safest and simplest crypto investment app is here for you to buy a Solana coin. 

All you need to do is follow these four simple steps to buy your first crypto with the CoinDCX app. 

• Download the CoinDCX app
• Complete your KYC
• Link your bank details and transfer funds
• Buy Solana (SOL) or Ethereum (ETH)