I just realized that when talking about blockchain, people usually only care about the price, but few truly understand what TPS is — the factor that actually determines whether a blockchain network is truly useful or not.

TPS, or Transactions Per Second, simply refers to the number of transactions a blockchain network can process in one second. This may sound technical, but it directly impacts user experience and the scalability of the entire system.

To understand better, let’s compare it to traditional payment systems. For example, VISA can handle about 1,500-2,000 TPS — that’s the standard that blockchains need to surpass if they want to compete in the real world. But looking at Bitcoin and Ethereum — the two giants of crypto — they only handle around 5 and 10 TPS respectively. Why is that? Because of their decentralization. The more decentralized, the safer, but also the slower.

That’s why improving TPS has become a race. Some blockchains have achieved impressive numbers. Hedera currently operates at 1,909 TPS and can go up to 3,287 TPS. Solana is at 777 TPS now but can reach a maximum of 1,624 TPS. Tron manages 91.27 TPS, opBNB hits 57.4 TPS with a maximum capacity of 4,762, and BNB Chain is at 52.5 TPS.

But this is where things get more complicated. High TPS isn’t everything. When you increase TPS, you often have to make trade-offs — possibly sacrificing decentralization or security. Some blockchains optimize for block size, others use off-chain solutions. Each choice has consequences.

For Web3 projects like DeFi, blockchain gaming, or NFTs, higher TPS means these applications can run more smoothly and handle more users. It also means transactions are processed faster, less congestion, and a better user experience. This is crucial because users are accustomed to the speed of traditional centralized services.

So, understanding what TPS is and why it matters will help you better evaluate different blockchains. Not necessarily the fastest one is the best — but the one that strikes the best balance between speed, security, and decentralization. That’s the key to making blockchain truly widely adopted in the future.