Quai vs Solana
Quai gives smart contracts the security model of Bitcoin: proof of work. Solana depends on validators who stake SOL and run high-performance servers. Quai is open to any miner with supported hardware, runs the EVM, and adds capacity with more chains.
Facts reviewed in November 2026.
Where Quai is stronger
No stake needed
Solana validators must stake SOL. On Quai, anyone with supported hardware can mine without permission and without owning the coin first.
The EVM
Solana has its own virtual machine and its own tools. Quai runs the EVM, so Solidity contracts and Ethereum tools work without changes.
Capacity from more chains
Solana puts all activity on one chain, so every validator needs a high-performance server. Quai splits activity across a hierarchy of chains that the same miners secure.
Money to save and money to spend
QUAI is the store of value, with emission that slows as the network grows. Qi is cash whose supply follows mining difficulty and the cost of energy. One network does both jobs.
Other chains pay for the burn
Through SOAP, miners of Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Ravencoin also mine Quai. The rewards from the blocks they find buy QUAI on the open market, and that QUAI is burned. No other network has this.
At a glance
| Property | Quai (QUAI) | Solana (SOL) |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Proof of work, with PoEM consensus | Proof of stake, with Proof of History for ordering |
| Secured by | Miners with SHA-256, Scrypt, or KawPoW hardware | Validators who stake SOL |
| Block time | About 5 seconds | About 0.4 seconds |
| Smart contracts | Yes. The EVM runs on the base layer. | Yes. The Solana Virtual Machine, with programs written mostly in Rust. |
| Supply | Emission slows as the network grows, and SOAP buybacks burn QUAI. 1.9 billion genesis QUAI was burned. | No fixed cap. Inflation falls each year toward a long-term rate of 1.5%. |
| Launched | February 2025 | March 2020 |
| Revenue, 12 months | $6.0M | $25.4M |
Revenue is protocol revenue for the last 12 months from DefiLlama. Quai's revenue is the value of the other chains' block rewards that SOAP used to buy QUAI.
Questions people ask
Is Quai proof of stake like Solana?
No. Quai is proof of work. Miners secure it with energy, and there is no staking for consensus.
Can Solana programs run on Quai?
Not directly. Solana uses its own virtual machine. Quai runs the EVM, so contracts written for Ethereum work on Quai.
What does Quai offer that Solana does not?
Proof-of-work security, the EVM, an energy-based second token named Qi, and SOAP, which turns the mining rewards of other chains into QUAI buybacks.
More comparisons
Sources
This page gives information only. It is not financial advice. See the disclaimers.