The blockchain space is always changing, as new solutions are developed to address long-standing issues such as scalability. In particular, two projects—INK and SOLX—are making waves as potential game-changers in the Layer-2 space. Though both have the same goal of increasing what their respective blockchains can do, they’re tackling that problem from opposite sides of the equation. Join us as we compare each of these projects side-by-side to determine which one is more clearly positioned for long-term success.

Understanding the Contenders: INK and SOLX

SOLX is specifically developed as a Layer-2 solution for Solana blockchain, aiming to offer infinite scalability. It seeks to achieve this by radically boosting Solana’s transaction processing speed. Otherwise, INK is short on details about its tech and layer. Absent these specifics, it’s really hard to ascertain what scalability approach is being taken. In turn, this makes it difficult to compare it side-by-side with SOLX.

With SOLX, Solana can address its scalability concerns by building a Layer-2 network, allowing Solana to handle significantly more transactions. This increases Solana’s throughput by taking transactions off-chain, avoiding congestion and lowering transaction fees. The ambitious project has been drawing international attention. Its presale has already raised an impressive $54.1 million, making it the most successful Solana-based presale of all time!

Technology and Tokenomics: A Closer Look

Of course, SOLX sets itself apart in other ways too, most notably by seeking to achieve “infinite scaling” on Solana. This promise implies a technology that could support an unlimited – really, any number – of transactions and still provide immediate transaction finality at little to no cost. The TGE for SOLX closed successfully on May 30, 2025.

INK is the governance token of the INK ecosystem with a fixed supply of 1 billion tokens. Most DeFi projects are structured around this fixed supply model. Its primary objective is to manufacture scarcity, which causes appreciation in value as demand increases. The project successfully raised $58.13 million in a single round, indicating significant investor interest and a pre-valuation of $224.46 million.

Ecosystem Development and Impact

Solana's Growing Ecosystem

All aboard the Solana Express! And that’s why the total value locked (TVL) has jumped by more than 240%, rising from $1.4 billion to a staggering $4.8 billion. This expansion is powered by a combination of retail-friendly features, execution speeds on the order of 30,000 transactions per second, and the virality of meme coins. Solana's strategy of empowering community members to launch their own ventures within the ecosystem has created a positive feedback loop, further driving development and adoption.

Similarly, Solana’s burgeoning ecosystem growth is expected to spill over to Solaxy. The increasing demand for SOLX can be seen from its ongoing presale, which has already raised $4 million in under a week. Naturally, the token price has followed suit with meteoric increases.

The Optimism-Powered Superchain

Today, backed and fueled by Optimism, the Superchain ecosystem has come together to form a connected series of Layer-2 blockchains operating atop Ethereum. These layer twos handle the transactions for Ethereum so that Ethereum doesn’t get clogged up and gas prices go up. The Superchain has lured more than 30 chains to its network and is responsible for over 40% of all L2 transactions. Popular dApps such as Farcaster, Uniswap, and Chainlink are significant players in this new ecosystem.

Solana’s SuperSol solution increases scalability by having liquidity stay on the mainnet. This unique approach avoids the fragmentation and inefficiencies that result when assets are bridged across execution layers.

Comparative Analysis: Which Layer-2 Leads?

One thing is clear, whether it’s Solana or the Superchain, we’re all pushing for a future with cheaper, faster, more accessible finance. Solana’s philosophy has always been about building for consumers first and letting innovation happen in a decentralized way. Once again, the Superchain uses a retro funding model to incentivize good behavior in building its ecosystem.

While Solaxy ($SOLX) is native to the Solana network, we should note that the Superchain is created on Ethereum. Another of Solaxy’s major competitive advantages is that it is the first-ever Solana Layer 2 blockchain. This provides it a big leg up in combating the network crashes that have so often brought Solana to its knees.

Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of each platform:

  • SOLX (Solana Layer-2):
    • Pros: Infinite scaling potential, strong presale performance, addresses Solana's congestion issues, first-mover advantage.
    • Cons: Reliance on Solana's ecosystem, potential challenges in achieving true "infinite" scalability.
  • INK:
    • Pros: Fixed token supply, significant funding raised.
    • Cons: Lack of clear information on technology and scalability approach, undefined ecosystem development strategy.

Potential Impact and Future Outlook

There is no specific indication of INK’s impact on Ethereum’s scalability. Meanwhile, Solana is constantly working on improving its scalability. From general network acceleration to building solutions such as our SuperSol. Layer-2 scaling solutions, such as rollups, offer a powerful mechanism to increase scalability. They introduce complications, like cross-chain bridges, that can pose significant security threats and increase transaction costs.

According to price forecasts for SOLX tokens, there’s significant growth potential in the years ahead. According to predictions, those are lows compared to futures expecting potential highs of $0.034 by 2025, $0.071 by 2026 and $0.208 by 2030. Solana dApps revenue in 2024 increased by 15x. This incredible expansion in the Solana universe is sure to only have positive effects on Solaxy too.

Of all the contenders, SOLX is best positioned to succeed in the long term. It has a purpose-built Layer-2 solution, it effectively tackles Solana’s scalability problems, and it has huge community backing. That said, it’s important to recognize the limited data provided for INK, which makes a full apples-to-apples comparison difficult.