Polkadot, Avalanche, and Other Major Networks

The other significant non-EVM, non-Bitcoin networks. Polkadot, Avalanche, TON, Aptos, Sui, and Near — what each does well and where each has struggled.

11 min · intermediate · part of Beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum: The Multichain Landscape

The Other Big Chains

Beyond Bitcoin, Ethereum (and its L2s), Solana, and the Cosmos ecosystem, several other networks have meaningful market share and active developer ecosystems. None are dominant, but each has carved out a niche or pursued a distinct technical approach. Knowing them gives you a complete picture of the multichain landscape. This lesson covers Polkadot (and the Substrate stack), Avalanche, TON, Aptos, Sui, and Near. Each has its own thesis, its own technical innovations, and its own track record of strengths and disappointments. The candid framing: most of these chains have underperformed expectations relative to their valuations and ICO/launch hype. That doesn't mean they're failures — it means crypto is hard, network effects are powerful, and being a top-five chain is a remarkable achievement that many "top-tier" projects never reach.

Also in this lesson

Polkadot: Shared Security, Underwhelming Adoption
Avalanche: Subnets and Speed
TON, Aptos, Sui, Near
Newer Standouts: Hyperliquid and Berachain
Takeaways
For Deeper Reading

Key terms

Polkadot (DOT): Layer 0 chain founded by Gavin Wood (Ethereum co-founder). Mainnet May 2020. Relay chain + parachain architecture with shared security. Polkadot 2.0 (early 2026) introduced Agile Coretime.
Substrate / Polkadot SDK: Framework for building Polkadot parachains (and other chains). Technically influential beyond the Polkadot ecosystem.
Avalanche (AVAX): Layer 1 founded by Emin Gün Sirer (Cornell). Launched September 2020. Three-chain architecture (P/X/C); EVM-compatible C-Chain. Pioneered subnets (now Avalanche L1s).
TON (The Open Network): Originally conceived by Pavel Durov (Telegram). 2024 deeper Telegram integration created built-in wallet for Telegram's 900M+ users. Sharded architecture.
Aptos (APT): Layer 1 by ex-Meta engineers Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching. Mainnet October 2022. Uses Move programming language (originally from Diem/Libra).
Sui (SUI): Layer 1 by ex-Meta engineers led by Evan Cheng. Mainnet May 2023. Move-based; object-centric programming model.
Near Protocol (NEAR): Layer 1 launched April 2020. Sharded architecture; human-readable account names (alice.near). AI initiatives 2024-2025.
Move language: Programming language originally developed at Meta for the abandoned Diem/Libra project. Used by Aptos and Sui. Linear types make resources non-duplicable.
Hyperliquid (HYPE): Dedicated chain for perpetual futures. Founded by Jeff Yan. Mainnet 2023; HYPE token genesis November 2024. No VC funding; revenue to stakers.
Berachain (BERA): EVM-compatible Cosmos chain. Mainnet February 6, 2025. Pioneered Proof of Liquidity consensus. $3.1B Boyco TVL launch.
Subnets / Avalanche L1s: Avalanche's app-chain model. Renamed "L1s" in 2024 Avalanche9000 upgrade. Subnets share validator infrastructure but have their own state.
Kusama (KSM): Polkadot's "canary network." A separate chain used to test upgrades and parachains before they hit Polkadot proper. Sometimes called "Polkadot's wild cousin."

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Educational only — not financial advice.