Decentraland vs The Sandbox

General

Description

Decentraland Logo
Decentraland
 (MANA)

Decentraland is a decentralized virtual reality platform and 3D world built on the Ethereum blockchain. Users can freely explore, expand, and interact with the virtual environment. Using the native token MANA, virtual land parcels can be purchased as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), enabling owners to create custom environments, interactions, and applications within the world.

Decentraland overview
The Sandbox Logo
The Sandbox
 (SAND)

The Sandbox is a virtual 3D world built on the Ethereum blockchain, where players can create, own, and trade their own content. Similar to the VR world of Decentraland, The Sandbox is developed in a decentralized way by the community and features its own economy through an integrated marketplace, the SAND token, and NFT land plots (LAND).

The Sandbox overview

Purpose and goals

Decentraland Logo
Decentraland
 (MANA)
  • Decentralized virtual 3D world
  • Digital land and economy
  • Creative and interactive game world
The Sandbox Logo
The Sandbox
 (SAND)
  • Decentralized virtual 3D world
  • Digital land and economy
  • Events and quests

Price and market data

Price chart

Decentraland
 (MANA)

$0.293

-6.50%
The Sandbox
 (SAND)

$0.290

-3.83%
Market data
DecentralandThe Sandbox
Market cap
$561.57M
$706.28M
Market share
0.014%
0.017%
Current price

$0.29

+$0.0018+0.62%

$0.29

+$0.0011+0.40%
MANA converterSAND converter
All-time high
$5.85
Nov 25, 2021-95.01%
$8.40
Nov 25, 2021-96.56%
Crypto all-time highs
Cycle low
$0.19
+52.76%Apr 07, 2025
$0.21
+36.93%Aug 05, 2024
Prediction for 2025
Powered by AI
$0.70
+140.11%
$0.66
+127.38%
MANA predictionSAND prediction
Relative Strength Index
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (44.25)
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (46.7)
Price trend
Positive
(15/30 days)
Positive
(15/30 days)
Price performance
+9.22%
+15.93%
Price performance
-33.79%
-44.69%
Price performance
-8.89%
-9.93%
Price performance
-6.50%
-3.83%
Price performance
+0.62%
+0.40%
Price performance
-0.14%
-0.016%
Annual return
-39.66%
-47.80%
Annual return
-7.44%
-5.73%
Annual return
+76.30%
+49.12%
MANA returnsSAND returns
Total return
+2,757.80%
2017 – 2025
+338.37%
2020 – 2025
Average annual return
+559.35%
+2,680.56%
Transaction volume
$43.73M
24h
$53.7M
24h
Max supply
2.19B
3B
Circulating supply
1.92B
2.45B
Inflation
3.22%
Year
13.57%
Year
Crypto inflation

On-chain data

Market data
DecentralandThe Sandbox
Total Value Locked (TVL)
What is Total Value Locked?
Market cap/TVL (ratio)
Transactions (avg./day)
431
523
Active addresses (24h)

Our rating

Our rating
DecentralandThe Sandbox
Our overall rating
Decentraland
The Sandbox
How we evaluate cryptocurrencies

Our individual ratings

Risk
Decentraland: 3 of 10
Risk (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 3 of 10
Risk (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
riskyless risky
Community
Decentraland: 6 of 10
Community (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 7 of 10
Community (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
smalllarge
Hype & momentum
Decentraland: 5 of 10
Hype & momentum (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 5 of 10
Hype & momentum (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
weakstrong
Active usage
Decentraland: 4 of 10
Active usage (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 6 of 10
Active usage (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
lowhigh
Network effect
Decentraland: 1 of 10
Network effect (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 4 of 10
Network effect (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
weakstrong
Decentralization
Decentraland: 5 of 10
Decentralization (Decentraland)
The Sandbox: 5 of 10
Decentralization (The Sandbox)
Decentraland Logo
The Sandbox Logo
centralizeddecentralized

Our opinion

Decentraland Logo
Decentraland
 (MANA)
Decentraland launched in 2020 with the initial foundations and mechanics of its virtual world and has since been gradually developed further by the community. The VR game is considered one of the pioneers of “crypto games” and still enjoys significant popularity today. Its virtual land parcels are sometimes traded for impressive sums on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea. Decentraland might, in retrospect, be seen as one of the first steps toward the “Metaverse.” We find Decentraland exciting and intriguing, but remain cautious about investing in MANA. Some players report that the virtual world still feels somewhat dull and lacking in engaging content. Meanwhile, Decentraland is no longer alone in the market and has already faced strong competition from “The Sandbox,” which boasts a rapidly growing community. The competition in the VR worlds space is expected to intensify further in the future.
Decentraland overview
The Sandbox Logo
The Sandbox
 (SAND)
The Sandbox originally launched in 2012 as a mobile game and was initially positioned as a competitor to Minecraft, which is still reflected in the design of its current virtual world. In 2018, its strategy shifted towards creating a decentralized, virtual 3D world—a so-called “Metaverse”—built on blockchain technology. At first glance, The Sandbox resembles Decentraland’s world, but its community grew much faster, attracting well-known brands and personalities like Adidas, Snoop Dogg, Atari, and The Walking Dead. This has established The Sandbox as the market leader in this segment, effectively outshining Decentraland through savvy marketing and partnerships. The design of virtual worlds is subjective, and it is positive that a variety of virtual worlds continue to exist, much like in traditional gaming. If we had to choose an investment in this field, we would currently favor the concept behind The Sandbox.
The Sandbox overview

