NEAR Protocol vs The Sandbox

General

Description

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
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

NEAR Protocol Logo
NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)
  • Smart contract platform
  • Decentralized applications
  • Scalability and interoperability
The Sandbox Logo
The Sandbox
 (SAND)
  • Decentralized virtual 3D world
  • Digital land and economy
  • Events and quests

Price and market data

Price chart

NEAR Protocol
 (NEAR)

$2.70

-3.98%
The Sandbox
 (SAND)

$0.289

-3.92%
Market data
NEAR ProtocolThe Sandbox
Market cap
$3.37B
$705.67M
Market share
0.083%
0.017%
Current price

$2.70

-$0.071-2.63%

$0.29

+$0.0010+0.35%
NEAR converterSAND converter
All-time high
$20.44
Jan 16, 2022-86.77%
$8.40
Nov 25, 2021-96.57%
Crypto all-time highs
Cycle low
$0.97
+178.53%Oct 19, 2023
$0.21
+36.70%Aug 05, 2024
Prediction for 2025
Powered by AI
$6.96
+157.63%
$0.66
+127.84%
NEAR predictionSAND prediction
Relative Strength Index
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (50.55)
Neutral
BuySell
Neutral (46.7)
Price trend
Positive
(16/30 days)
Positive
(15/30 days)
Price performance
-32.62%
+15.81%
Price performance
-41.01%
-44.80%
Price performance
-3.99%
-10.70%
Price performance
-3.98%
-3.92%
Price performance
-2.63%
+0.35%
Price performance
-0.22%
+0.011%
Annual return
-46.28%
-47.80%
Annual return
+37.07%
-5.73%
Annual return
+188.00%
+49.12%
NEAR returnsSAND returns
Total return
-48.16%
2020 – 2025
+338.37%
2020 – 2025
Average annual return
+196.99%
+2,680.56%
Transaction volume
$233.62M
24h
$50.12M
24h
Max supply
3B
Circulating supply
1.25B
2.45B
Inflation
15.54%
Year
13.57%
Year
Crypto inflation

On-chain data

Market data
NEAR ProtocolThe Sandbox
Total Value Locked (TVL)
$170.9M
What is Total Value Locked?
Market cap/TVL (ratio)
19.73
Transactions (avg./day)
523
Active addresses (24h)

Our rating

Our rating
NEAR ProtocolThe Sandbox
Our overall rating
NEAR Protocol
The Sandbox
How we evaluate cryptocurrencies

Our individual ratings

Risk
NEAR Protocol: 2 of 10
Risk (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 3 of 10
Risk (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
riskyless risky
Community
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Community (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 7 of 10
Community (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
smalllarge
Hype & momentum
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Hype & momentum (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 5 of 10
Hype & momentum (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
weakstrong
Active usage
NEAR Protocol: 4 of 10
Active usage (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 6 of 10
Active usage (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
lowhigh
Network effect
NEAR Protocol: 1 of 10
Network effect (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 4 of 10
Network effect (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
weakstrong
Decentralization
NEAR Protocol: 3 of 10
Decentralization (NEAR Protocol)
The Sandbox: 5 of 10
Decentralization (The Sandbox)
NEAR Protocol Logo
The Sandbox Logo
centralizeddecentralized

Our opinion

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
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
NEAR ProtocolThe Sandbox
Founder
Erik Trautman, Alex Skidanov, Illia Polosukhin
Arthur Madrid, Sébastien Borget
Developer
NEAR Foundation, NEAR Inc.
Pixowl, Inc., Community
Published
2020
2012
Open source
Yes
Yes
Sector
Smart Contracts
Virtual Reality
Key feature
Performance, Interoperability
Virtual Land
Blockchain
NEAR Blockchain
Ethereum Blockchain
Staking
Yes
Yes
Consensus mechanism
Proof of Stake (Doomslug)
Proof of Stake
Energy consumption
Low
Low
Transactions per second
2,000 TPS
Institutional investors
  • a16z Crypto
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • Pantera Capital
  • Blockchain.com Ventures
  • IDEO Colab
  • Homebrew
  • etc.
  • SoftBank
  • Galaxy Interactive
  • Alpaca VC
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • Binance Labs
  • True Global Ventures
  • etc.
Community
1.87M followers
1.1M followers
Website
near.org
www.sandbox.game
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
Whitepaper
NEAR Protocol vs The Sandbox

NEAR Protocol or The Sandbox

Market data comparison of NEAR versus SAND

The current price of NEAR Protocol is $2.70 and has decreased by in the last 24 hours. The Sandbox is currently trading at $0.29, with a gain of over the same period. NEAR Protocol has a market cap of $3.37B and ranks 46th. The Sandbox follows with a market cap of $705.67M, ranking 142nd — 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 NEAR Protocol 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 NEAR Protocol and The Sandbox. What target markets and problems are these two projects aiming to address?

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

Currently, NEAR Protocol is about below it's all-time high of $20.44 reached on Jan 16, 2022.
In comparison, The Sandbox is down approximately from it's all-time high of $8.40 on Nov 25, 2021.
NEAR Protocol currently has a 366.08% higher 24h transaction volume of $233.62M compared to The Sandbox with $50.12M.
Over the past year, NEAR Protocol 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 NEAR Protocol 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 NEAR Protocol or The Sandbox?

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

If you want to store cryptocurrencies like NEAR Protocol 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 NEAR Protocol, 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 2025-08-16T11:05:43.160321+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.