Solana beats Ethereum in DEX volume, but SOL traders aren’t interested

Key Takeaways

Solana’s high DEX throughput masks weak retention. Over 96% of addresses churn within a day. What does this mean for long-term adoption?

Solana [SOL] and Ethereum [ETH] are dead, even in on-chain DEX volume.

Together, they control roughly 50% of total trading volume. However, Solana holds a slight edge at 25.36%, with Ethereum trailing at 23.3%. This tight margin clearly shows that liquidity is basically neck-and-neck.

On-chain, SOL’s edge underscores its network fundamentals (high throughput, ultra-low fees, and sub-second transaction finality). But does this relative outperformance translate into stronger long-term adoption?

Solana sees explosive activity, minimal longevity

High DEX volume directly mirrors Solana’s on-chain throughput. 

Solana averages just $0.043 per transaction, compared with Ethereum’s $0.43. That means SOL can move 10× more value per dollar spent, optimizing for high-frequency swaps without congesting the network.

This is one of several metrics showing why Solana leads DEX activity, with over 750 million transaction addresses. Yet, 96.6% of these (about 720 million) have a sub-1-day lifespan, highlighting massive address churn.

Source: X

Put simply, Solana’s headline metrics may be inflating actual adoption.

The chart shows just over 1.8 million addresses have a lifespan longer than a year, making up only 0.2% of the total address base. This highlights that long-term network stickiness remains limited despite massive throughput.

In other words, over 96% of SOL addresses are bouncing in and out in less than a day, chasing quick trades and liquidity swings, making it a key divergence for Solana’s long-term market positioning.

SOL caught in a hype loop

Q3 marked a key inflection point for Solana.

SOL clocked $241 billion in DEX throughput from July to August, edging out Ethereum’s $234 billion. However, it still lags nearly 50% behind ETH’s 72% price rally off its $2,500 base.

In fact, the divergence is clear on the SOL/ETH ratio as well. With a 24.16% pullback off its 0.06 open, the ratio posted its worst quarterly performance since 2022, signaling Solana’s weaker relative positioning.

Source: TradingView (SOL/ETH)

In short, this pullback flags Solana’s overstated fundamentals.

High DEX throughput looks strong on-chain, but short-lived trading cycles reveal weak retention and limited long-term adoption, underscoring elevated market churn and cautious investor positioning.

The result? SOL may remain highly volatile, with on-chain activity outpacing actual network adoption. Consequently, leaving investors exposed to short-term swings rather than sustainable growth.