TL;DR. In 2026 when picking an L1 for a new dApp/mini-app, three candidates have distinct strengths: TON (distribution via Telegram + 950M users + fewer regulatory questions), Sui (mature DeFi, performance, experienced engineering), NEAR (mature Rust stack, AI focus, low fees). Distribution-first → TON. Heavy DeFi → Sui. AI / data layer → NEAR. Grants ship fastest at TON; tech is most advanced at Sui.
Why compare
In 2026 the L1 market is fragmented: ETH (+L2s) = DeFi default, Solana = high TPS, BSC = mass retail, Bitcoin L2 = BTC-native pair. TON, Sui, NEAR are “second tier”: each with a unique edge but no overall leader across all axes. Picking one for a new project = picking by your priority axis.
Key differences
Distribution (where to find users)
- TON. 950M+ active Telegram users. A Mini App opens from a chat in one click. No App Store, no Google Play, no “download a wallet”. If your target is mass retail — TON is radically cheaper on acquisition.
- Sui. Standalone ecosystem. Users arrive via Twitter, Sui Wallet ecosystem, partner listings. CAC ~$5-15 per active user (typical Web3 2026 benchmark).
- NEAR. Similar to Sui but smaller. CAC ~$10-25. NEAR pivoted to AI in 2025-2026; mass-consumer dApps are less common.
If the first metric is DAU/WAU, TON is 5-10x ahead on available distribution.
Performance
| Parameter | TON | Sui | NEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Observed mainnet TPS (2026) | 10-50 | 600-2000 | 50-100 |
| Theoretical ceiling | 100k+ (sharding) | 297k (benchmarks) | 10k (sharding) |
| Finality | 5-10s | 400ms | 1-2s |
| Forks under load | rare | rare | rare |
| Stop-the-world incidents (2024-2025) | 0 | 2 (brief) | 1 |
Sui leads on speed and finality — UX advantage for perpetuals, real-time gaming, on-chain order books. TON sharding is at ~5% of capacity, plenty of room. NEAR — middle ground.
Contract language
- TON Tolk (recommended for new code; FunC and Tact legacy): syntax close to Rust + C, learning cycle 2-3 weeks for an experienced dev. Acton CLI smooths the workflow.
-
Sui Move: linear types (
copyable,key,storemodifiers) prevent double-spend at the type level — a unique paradigm requiring a mental shift. 3-4 week cycle. -
NEAR Rust: standard Rust + contract = functions with
#[near_bindgen]. Know Rust? — 1-2 weeks. Don’t know Rust? — Rust baseline plus a month.
Short answer: NEAR easiest if you know Rust. Sui most interesting theoretically but steeper curve. TON Tolk fine, but TVM semantics (cells/slices/refs) adds ~30% to learning time.
Toolchain
- TON Acton (May 2026): all-in-one CLI, mutation testing, fuzzing, retrace. At parity with Sui CLI by mid-2026.
- Sui CLI: mature, Move-tested, great debugger, Move-Rust sandbox.
- NEAR CLI: mature, near-sandbox for tests, hot-reload via rust-cargo. No mutation testing.
Sui and Acton are shoulder-to-shoulder. NEAR is minimal viable but lacks some modern tools.
DeFi and infrastructure ecosystem
- TON DeFi mid-2026: TVL $300M. Backbone: STON.fi (DEX), DeDust (DEX), EVAA (lending), bemo/Tonstakers/Hipo (LST), Storm Trade (perpetuals). Full set of primitives, modest volume.
- Sui DeFi: TVL $1.5B. Polished — Cetus, Aftermath (DEX), Scallop, NAVI (lending), Suilend, Drift-style perpetuals. The most mature of the three by 2026.
- NEAR DeFi: TVL $200M. Ref Finance (DEX), Burrow (lending), Meta Pool (LST). Less variety, more stable but not the ecosystem’s focus.
DeFi-app first — Sui gives the best base stack and the most “at-hand” liquidity. TON smaller but growing. NEAR niche.
Regulation and compliance
- TON: Telegram link cuts both ways. Pro — Telegram has regulatory relationships in every country, no separate UX licensing. Con — Telegram under EU pressure (Pavel Durov case 2024) can indirectly affect TON projects.
- Sui: low regulatory baggage. Mysten Labs (Sui’s creators) US-based, sandbox effect for US lawyers. RU/Asia — neutral.
- NEAR: the 2025 “AI L1” rebrand was partly distancing from crypto-only regulators. Swiss jurisdiction of NEAR Foundation helps.
In 2026 the gap is small for most non-US projects. For a US-serious project Sui looks slightly easier.
Grants and community
- TON Foundation: $5K-$50K first grant, fast issuance (2-4 weeks), upside to $250K for significant mini-apps. 2026 focus — Acton plugins, mini-apps, infrastructure.
- Sui Foundation: $50K-$500K first grant, 6-8 weeks DD, priority DeFi and gaming.
- NEAR Foundation: $20K-$200K, AI-infra pivot, 4-6 weeks.
For bootstrapping — TON grants ship fastest. For large funding (with traction) — Sui pays more.
By use case
Case A: Casual mini-app with mass audience (game, tap-to-earn, social)
Pick: TON.
Reasons: distribution, low CAC, user familiarity with Telegram = trust, simple onboarding (no wallet install). If your product fits this niche — TON wins unit economics handily.
Case B: Serious DeFi protocol (DEX, lending, perpetuals)
Pick: Sui.
Reasons: mature Move stack with linear types (security), fast finality (perp/orderbook), bigger TVL and liquidity for bootstrapping, larger DeFi-dev community.
Case C: AI-native dApp with large data volumes
Pick: NEAR.
Reasons: NEAR’s 2025 “AI L1” rebrand includes partnerships with Edge AI, IPFS integrations, dedicated subsidies for AI projects. ML × on-chain — NEAR is most relevant.
Case D: Stablecoin payment rail for emerging markets
Pick: TON.
Reasons: USDT on TON is the largest USDT channel by volume outside Ethereum/Tron (Tether 2025 stats). Telegram distribution lets you onboard millions in emerging markets at minimal CAC. Sui and NEAR USDT channels are weaker.
Case E: Cross-chain protocol
Pick: depends. May start with two of three.
All three L1s bridge to ETH/BSC/Solana. Cross-chain dApps usually start on one L1 (where the audience is) + bridges. For DAU distribution start with TON; for DeFi liquidity start with Sui.
What we didn’t cover
- Bitcoin L2 (Stacks, BOB, Babylon): different niche, for BTC-primary audience.
- Ethereum + L2 (Base, Arbitrum, Optimism): DeFi default, present in every strategy.
- Solana: Sui’s speed competitor with strong retail but a different audience. See our TON vs Solana vs Aptos.
Practical advice
Most projects don’t pick “one L1 forever”. Multi-chain is normal:
- MVP on one L1 (the one that gets first users fastest).
- Expand to a second L1 (where liquidity/infra fuels growth).
- Bridge between them for unified UX.
For most new mini-apps in 2026: start with TON (audience), expand to Sui (when DeFi logic deepens), NEAR optionally for AI features.
Bottom line
In 2026 there’s no “best L1” — there’s the best L1 for your task:
- TON = distribution (Telegram) + fast grants + payment rail
- Sui = performance + mature Move + DeFi infra
- NEAR = AI infra + Rust-native + meta-transactions
Consumer mini-app? — TON is far ahead. DeFi protocol with deep logic? — Sui is best. AI-related? — NEAR has a niche. Real projects often end up on two L1s simultaneously.
