Ethereum vs NEAR Protocol

General

Description

Ethereum Logo
Ethereum
 (ETH)

Ethereum is the leading platform for decentralized applications and DeFi. At its core is the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which enables so-called smart contracts to run automatically without any central authority. Transactions are validated in a decentralized way by a global network of validators.

Ethereum overview
NEAR Protocol Logo
NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)

NEAR is a blockchain and decentralized computing platform aiming to solve limitations of existing blockchains, such as scalability and transaction costs. It uses a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism and network fragmentation, known as sharding. NEAR also focuses on being developer-friendly, offering a range of tools for building applications.

NEAR Protocol overview

Purpose and goals

Ethereum Logo
Ethereum
 (ETH)
  • Smart contract platform
  • Decentralized finance (DeFi)
  • Decentralized applications
NEAR Protocol Logo
NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)
  • Smart contract platform
  • Decentralized applications
  • Scalability and interoperability

Price and market data

Price chart

Ethereum
 (ETH)

$4,409.12

+5.76%
NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)

$2.73

-3.28%
Market data
EthereumNEAR Protocol
Market cap
$531.82B
$3.4B
Market share
13.12%
0.084%
Current price

$4,409.12

-$102.04-2.31%

$2.73

+$0.017+0.62%
ETH converterNEAR converter
All-time high
$4,878.26
Nov 10, 2021-9.75%
$20.44
Jan 16, 2022-86.70%
Crypto all-time highs
Cycle low
$897.01
+391.43%Jun 18, 2022
$0.97
+181.35%Oct 19, 2023
Prediction for 2025
Powered by AI
$7,272.79
+65.17%
$6.96
+156.68%
ETH predictionNEAR prediction
Relative Strength Index
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (66.86)
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (50.55)
Price trend
Positive
(18/30 days)
Positive
(16/30 days)
Price performance
+70.09%
-30.44%
Price performance
+38.95%
-39.54%
Price performance
+28.49%
-3.63%
Price performance
+5.76%
-3.28%
Price performance
-2.31%
+0.62%
Price performance
+0.37%
+0.97%
Annual return
+31.91%
-46.28%
Annual return
+46.55%
+37.07%
Annual return
+91.29%
+188.00%
ETH returnsNEAR returns
Total return
+156,366.35%
2015 – 2025
-48.16%
2020 – 2025
Average annual return
+971.21%
+196.99%
Transaction volume
$39.93B
24h
$203.46M
24h
Max supply
Circulating supply
120.71M
1.25B
Inflation
0.48%
Year
15.54%
Year
Crypto inflation

On-chain data

Market data
EthereumNEAR Protocol
Total Value Locked (TVL)
$91.72B
$170.01M
What is Total Value Locked?
Market cap/TVL (ratio)
5.8
19.98
Transactions (avg./day)
1.36M
Active addresses (24h)

Our rating

Our rating
EthereumNEAR Protocol
Our overall rating
Ethereum
NEAR Protocol
How we evaluate cryptocurrencies

Our individual ratings

Risk
Ethereum: 8 of 10
Risk (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 2 of 10
Risk (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
riskyless risky
Community
Ethereum: 9 of 10
Community (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Community (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
smalllarge
Hype & momentum
Ethereum: 9 of 10
Hype & momentum (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Hype & momentum (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
weakstrong
Active usage
Ethereum: 9 of 10
Active usage (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 4 of 10
Active usage (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
lowhigh
Network effect
Ethereum: 8 of 10
Network effect (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 1 of 10
Network effect (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
weakstrong
Decentralization
Ethereum: 8 of 10
Decentralization (Ethereum)
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Decentralization (NEAR Protocol)
Ethereum Logo
NEAR Protocol Logo
centralizeddecentralized

Our opinion

Ethereum Logo
Ethereum
 (ETH)
From our perspective, Ethereum was the key breakthrough that brought programmable blockchains to life. It was the first platform to introduce smart contracts, laying the foundation for decentralized apps (dApps), DeFi, and NFTs. Unlike Bitcoin, we don’t see Ether (ETH) as just a currency but rather as the fuel powering a decentralized world computer. To this day, Ethereum benefits from its first-mover advantage and has built a strong ecosystem of developers, applications, and users. While high transaction fees and scalability remain a challenge, the successful transition to Proof of Stake (The Merge on September 15, 2022) marked a major step forward. In our view, Ethereum remains the leading smart contract platform — which is why, alongside Bitcoin, it represents the second-largest position in our crypto portfolio.
Ethereum overview
NEAR Protocol Logo
NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)
The NEAR Protocol and its decentralized cloud computing platform is another intriguing contender in the realm of smart contract platforms, positioning itself as a foundation for decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs, and other use cases. We particularly appreciate that NEAR deliberately integrates the so-called Aurora Network, enabling seamless communication with other blockchains like Ethereum. In our view, interoperability is a core feature that newer smart contract platforms must possess to remain competitive. Although we are closely watching developments within the NEAR ecosystem, there are still too many uncertainties regarding its future for us to consider an investment at this time. Ultimately, the success of any decentralized network hinges on its ability to retain developers and applications over the long term.
NEAR Protocol overview

Details

Info
EthereumNEAR Protocol
Founder
Vitalik Buterin, Gavin Wood
Erik Trautman, Alex Skidanov, Illia Polosukhin
Developer
Ethereum Foundation, Open Source
NEAR Foundation, NEAR Inc.
Published
2015
2020
Open source
Yes
Yes
Sector
Smart Contracts
Smart Contracts
Key feature
Network Effects
Performance, Interoperability
Blockchain
Ethereum Blockchain
NEAR Blockchain
Staking
Yes
Yes
Consensus mechanism
Proof of Stake
Proof of Stake (Doomslug)
Energy consumption
Low
Low
Transactions per second
15 TPS
2,000 TPS
Institutional investors
  • a16z Crypto
  • Galaxy Digital
  • Boost VC
  • Pantera Capital
  • Digital Currency Group
  • Paradigm
  • etc.
  • a16z Crypto
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • Pantera Capital
  • Blockchain.com Ventures
  • IDEO Colab
  • Homebrew
  • etc.
Community
3.79M followers
1.87M followers
Website
ethereum.org
near.org
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
Ethereum vs NEAR Protocol

Ethereum or NEAR Protocol

Market data comparison of ETH versus NEAR

The current price of Ethereum is $4,409.12 and has decreased by in the last 24 hours. NEAR Protocol is currently trading at $2.73, with a gain of over the same period. Ethereum has a market cap of $531.82B and ranks 2nd. NEAR Protocol follows with a market cap of $3.4B, ranking 45th — meaning it is valued lower.

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

Should I buy Ethereum or NEAR Protocol?

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 Ethereum and NEAR Protocol. What target markets and problems are these two projects aiming to address?

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

Currently, Ethereum is about below it's all-time high of $4,878.26 reached on Nov 10, 2021.
In comparison, NEAR Protocol is down approximately from it's all-time high of $20.44 on Jan 16, 2022.
Ethereum currently has a 19,525.38% higher 24h transaction volume of $39.93B compared to NEAR Protocol with $203.46M.
Over the past year, Ethereum achieved a total return of , while NEAR Protocol 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 Ethereum and NEAR Protocol. 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 Ethereum or NEAR Protocol?

Today, there are many reputable and secure exchanges that make it easy to invest in Ethereum and NEAR Protocol. 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 Ethereum and NEAR Protocol 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 Ethereum and NEAR Protocol?

If you want to store cryptocurrencies like Ethereum or NEAR Protocol 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 Ethereum, NEAR Protocol, 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 2025-08-16T14:50:22.263949+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.