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Layer 1

NEAR Protocol

A sharded chain with human readable account names and very cheap transactions.

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Networks
All networksLayer 1Layer 2Layer 3BitcoinEthereumSolanaBNB ChainXRP LedgerCardanoAvalancheTRONPolkadotCosmos HubNEAR ProtocolAptosSuiTONLitecoinHederaAlgorandMoneroCelestiaInjectiveBaseArbitrum OneOP MainnetPolygon PoSzkSync EraStarknetScrollLineaBlastMantleModeTaikoopBNBRobinhood ChainImmutable zkEVMXaiApeChainDegen ChainSankoB3RARI ChainOrderly NetworkBlock explorersName servicesBridgesSwap guides
By the Orca Crypto teamUpdated 2026-09-28How we check this5 min readReference
The short answer

A sharded chain with human readable account names and very cheap transactions. NEAR gives you an account called yourname.near instead of a hex string, and it splits the chain into shards so capacity grows with demand.

Live market data

LiveCoinGecko
Price
$4.66
-11.63% 24h
Market cap
$6.10B
24h volume
$1.39B
Rank
#22
All time high
$20.44

Prices as of September 29, 2026, replaced by live figures as the page loads. Prices move constantly and are for orientation only.

What NEAR Protocol is for

NEAR gives you an account called yourname.near instead of a hex string, and it splits the chain into shards so capacity grows with demand.

Technical summary

PropertyValue
LayerLayer 1
Launched2020
ConsensusNightshade proof of stake
ThroughputThousands with sharding
Finality2 to 3 seconds
Native tokenNEAR pays gas, and 30 percent of fees go to the contract developer

Block explorers

An explorer lets you verify any transaction, address or contract on this network yourself. Learning to read one is the fastest way to stop taking anyone's word for anything.

NearBlocksNEAR Explorer

How to read a block explorer

Wallets that support it

MetaMaskRabbyCoinbase WalletLedger

What to be aware of

  • Validator concentration varies widely between layer 1s and is worth checking rather than assuming.
  • Newer chains have shorter track records under real adversarial pressure.
  • Crypto assets are volatile. Drawdowns of seventy percent or more have happened on every network in this list, including the largest.
  • Sending to an address on the wrong network can lose funds permanently. Always send a small test amount first.

Nothing on this page is investment advice. We describe how networks work, not whether you should buy anything.

Other networks at this layer

Same job, different tradeoffs. Each of these has its own page covering what it is actually for, who runs it and where it struggles.

AptosSuiTONLitecoinHederaAlgorandAll of them

Common questions

Why does NEAR use readable account names?
Because addresses that look like a name rather than a string of hex are far harder to send to by mistake and far easier to check. It is a deliberate usability decision built into the protocol rather than added on top.
Can I use Ethereum apps on NEAR?
Through Aurora, an EVM that runs on NEAR, yes. The base NEAR runtime is not the EVM, so contracts are written differently.

Where to go next

Compare all networksHow the layers fit together.Block explorer directoryEvery chain, every explorer.Wallets by chainThe right wallet for this network.Mining and stakingHow blocks actually get made and who gets paid.

New to NEAR Protocol?

We can get you set up with the right wallet, funded, and through a first transaction on this network in about an hour, on a screen share.

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