Details

Info
DecentralandThe Sandbox
Founder
Esteban Ordano, Ariel Meilich
Arthur Madrid, Sébastien Borget
Developer
Decentraland Foundation, Community
Pixowl, Inc., Community
Published
2020
2012
Open source
Yes
Yes
Sector
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality
Key feature
Virtual Land
Virtual Land
Blockchain
Ethereum Blockchain
Ethereum Blockchain
Staking
No
Yes
Consensus mechanism
Ethereum (ERC-20 Token)
Proof of Stake
Energy consumption
Medium
Low
Transactions per second
Institutional investors
  • Digital Currency Group
  • Boost VC
  • Animoca Brands
  • HASHED
  • Fabric Ventures
  • Fundamental Labs
  • etc.
  • SoftBank
  • Galaxy Interactive
  • Alpaca VC
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • Binance Labs
  • True Global Ventures
  • etc.
Community
607,835 followers
1.1M followers
Website
decentraland.org
www.sandbox.game
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
Decentraland vs The Sandbox

Decentraland or The Sandbox

Market data comparison of MANA versus SAND

The current price of Decentraland is $0.29 and has increased by in the last 24 hours. The Sandbox is currently trading at $0.29, with a gain of over the same period. Decentraland has a market cap of $561.57M and ranks 165th. The Sandbox follows with a market cap of $706.28M, ranking 142nd — meaning it is valued higher.

We automatically update all market data every 15 minutes, so you always have the latest figures for your comparison.

Should I buy Decentraland or The Sandbox?

You should be aware that investing in cryptocurrencies carries risks, and we are neither allowed nor intending to provide investment advice. Still, we'd like to offer some food for thought: consider the opportunities and risks associated with both Decentraland and The Sandbox. What target markets and problems are these two projects aiming to address?

If you're still unsure whether to invest in Decentraland or The Sandbox, you can take a look at some additional market data to help with your decision:

Currently, Decentraland is about below it's all-time high of $5.85 reached on Nov 25, 2021.
In comparison, The Sandbox is down approximately from it's all-time high of $8.40 on Nov 25, 2021.
Decentraland currently has a 18.55% lower 24h transaction volume of $43.73M compared to The Sandbox with $53.7M.
Over the past year, Decentraland achieved a total return of , while The Sandbox returned . Keep in mind, however, that past performance rarely guarantees future results.

Additional criteria for comparing cryptocurrencies:

  • What problem does the project aim to solve, and is a decentralized network meaningful and necessary for it?
  • How actively is the network being used?
  • Does the project have a large and active community?
  • How strong is the development activity? (e.g., on GitHub)
  • How decentralized is the underlying blockchain and the project itself?

How we evaluate cryptocurrencies

These are just a few indicators you can use to better evaluate and compare cryptocurrencies like Decentraland and The Sandbox. Cryptocurrencies and their underlying technologies are often difficult to compare — even for professionals. So don’t stress yourself out, and never let emotions or fear of missing out drive your investment decisions.

Where can I buy Decentraland or The Sandbox?

Today, there are many reputable and secure exchanges that make it easy to invest in Decentraland and The Sandbox. We're happy to help you choose the right one: simply use our exchange comparison tool to find the platform that best suits your needs. Both Decentraland and The Sandbox are well-known and in high demand, which means they're available on most major exchanges.

Crypto exchanges comparison

Which crypto wallet is best for Decentraland and The Sandbox?

If you want to store cryptocurrencies like Decentraland or The Sandbox yourself, choosing the right wallet is essential. Consider your personal preferences when deciding: Is ease of use important to you? Do you prefer maximum security with a hardware wallet (USB device), or is a software wallet sufficient for your needs? Our crypto wallet comparison helps you find the best wallet for Decentraland, The Sandbox, and many other cryptocurrencies.

Crypto wallets comparison

How does our comparison work?

Data & Interfaces

Our market data is automatically updated every 15 minutes. This means you can always use the latest data for your comparisons. We obtain the data through web interfaces (API) from CoinGecko, Santiment, DefiLlama, CoinCodex and many more

Research & Deepdive

We regularly sift through a jungle of technical whitepapers, websites, social media and forums for you. In doing so, we filter out essential and relevant information in order to present it to you clearly and comprehensibly in our comparison

Analysis & Valuation

We research and use analysis tools for blockchains and their networks, to form a fact-based foundation for our valuation. Please note that this is not an investment recommendation, but merely our personal opinion.

Community & Feedback

We check our information every 1-2 months to ensure it is up to date and correct. With the help of our community, we can find outdated or incorrect data even faster. Of course, we also welcome your feedback or suggestions for improvement!

Our data on cryptocurrencies was last updated on 2025-08-16T12:35:24.427603+00:00. Sources: CoinGecko, santiment.net, defillama.com, coincodex.com.

The content on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. It should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future price developments or as an invitation to act. All visitors are responsible for independently verifying any information before using a listed service. Trading cryptocurrencies involves significant risk and may result in the total loss of your invested capital. Past performance is not indicative of future results. We do not assume any liability for the timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of the information provided, including third-party content. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service through one of these links, we may receive a commission — at no additional cost to you. All actions are taken at your own risk.