The crypto world has had a rough start in 2025. Big trends like meme coins have lost their shine, and investors are pulling money out of DeFi (Decentralized Finance) platforms. The total value locked (TVL) across all DeFi projects has dropped from $120 billion to around $87 billion.
But amid the chaos, one name is bucking the trend — Sonic.
Sonic’s Meteoric Rise
While other platforms are losing steam, Sonic has exploded in popularity, reaching $1 billion in TVL this April — and it did that in just 66 days. To put that into perspective:
- Sui took 505 days to hit the same milestone.
- Aptos needed 709 days.
That’s nearly 8–10 times faster than some of its closest competitors.
Why Are Investors Flocking to Sonic?
Despite the bear market, investors are pouring money into Sonic’s ecosystem. According to DefiLlama and Artemis, Sonic now ranks as one of the top blockchains for net capital inflow, second only to Base (which is backed by Coinbase).
And it’s not just about the money. A variety of new projects are building on Sonic, including:
- Aark Digital and Shadow Exchange (derivatives platforms)
- Snake Finance, Equalizer0x, and Beets (DeFi and trading apps)
These apps are still small, but they show growing developer interest — which could lead to more users and more money over time.
Andre Cronje’s Vision: Fast, Friendly, and Developer-First
Andre Cronje, the well-known developer behind Sonic (and previously Yearn Finance), says speed and user-friendliness are at the heart of what makes Sonic different.
“Sonic has sub-200 millisecond finality — that’s faster than the time it takes you to blink,” said Cronje.
He also highlighted that 90% of transaction fees go to the dApp developers, not just to network validators. This creates strong incentives for developers to build better apps on Sonic.
Sonic is built with an upgraded virtual machine that can, in theory, process up to 400,000 transactions per second — faster than even Visa’s average of 24,000 TPS. While real-world usage hasn’t reached that level yet, it shows the potential scale the network could handle.
Easy Access for Users — No Wallet Setup Needed
One of the biggest pain points in crypto is how complicated it can be for beginners. Cronje aims to change that.
“If the first thing you ask someone to do is download a wallet and buy a token, they’re gone,” he said.
Sonic wants users to log in using familiar tools like Google or Face ID — and interact with dApps directly, without needing to know about wallets or tokens. This approach could help crypto apps feel more like regular mobile apps — a big step for mass adoption.
But It’s Not All Smooth Sailing
Even with all this momentum, Sonic isn’t without risks. Its token (S) has dropped from $0.60 to $0.47 over the past month — that’s a 20% drop, matching the market’s overall dip.
And more importantly, Grayscale, a major crypto investment fund, recently removed Sonic from its asset watchlist. That’s a red flag for some investors who see it as a sign of changing sentiment.
Plus, Sonic is up against strong competitors like Solana and Base, which are also known for high performance and strong ecosystems. Sonic’s long-term success will depend on whether it can deliver real value, not just fast growth numbers.
A Familiar Pattern?
We’ve seen fast risers in crypto before — like Terra (LUNA), which saw explosive growth in 2021 before collapsing in 2022. Sonic’s fundamentals seem stronger, but investors are right to watch closely and balance excitement with caution.
