SPL vs ERC-20
The two most common standards you will choose between are SPL (Solana) and ERC-20 (Ethereum). They solve the same job - a fungible token - very differently.
ERC-20 (Ethereum)#
- Maturity - the oldest and most widely supported standard.
- Liquidity - the deepest DeFi ecosystem and the most integrations.
- Cost - the highest gas fees, which matter for high-frequency trading.
- Audience - expected by DeFi-native and institutional holders.
SPL (Solana)#
- Cost - very low fees, often fractions of a cent.
- Speed - fast finality suited to high-volume and meme-coin trading.
- Extensions - SPL Token 2022 adds features like transfer fees and metadata at the standard level.
- Audience - a fast-growing, cost-sensitive community.
How to choose#
- High volume, low fees, meme coin: SPL.
- DeFi credibility, deep liquidity: ERC-20.
- EVM tooling without Ethereum gas: consider BEP-20 or Polygon in supported chains.