How Solana Outperforms Ethereum and Base: A Visual Analysis of TPS and Fees in 2025

Solana’s relentless climb in blockchain performance has redefined what’s possible for decentralized applications in 2025. With Binance-Peg SOL trading at $191.22 as of October 12,2025, Solana’s market momentum isn’t just about price action. It’s about the core metrics that matter: transactions per second (TPS) and transaction fees. In a landscape where Ethereum and Base are still struggling with congestion and cost, Solana is setting a new standard for speed and affordability. Let’s break down exactly how Solana is outpacing its rivals, using hard data and a pragmatic lens.

Solana vs Ethereum 2025: The TPS Race

When it comes to raw throughput, Solana is in a league of its own. The numbers are staggering: Solana regularly processes between 3,000 to 5,000 TPS, with a theoretical ceiling of 65,000 TPS. Compare this to Ethereum’s mainnet, which continues to hover at 15 to 30 TPS. Even with the rise of Layer-2 solutions like Base, which can deliver up to 2,000 TPS, Solana’s advantage remains clear and decisive.

Why does this matter? High TPS translates to seamless user experiences, no matter how congested the network gets. NFT mints, DeFi swaps, and on-chain gaming all run smoother when the network isn’t a bottleneck. The result: more users, more builders, and more capital flowing into the Solana ecosystem.

Solana Technical Analysis Chart

Analysis by Ava Carlisle | Symbol: BINANCE:SOLUSDT | Interval: 4h | Drawings: 6

Ava Carlisle is a certified technical analyst (CMT) and full-time trader who thrives on the volatility of crypto markets. With 5 years of hands-on experience, she specializes in Solana memecoins and short-term swing trades. Ava is passionate about empowering new traders with clear, actionable chart setups and risk controls. Her motto: ‘Trade smart, trade swift.’

technical-analysisrisk-management

Ava Carlisle’s Insights

I’m Ava Carlisle, and this is the kind of volatility I thrive on. SOL just printed a textbook V-reversal setup after a brutal cascade from $228 to $173. The aggressive hourly bounce off $173 signals heavy short covering and fresh spot demand. With Solana’s fundamental outperformance vs ETH (TPS, fees), the bid is real. I’m looking for aggressive entries on pullbacks above $188, aiming for a retest of $196 and possibly $205 if momentum persists. I don’t fear volatility—I use it. The stop is tight, risk is high, but the reward is right. Trade swift, manage risk, and don’t marry your bags.

Technical Analysis Summary

Draw a dominant downtrend line from the swing high near $228 (Oct 9, 2025) to the breakdown around $200 (Oct 10, 2025), and extend it as resistance. Mark the horizontal support at $173 (recent low on Oct 11, 2025) and resistance at $196 (pre-breakdown support turned resistance). Use a rectangle to highlight the consolidation/accumulation zone between $173 and $185 (Oct 11 – 12, 2025). Add an arrow marker and text at the breakout candle (Oct 12, 2025, 12:00) signaling potential reversal. Place a long position tool above $192 (current price) targeting $196, with a stop near $185 for an aggressive swing setup. Utilize the fib retracement tool from $228 to $173 to map retracement targets. Use callouts for key volume surges if visible.

Risk Assessment: high

Analysis: Volatility is extreme, V-reversal is aggressive and could result in swift rejection if momentum fails. Tight stops are a must.

Ava Carlisle’s Recommendation: Take aggressive longs with tight stops and quick execution. Do not overstay—take profits at resistance and cut losses swiftly. Solana’s fundamentals are on your side, but the technicals demand discipline.

Key Support & Resistance Levels

📈 Support Levels:

• $173 – Recent major swing low, strong support from high-volume bounce.
  strong
• $185 – Short-term support from consolidation before the breakout.
  moderate

📉 Resistance Levels:

• $196 – Former support, likely to serve as near-term resistance.
  strong
• $205 – Next notable resistance from prior breakdown area.
  moderate

Trading Zones (high risk tolerance)

🎯 Entry Zones:

• $188 – Aggressive entry on pullback after breakout, targeting swift momentum continuation.
  high risk

🚪 Exit Zones:

• $196 – First profit target at key resistance.
  💰 profit target
• $185 – Stop-loss below post-breakout consolidation.
  🛡️ stop loss

Technical Indicators Analysis

📊 Volume Analysis:

Pattern: Anticipate high volume on breakout candles; use callout to highlight volume surge confirming reversal.

Volume surge likely confirmed the $173 bottom and breakout above $188.

📈 MACD Analysis:

Signal: Likely bullish crossover on breakout.

MACD would likely show a bullish cross concurrent with this aggressive reversal. Use arrow_mark_up to highlight.

Applied TradingView Drawing Utilities

This chart analysis utilizes the following professional drawing tools:

Trend LineHorizontal LineRectangleArrow MarkerTextLong PositionFib RetracementCallout

Disclaimer: This technical analysis by Ava Carlisle is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice.
Trading involves risk, and you should always do your own research before making investment decisions.
Past performance does not guarantee future results. The analysis reflects the author’s personal methodology and risk tolerance (high).

