Which Crypto Has the Strongest On-Chain Activity Between XRP, Solana, and Cardano?

Quick Read

• XRP trades around $1.42 after failing to hold $1.50, Solana has slipped below $90 to trade around $86, and Cardano has dropped from $0.28 to $0.25.

• Solana’s daily network fees hit $638,000 on May 14 before dropping to $4,990 by May 16, while XRP Ledger transactions doubled from December’s 1.45 million to 2.7 million in May. Cardano’s daily active addresses remain between 9,000 and 16,000, a fraction of its 135,000 peak in 2024.

• Solana leads in overall network scale and user participation, but XRP’s 3,317 new wallets in 24 hours post-CLARITY Act committee vote and Cardano’s Ouroboros Leios upgrade mainnet launch by Q4 2026 both represent catalysts that could shift that ranking.

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XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) trades around $1.42 after failing to hold above $1.50 following the May 14 rally sparked by the CLARITY Act news. At the same time, Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) trades above $86 after losing the $90 support level, while Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) has slipped from $0.28 to trade around $0.25.

With all three cryptos battling bearish pressure, investors are turning attention away from price performance alone and toward on-chain activity to see which network is actually showing signs of strength. We examined the latest on-chain activity across XRP, Solana, and Cardano to determine which network has the best performance right now.

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Comparing On-Chain Activity Across XRP, Solana, and Cardano

Solana leads in raw network scale, while XRP has seen a huge jump in network activity, and Cardano’s broader network usage remains weak.

XRP

The XRP Ledger’s data shows that daily transactions averaged between 1 million and 1.2 million through mid-2025, before climbing to around 1.45 million by December 2025. In May, that number increased to 2.7 million—nearly double the December peak.

XRP’s price moved to $1.54 following the news of the CLARITY Act clearing the Senate Banking Committee. The news triggered increased network usage, and during that period, 3,317 new wallets were created in 24 hours—its strongest reading since March 19, while total activated accounts on the Ledger climbed to 7,856,080.

Solana

Solana continues to dominate in overall network scale, although recent activity has cooled sharply compared to earlier in the year. According to The Block, total network fees reached roughly $500,000 and $638,000 daily between May 11 and May 14 as the network recorded strong trading and application activity. But the network fees soon collapsed to just $5,120 on May 15 and $4,990 on May 16, as SOL’s price fell toward $86.

Despite the recent decline in fees, user participation remains high. In January, Solana recorded 164.45 million active monthly addresses, with the figure remaining consistent in February (166.46 million), March (168.62 million), April (165.18 million), and 78.72 million so far in May.

Solana still maintains the largest user activity among the three networks, supported by meme coin trading, stablecoin transfers, and growing institutional real-world assets integrations.

Cardano

Cardano’s on-chain activity presents a different picture from XRP’s and Solana’s. Recent data shows that wallets holding at least 1 million ADA now collectively control around 67% of the coin’s circulating supply—around 25.09 billion ADA. The concentration level—the highest since July 2020—suggests that ADA whales are accumulating despite the coin losing roughly 66% of its value year-to-date.

Cardano’s network usage remains weak, with daily active addresses ranging between 9,000 and 16,000—a significant decline from roughly 135,000 recorded in 2024.

Which Upcoming Developments Could Drive More Users to XRP, Solana, and Cardano?

Solana currently holds the strongest on-chain activity, but three catalysts could shift activity toward XRP and Cardano network before year-end.

XRP: CLARITY Act

After the CLARITY Act cleared the Senate Banking Committee, the XRP Ledger activity surged—with total activated accounts and new wallet creation hitting multi-month highs. If the bill secures a full Senate vote and presidential approval before the White House’s July 4 deadline, XRP’s network could see another wave of network growth on an even larger scale.

XRP could reclaim the $1.50-$1.80 resistance levels on that momentum, with a further rally to $2 possible if sustained buying pressure absorbs the $1.44-$1.45 sell wall.

Solana: the Alpenglow Upgrade

Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade is shaping up to be one of the market’s most anticipated blockchain upgrades in 2026. The upgrade aims to reduce finality time to around 100-150 milliseconds by replacing Solana’s proof of History system with a more advanced Votor and Rotor mechanism.

Community testing began on May 11, around the same period when Solana’s daily network fees surged above $500,000. If the testing progresses smoothly and the upgrade reaches mainnet in Q3 2026, Solana could strengthen its lead in raw network scale—with SOL potentially reclaiming the $100 level.

Cardano: Ouroboros Leios Testnet

Cardano’s Ouroboros Leios upgrade aims to increase base-layer throughput by 10x to 65x and push transaction capacity above 1,000 transactions per second. This upgrade directly targets one of Cardano’s biggest weaknesses: slow network performance during periods of high-volume DeFi activity.

The public testnet is expected to launch in June, ahead of a mainnet launch in Q4 2026. If testing remains stable and development stays on schedule, Cardano’s network could see a spike in daily active addresses and fee growth, potentially pushing network usage closer to its 2024 peak—with ADA reclaiming the $0.30 mark.

Which Crypto Has the Strongest On-Chain Momentum Right Now?

Based on current on-chain data, Solana takes the top spot in overall network scale and user participation—giving SOL the strongest on-chain momentum right now. However, XRP and Cardano could post major growth if their upcoming catalysts deliver strongly in 2026.

How the market reacts to the CLARITY Act, Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade, and Cardano’s Ouroboros Leios Testnet will determine which network sees the biggest surge in traffic and adoption over the coming year.

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