Smart contracts are the current trend in the crypto ecosystem. It has been like that for a while now. Ethereum was the first, and it’s still the most popular blockchain to introduce this feature. As it became massively adopted, it was clear that Ethereum couldn’t handle that many users. Solutions to this were varied. Some, like Solana, surged as direct competitors of Ethereum. Others, like Polygon, were created as a way to improve Ethereum from within (e.g., with a Layer-2 solution.
Over time, Ethereum also upgraded to be able to handle as many transactions, but the rest of the projects also remained in the market. Solana and Polygon (a.k.a. MATIC) are two popular projects in the ecosystem. You can swap MATIC to SOL or vice versa, or swap any of these for ETH.
Why consider swapping MATIC for SOL?
Polygon was initially launched as Matic Network and the MATIC token. While the project changed its name, the token remained the same. However, for a few months now, the team has intended to switch from MATIC to POL, and this is finally happening. As of now, MATIC and POL appear as two different tokens, but they have the same price.
During 2024, the token hasn’t performed well. Since January 1st, it is down by more than 40%. SOL, on the other hand, is up by 100%. The latter definitely is doing better. However, as the Polygon migration takes place, we can expect it to go back up. A good investment strategy could be to swap some MATIC for SOL, to take advantage of Solana’s growth. But keep a portion of your assets in MATIC, to avoid missing out from potential gains.
Key factors to evaluate before swapping
What should you keep in mind before making the exchange? Is it better to swap MATIC for SOL or BTC to TRX? Here, we’ll share some factors to consider.
- Market trends: Solana, as we explained, has had a positive performance during this year. It is the second most used blockchain to build and interact with smart contracts. Polygon, on the other hand, has seen a decline, as Ethereum keeps upgrading its network and solving the issues that hindered its performance in the past.
- Ecosystem development: Despite that, Polygon is still relevant. They have announced many partnerships that can drive the price up in the future. For example, they cooperate closely with the financial firm Xalts to tokenize real world assets. Solana, on the other hand, stays focused on improving the network’s throughput and integrating new use cases and physical devices, like the Seeker smartphone.
- Risk appetite: In terms of stability, it’s safe to say that Polygon wins over Solana. The latter is known for its frequent outages, with 9 network outages since its launch in 2020. Polygon, on the other hand, is stable and secure because it’s built on Ethereum, and it’s backed by that network.
- Fees and transaction speeds: Comparing transaction fees, both blockchains are similar. Average transaction cost is below 1 cent. However, in terms of speed, Solana takes half a second to validate transactions. Polygon, on the other hand, takes around 2 seconds. Solana is clearly the winner, but none of the two is considerably slow.
Price predictions for MATIC and SOL
On November 23rd, SOL reached a new All-Time High (ATH), at $263. At the moment of writing, it is down to $215. Optimist forecasts predict SOL to be around $4460 to $500 at some point in 2025. Other analysts, however, think the price will settle at a lower price in the coming year, averaging around $200.
MATIC is far from its ATH. Its price on December 17th is $0.58. In this case, all analysts agree it will be higher in 2025. But, while some think it can reach up to $1.47, more moderate predictions place it up to $1.20. There’s no chance of reaching a new ATH until at least 2028.
MATIC or SOL: Which fits your investment goals?
In the end, both tokens represent great additions to your portfolio. Solana has had a great year, but future predictions aren’t so optimistic about the future. Polygon is the other way around. It didn’t have a great year in 2024, but 2025 will most probably see it rise back up as per experts. The decision depends on what project you value more, and what’s your goal with your crypto investments.
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