Transaction Fees: Solana’s Cost Advantage

Speed is only half the story. In crypto, every cent counts – and Solana’s ultra-low fees are a game changer. The average transaction fee on Solana sits at a microscopic $0.00025 per transaction. That’s not a typo. Meanwhile, Ethereum’s mainnet fees still swing between $2 and $10 in low congestion, and can spike much higher during NFT launches or DeFi frenzies. Even Base, Ethereum’s most efficient Layer-2, averages $0.0004–$0.001 per transaction, which, while competitive, still can’t match Solana’s razor-thin costs.

This fee structure isn’t just a technical flex – it’s a fundamental shift in user accessibility. For the first time, microtransactions, play-to-earn gaming, and high-frequency trading are viable at scale. Developers can build dApps that would be cost-prohibitive on other chains.

Real-Time Price Action: Solana Maintains Strength Above $190

It’s not just about the tech. The market is responding to these performance metrics in real time. As of today, Binance-Peg SOL sits at $191.22, up $7.23 ( and 0.0393%) over the past 24 hours, with a daily range between $173.14 and $191.67. This resilience highlights growing confidence in Solana’s ability to deliver on its promises, even as broader crypto markets remain volatile.

“Solana’s throughput and fee structure are unlocking new business models in Web3 that simply aren’t possible on legacy blockchains. “

Blockchain Performance Comparison: Visualizing the Gap

The data speaks for itself, but visuals drive the point home. Let’s look at a side-by-side performance snapshot for 2025:

Solana isn’t just winning on paper – it’s dominating in the metrics that matter for users and developers alike. For those seeking exposure to a blockchain ecosystem that prioritizes efficiency, scalability, and real-world utility, the numbers make a compelling case.

As the Solana ecosystem matures, the downstream effects of its technical edge are becoming impossible to ignore. Developers are shipping dApps that would be cost-prohibitive elsewhere, while users enjoy near-instant finality and negligible fees. In 2025, this isn’t just theoretical: it’s visible in network activity, TVL growth, and active user stats across key protocols.

Solana Ecosystem Analysis: Where Builders and Users Flock

High throughput and low fees have a compounding effect on ecosystem growth. Solana’s DeFi protocols are seeing record user engagement thanks to frictionless swaps and lightning-fast settlements. NFT marketplaces, previously bottlenecked by mainnet congestion on Ethereum, now handle mass mint events without a hitch. Even high-frequency trading bots and on-chain games, once pipe dreams, are thriving due to Solana’s technical foundation.

Top 5 Fastest-Growing Solana dApps in 2025

1. 

   Jupiter — As Solana’s leading decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, Jupiter has seen explosive growth in 2025, processing millions of trades daily with near-zero fees and lightning-fast swaps.

2. 

   Magic Eden — Magic Eden remains the dominant NFT marketplace on Solana, boasting record-breaking NFT sales volumes and a rapidly expanding user base throughout 2025.

3. 

   Marinade Finance — Marinade Finance leads Solana’s liquid staking sector, offering users flexible staking solutions and contributing to the network’s decentralization and security.

4. 

   Drift Protocol — Drift Protocol is Solana’s top decentralized perpetuals exchange, experiencing surging trading volumes as users flock to its low-fee, high-speed derivatives platform.

5. 

   Tensor — Tensor has rapidly emerged as a premier NFT trading platform on Solana, attracting professional traders with advanced analytics and high liquidity.

This isn’t just hype. Data from Coinlib.io and Cointelegraph confirms that Solana’s daily active users and developer activity continue to outpace most competitors in 2025. The result is a virtuous cycle: lower costs attract more experimentation, which leads to higher-quality apps, more users, and further price support for SOL.

The Risk-Reward Equation: Why Efficiency Matters for Traders

If you’re an active trader or investor, these metrics aren’t just academic, they’re actionable signals. With Binance-Peg SOL at $191.22, the market is clearly pricing in Solana’s operational advantage over Ethereum and Base. But what does this mean for your portfolio?

Simply put: lower fees mean higher net returns for traders executing frequent transactions or leveraging on-chain strategies. Scalability also reduces slippage during volatile periods, a critical edge when every basis point counts. For swing traders like myself, these factors directly translate into improved risk-adjusted returns.

Of course, no blockchain is without risk. Outages, centralization debates, or regulatory headwinds could impact sentiment. But as of Q4 2025, the data-driven case for Solana remains robust, and the price action above $190 reflects that confidence.

What’s Next? Solana’s Roadmap and Competitive Outlook

Looking ahead, Solana’s core devs are doubling down on network upgrades aimed at further boosting throughput while maintaining decentralization. With Ethereum still grappling with Layer-2 fragmentation and fee unpredictability, the window for Solana to cement its lead remains wide open.

The bottom line? For builders, traders, and anyone watching the blockchain performance comparison closely, Solana’s combination of high TPS, ultra-low fees, and strong ecosystem momentum makes it the platform to watch as we close out 2025.