# Popular blockchains

Keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive and that you should do your own research in order to find the best blockchain for your needs. Fortunately, most blockchains operate in a very similar manner and once you know how to navigate through one, it shouldn’t be too hard to learn another. It is also important to note that it is very common to use multiple chains as each chain has its advantages and disadvantages.

## Bitcoin

The Bitcoin blockchain was the first of its kind and started the blockchain revolution. However, this chain lacks *smart contracts* which severely limits the activities that can be performed on chain. There are communities that are implementing improvements to the chain, like [the lightning network](https://lightning.network/#intro). As of right now, besides holding and transferring bitcoin, there isn’t any other use of the Bitcoin blockchain.

## Ethereum

[Ethereum](https://ethereum.org/en/) was the first blockchain to implement *smart contracts* and has a very big community. It is one of the most common of all the blockchains and provides a lot of great services. As of right now, the *gas fees* on Ethereum on pretty high. This limits the amount of activity on the chain since you have to sometimes pay a lot in fees to move your assets around. There are a lot of improvements in progress with Ethereum such as [Ethereum 2.0](https://ethereum.org/en/upgrades/).

## Polygon

There are other blockchains that are faster and cheaper to use that are built to assist the Ethereum blockchain. These chains are called *EVM*-compatible chains. One of these chains is the [Polygon blockchain](https://polygon.technology/). Polygon has lower gas fees and faster transaction speeds. Holding ETH on the Polygon chain is represented by holding WETH.

## Solana

The [Solana blockchain](https://solana.com/) is a non EVM-compatible blockchain but is also one of the most popular chains right now. The *gas fees* on Solana are very cheap and the transaction speeds are very high. There is a lot of development going on in the Solana chain right now. 


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