Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) have emerged as the two most prominent competing smart contract networks in the cryptocurrency space, often framed as rivals representing different design philosophies and growth paths.
Now, as the market looks ahead to 2026, ChatGPT has weighed that competition and identified its best pick for next year between the two decentralized finance (DeFi) assets.
The model’s selection was based on projected value capture, institutional alignment, and evolving network economics rather than headline transaction activity.
The case for Ethereum
According to ChatGPT, Ethereum is likely to emerge on top in the coming year. In this view, the case for Ethereum centers on how its economic model is positioned to strengthen after a deliberately weak revenue year in 2025.
Notably, Ethereum reduced base-layer fee generation as it scaled through rollups following the Dencun upgrade, temporarily dampening its fee-burn narrative. That dynamic is expected to reverse in 2026 as rollups mature and demand for blob space accelerates.
Fees paid by rollups are becoming more recurring and predictable, positioning ETH as the settlement and data-availability rent asset for the broader rollup ecosystem.
By contrast, Solana’s 2025 revenue growth was driven mainly by retail activity such as memecoins and speculative DeFi, which ChatGPT views as cyclical.
Institutional impact
ChatGPT also sees a widening institutional gap, with tokenized Treasuries, real-world assets, funds, and settlement pilots concentrated on Ethereum and its layer-2 networks. These users favor legal finality and mature tooling, reinforcing Ethereum’s role as core financial infrastructure, while Solana has yet to show comparable settlement-driven adoption.
Layer-2 growth is another advantage identified by ChatGPT. In 2025, many argued rollups diluted Ethereum’s value capture, but ChatGPT sees the opposite taking shape. Higher layer-2 activity increases blob usage, lifting demand for ETH, which uniquely secures settlement, data availability, and finality across major rollups. Solana’s single execution layer lacks a comparable mechanism that feeds ecosystem growth back into sustained token demand.
Supply dynamics favor Ethereum, with constrained post-merge issuance and the potential for renewed fee burn to push ETH back toward net deflation. Solana, by contrast, has a higher inflation profile and weaker links between activity and token scarcity.
Market positioning
Market positioning further shaped ChatGPT’s 2026 outlook. After Solana’s strong narrative momentum and Ethereum’s underperformance, ChatGPT expects a rotation toward assets with cash-flow-like traits and stronger institutional credibility, a profile that Ethereum fits more closely.
Notably, year-to-date, ETH has plunged almost 9%, trading at $3,040 as of press time. Over the same period, SOL has plunged 33%, trading at $126
However, the AI model noted that this view would shift if Solana shows sustained institutional settlement or if Ethereum fails to translate layer-2 growth into higher blob fees and ETH burn. Absent that, ChatGPT sees Ethereum entering 2026 with a stronger position.
Featured image via Shutterstock
