Fastest Cryptos: Top Coins by Block Time

Tired of slow confirmations? Check out the fastest Layer 1 cryptocurrencies ranked by block times - built for speed, smooth transactions, and quick finality.

Transaction speed is a key part of how well a cryptocurrency performs, especially in real-world situations like online shopping, decentralized finance (DeFi), or making a purchase at a mall. Imagine using crypto at a checkout counter - waiting even a few minutes for a payment to confirm would be frustrating and impractical. Fast transactions build trust, improve convenience, and make digital currencies usable in everyday settings.

Beyond retail, speed also plays a major role in reducing network congestion and lowering transaction fees, making it essential for both casual users and businesses. In the fast-moving world of DeFi, where trades, loans, and liquidity moves happen constantly, delays can mean lost opportunities or added costs.

As blockchain technology continues to evolve, many Layer 1 cryptocurrencies are adopting new ways to handle transactions faster and more efficiently. But how do we measure this speed, and which cryptocurrencies are currently leading the way in real-world performance?

What Does Transaction Time Depend On?

Transaction time is the period it takes for transfers to be processed and confirmed. This time depends on several factors:

• Block Time: This is the time it takes to create a new block of transactions. Shorter block times mean transactions are confirmed faster. If blocks are created too quickly, it can cause orphan blocks, which reduces the network's security.
• Block Size: This is how much data, including transactions, can fit into a single block. Larger blocks can hold more transfers, making the system more scalable by reducing congestion in the mempool. However, they also require more powerful hardware to process and can increase the window for certain attacks.
• Consensus Mechanism: The consensus mechanism is the fundamental process by which a blockchain network’s participants achieve agreement on the validity and order of transactions. A common myth is that Proof of Work (PoW) is slower than Proof of Stake (PoS). In reality, PoW can remove some of the processing cycles required for consensus, which can lead to faster transactions in certain systems.
• Consensus Protocol: A consensus protocol is the specific set of rules and procedures that a blockchain follows to implement its chosen consensus mechanism. The speed of a network depends on the protocol's design. Efficient validation and optimized block proposal processes can boost throughput and enable faster transaction confirmations.
• Sharding: This technique can increase scalability and prevent network congestion. However, it also introduces security risks and can decrease transaction speed because of the complexity and cross-shard communication.

Top Layer 1 Cryptocurrencies by Block Time

Here are some of the fastest Layer 1 cryptocurrencies, ranked by their block times. We pulled this data from Chainspect and other good sources.

1. Kaspa (KAS): 0.1 sec
   Kaspa is a BlockDAG, not a traditional blockchain. It uses Proof of Work with the GHOSTDAG protocol. This design lets it create blocks in parallel, which greatly boosts transaction speed, prevents orphaned blocks, and makes the network highly scalable.
2. Aptos (APT): 0.12 sec
   Aptos is a blockchain that uses a Proof of Stake system with Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT)-based consensus. Its AptosBFT consensus protocol and Block-STM parallel execution engine help it achieve high speeds.
3. Sui (SUI): 0.24 sec
   Sui is a blockchain with a unique object-based design. It uses a Delegated Proof of Stake system with a BFT-style mechanism called Narwhal and Bullshark. This allows it to process transactions in parallel and makes it very fast.
4. Nano (XNO): 0.35 sec
   Previously known as RaiBlocks (XRB), Nano uses a unique block-lattice setup where each account has its own chain. It uses Open Representative Voting (ORV), which is a form of delegated voting. This allows for very quick transaction finality.
5. Solana (SOL): 0.4 sec
   Solana is a blockchain that achieves speed using Proof of Stake combined with Proof of History (PoH). PoH timestamps transactions to reduce communication overhead, and a Tower BFT consensus helps secure the network.
6. Internet Computer (ICP): 0.48 sec
   Internet Computer uses Internet Computer Consensus (ICC) with Threshold Relay, BFT, and subnet-based sharding for high transaction throughput, with governance via the Network Nervous System (NNS) DAO.
7. Sei (SEI): 0.5 sec
   Sei is a Proof of Stake blockchain using Tendermint BFT and "Twin-Turbo Consensus," which separates execution from consensus. It includes a built-in order-matching engine for fast, deterministic block finalization.
8. Sonic (S): 0.51 sec
   Sonic, previously known as Fantom (FTM), is a blockchain that uses an aBFT consensus mechanism called Lachesis. This works similarly to PoS and is based on a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture, allowing it to process transactions in parallel.
9. NEAR Protocol (NEAR): 0.61s
   NEAR Protocol is a blockchain that uses a sharded Proof of Stake protocol called Nightshade with BFT consensus. This sharding allows it to process transactions in parallel to achieve high speeds and low costs.
10. BNB Chain (BNB): 0.75 sec
    BNB Chain is a blockchain that uses Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA), which is a hybrid of PoS. Following a recent hardfork, its block time was halved from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds.

Understanding the Trade-offs of Speed

Many high-speed cryptocurrencies achieve their performance by making trade-offs with decentralization or security. This is often because of the blockchain trilemma which states that it is hard for a blockchain to be fully secure, scalable, and decentralized all at once.

For instance, Aptos has experienced multi-hour outages, casting doubt on its reliability. Beyond technical issues, Aptos also has a notably low validator count, which raises concerns about centralization and the potential for coordinated control. Sui has faced outages of its own and demonstrated centralized authority when its validators froze $160 million from the Cetus exploit. Nano, with its feeless design, constantly suffers from spam attacks and congestion. Solana has experienced occasional network congestion and outages. The Internet Computer has similarly faced downtime and centralization issues. BNB Chain maintains a highly centralized validator set dominated by Binance. Another example, Hyperliquid, which also had recent outages, was disqualified because its closed-source codebase goes against the transparency expected of a public Layer 1.

These examples show a recurring theme: in optimizing for speed, many projects compromise the core principles of being trustless, open, and secure.

Kaspa stands out because it combines speed with strong decentralization and security. It is the only project on this list that uses Proof of Work consensus, had a fair launch, and features a fully open-source codebase - all while maintaining a flawless track record of zero downtime since inception.