Which Blockchain Should You Build On in 2026? Ethereum, L2s, Solana and More

For most new developers and products in 2026, the practical default is to build on the EVM: write Solidity, test on Ethereum's Sepolia testnet, and deploy to an Ethereum layer 2 (such as Base, Arbitrum or Optimism) where transaction fees are low. Choose Solana if you need very high throughput and are ready to learn Rust, a Move chain such as Sui or Aptos if its ecosystem fits your users, and a permissioned ledger only when every participant is known and a regulator or consortium requires it. The right answer depends on your users, your budget and the jobs you want.

Key takeaways

• Compare chains on five things: fees, tooling, users and liquidity, security model, and job demand.
• EVM skills transfer across Ethereum and many L2s and sidechains, which makes them the safest first investment.
• L2 fees dropped after Ethereum's Dencun upgrade in March 2024 introduced cheaper "blob" data.
• Solana uses Rust and the Anchor framework; it is a separate skill set.
• Permissioned blockchains suit closed consortiums, not public consumer apps.

The five criteria that matter

1. Transaction cost

Fees decide whether your users can afford to use the app. For a Pakistani audience paying in small amounts, a fee that is trivial in dollar terms can still be too much per action. Layer 2s and high-throughput layer 1s make micro-transactions and frequent interactions realistic. Ethereum mainnet is better suited to high-value settlement.

2. Developer tooling

Good tooling saves months. The EVM has the deepest stack: Solidity, Foundry, Hardhat, OpenZeppelin, wagmi, viem, block explorers and audit firms that know it well. Solana's tooling (Rust, Anchor, the Solana CLI) has matured a lot but is a different world. Move chains have their own languages and frameworks.

3. Users, liquidity and integrations

If your product touches stablecoins, decentralised exchanges, or existing wallets, build where those already are. A great app on a chain your users do not have wallets for is a hard sell.

4. Security and decentralisation model

• Ethereum mainnet: the most battle-tested security of the general-purpose chains.
• Rollup L2s: inherit security from Ethereum to different degrees depending on proof systems and how upgrades and sequencers are controlled. Check each L2's documentation and independent risk trackers.
• Alt layer 1s: have their own validator sets and trade-offs.
• Permissioned ledgers: security depends on the operators you trust.

5. Job and client demand

Look at job boards, freelance listings and audit contests. EVM work has historically been the largest category, which is why roadmaps such as BC-01 start there. Solana and Move skills are rarer and can stand out, but there are fewer entry-level openings.

Comparison table for builders

"Fees" here are relative and change with network demand. Always check current fees on the network's explorer before making promises to clients.

Why the default is "EVM, then an L2"

There are four practical reasons:

1. Skills transfer. A Solidity contract tested with Foundry can be deployed to Ethereum and to many L2s with little or no change.
2. Cost. After Ethereum's Dencun upgrade (March 2024) introduced blob transactions under EIP-4844, posting rollup data became much cheaper, and L2 fees fell.
3. Ecosystem. Wallets, stablecoins, oracles and indexers support the major L2s.
4. Learning material. Most tutorials, audits and security research target the EVM, so you learn faster.

The trade-off is that L2s differ in decentralisation, upgrade controls and withdrawal times to Ethereum. For anything holding significant value, read the L2's documentation on how it is secured.

Recommendations by use case

Learning and portfolio projects

Sepolia testnet plus one L2 testnet (for example Base Sepolia or Arbitrum Sepolia). Free, well documented, and directly relevant to jobs.

Payments, tipping and remittance prototypes

An EVM L2 with good stablecoin support, or Solana. Low fees matter more than anything else here. In Pakistan, remember that operating a transfer service for the public now falls under PVARA licensing (BC-05).

Tokenization of real-world assets

Usually EVM, because permissioned token standards such as ERC-3643 and a large compliance tooling ecosystem live there. Some issuers use permissioned chains. See TK-07 and TK-08.

Games and high-frequency consumer apps

Solana or a fast L2. Test the user experience on a real device, including wallet onboarding.

Government, land records and supply-chain pilots

Often permissioned or hybrid designs, because participants are known and data may be sensitive. BC-07 and BC-10 discuss when a blockchain is really needed for these.

DeFi protocols

Where the liquidity and users already are, typically Ethereum mainnet and major L2s, with a heavy security budget (BC-03).

A simple decision checklist

Answer these in order:

1. Do you need a blockchain at all? If one organisation controls the data and everyone trusts it, a database may be better (BC-10).
2. Are participants known and limited? If yes, consider a permissioned ledger. If no, you need a public chain.
3. Will users pay per action in small amounts? If yes, prefer an L2 or a low-fee L1.
4. Do you need existing stablecoins, DEXs or wallets? Build where they are.
5. What can your team maintain? If your team knows TypeScript and Solidity, stay on the EVM. Do not switch to Rust or Move just for marketing.
6. What does your regulator expect? For licensed activities in Pakistan, check what PVARA and your banking partner require for custody, records and audits.

How to test a chain before you commit

Reading comparison tables is not enough. Spend a week running the same small experiment on your two top candidates:

1. Deploy one contract (for example the TipJar from BC-02) to each testnet.
2. Count the steps a new user needs: installing a wallet, getting test funds, bridging, signing. Every extra step loses users.
3. Measure costs by calling your main functions and noting gas used. Multiply by the current mainnet gas price for each network to estimate real fees, and repeat the check at a busy time of day.
4. Check the tooling you depend on: does your indexer, oracle, wallet library and block explorer support this network well?
5. Read the network's status history for outages and incident reports.
6. Ask your target users which wallets and networks they already use.

Write the results down. A one-page comparison based on your own measurements is also a useful document to show clients when you recommend a chain.

Considerations specific to Pakistan

• Wallet and on-ramp access. Users need a way to get funds onto the network. Under the Virtual Assets Act 2026, exchange and transfer services in Pakistan now require PVARA licensing, so check which licensed providers support the network you choose.
• Mobile first. Many users will connect from Android phones on mobile data. Test wallet flows on a mid-range phone, not only on a desktop browser.
• Stablecoin availability. For payment-style products, check which stablecoins are available on the network and how users can access them through regulated channels.
• Local support. Ecosystems with active developer communities, documentation and events you can attend online make it easier to get unstuck.

Multi-chain: should you deploy everywhere?

Deploying the same contracts to several EVM chains is technically easy. Operating them is not: each deployment needs monitoring, liquidity, support and security review, and bridges between them are a major source of hacks. Start on one chain, prove the product works, and expand only when users ask for it.

Next step with Digital Silk Route

The Blockchain track of the Digital Silk Route (DSR) AI & Crypto Academy starts on the EVM and moves from Beginner to Intermediate to Advanced, with a capstone at each level that you can actually ship. Whichever chain you choose, a working, tested product can be listed on the DSR Marketplace for other builders and businesses. Learn. Build. Earn.

Related reading

• How to Become a Blockchain Developer in Pakistan: 2026 Roadmap
• Build a Full-Stack dApp in 2026 (Next.js, wagmi, viem)
• Blockchain vs Database: When Do You Actually Need a Blockchain?
• Built Right, Not Fast: How We Think About DSR Blockchain

Sources

• ethereum.org: Dencun upgrade
• EIP-4844: shard blob transactions
• ethereum.org: layer 2 scaling
• L2BEAT: layer 2 risk analysis
• Solana developer documentation
• Anchor framework documentation
• Sui documentation
• Hyperledger Fabric documentation
• TechJuice: PVARA licensing portal

This article is for education only and is not financial, legal or investment advice.