BlockDAG vs. Solana vs. Kaspa: $212M Presale Shakes Up the Layer 1 Race in 2025

BlockDAG Just Raised $212M—Experts Say Solana (SOL) & Kaspa (KAS) Whales Have Already Started Accumulating

In a market dominated by speed, scalability, and real-world utility, three blockchain contenders are attracting serious attention: BlockDAG (BDAG), Kaspa (KAS), and Solana (SOL). While each has carved out a distinct space in the Layer 1 landscape, BlockDAG is fast positioning itself as the top contender—backed by a booming presale, hybrid technology, and a growing ecosystem that’s already outpacing its rivals.

Kaspa: Speed Without Smart Contracts

Kaspa gained popularity for one key reason—its ultra-fast block confirmations, powered by its GHOSTDAG protocol. It processes multiple blocks simultaneously, which allows for high throughput without compromising decentralization. Kaspa is often lauded as a DAG-based solution that eliminates the bottlenecks of traditional chains.

However, its biggest limitation is clear: lack of smart contract support. Kaspa is primarily focused on peer-to-peer payments and basic transfers. While it’s efficient in this domain, it’s not yet positioned to support dApps, DeFi, or NFT ecosystems—essential elements of any modern Layer 1 chain.

And while Kaspa has gained traction in mining communities due to its CPU-friendly approach, it lacks a broad consumer-facing ecosystem. That puts a ceiling on adoption unless future upgrades dramatically expand its scope.

Solana: High Speed, High Risk

Solana (SOL) has long been seen as Ethereum’s “faster cousin,” boasting transaction speeds up to 65,000 TPS and near-zero fees. It supports a wide array of dApps, NFTs, and DeFi protocols. Projects like Phantom Wallet, Orca, and Magic Eden have helped build a vibrant developer and user community.

But Solana’s Achilles’ heel has been its frequent outages and centralization concerns. Network halts have caused frustration, and overreliance on a few validators has raised questions about security and censorship resistance. While recent upgrades have aimed to stabilize the chain, these issues have tainted Solana’s image as a truly decentralized network.

Moreover, Solana is built using a unique programming language (Rust-based), which makes onboarding Ethereum-native developers more difficult.

BlockDAG: The Balanced Breakout Chain

Enter BlockDAG (BDAG)—a hybrid Layer 1 that combines the best of both worlds: DAG scalability and Proof-of-Work security. Unlike Kaspa, BlockDAG supports full smart contract functionality, including WASM and EVM compatibility. That means Ethereum developers can easily port their apps over, and the network is future-proof for newer tech stacks.

BlockDAG is also built with decentralization in mind. Over 16,600 ASIC miners have already been sold, providing a broad, global base of validators. At the same time, the X1 mobile mining app, with over 800,000 users, democratizes access for those without expensive rigs. This dual mining layer is one of BlockDAG’s greatest advantages—it lowers barriers while maintaining consensus integrity.

From a tech standpoint, BlockDAG’s architecture eliminates the transaction queues that plague traditional chains. Multiple blocks are processed in parallel, just like Kaspa—but with added utility layers. And unlike Solana, BlockDAG hasn’t faced outages because its PoW element guarantees consistent validation and uptime.

Ecosystem and Developer Traction

BlockDAG isn’t waiting to go live to start building. Its Beta Testnet V1 is already processing 1.2 million+ transactions, with a live block explorer, dApp support, and token/NFT creation tools. Meanwhile, the Telegram Tap Miner game has onboarded over 400,000 users, providing instant engagement and adoption.

Kaspa doesn’t yet support dApps or DeFi.

Solana, while ahead in current dApp count, suffers from network stability concerns that deter large-scale financial apps from committing long term.

BlockDAG also confirmed 10+ centralized exchange listings post-mainnet, while its roadmap includes 1,000+ dApps by 2026. That’s ambitious—but given the team’s delivery so far, it’s far from unrealistic.

Community, Funding, and Growth

BlockDAG is also outperforming in community and funding. Its presale has already crossed $212 million, with over 19 billion tokens sold, making it one of the biggest presales of the year. Kaspa’s community is passionate but lacks institutional backing or comparable momentum. Solana has VC support but has drawn criticism for insider token allocations.

BlockDAG’s success, by contrast, is grassroots. It raised over $5 million in just 48 hours after its Keynote 3 and continues to attract retail and institutional attention—thanks to its transparent roadmap and tangible progress.

The Verdict

When comparing Kaspa, Solana, and BlockDAG, the conclusion is clear.

Kaspa wins on raw speed but lacks utility.

Solana wins on developer ecosystem but loses points for reliability.

BlockDAG wins on balance—scalability, security, decentralization, and adoption.

It’s building a robust, user-friendly, and technically superior ecosystem that’s already operational before its mainnet even launches. That level of execution, paired with a booming presale and unique mining model, makes BlockDAG the true breakout Layer 1 of 2025.

For those looking to invest in the next major chain, BDAG may just be the smartest move of the year.