Ethereum remains the top destination for blockchain developers, with more than 16,000 new contributors joining its ecosystem between January and September this year, according to data compiled by the Ethereum Foundation and Electric Capital.
This growth further cements Ethereum’s position as the most developer-active ecosystem in the blockchain space, despite slower expansion compared to emerging competitors such as Solana.
Ethereum Maintains the Largest Developer Base
The Electric Capital data shows Ethereum leading the industry with 31,869 active developers, far surpassing other major networks. Solana ranks second with 17,708 developers, while Bitcoin follows with 11,036.
The report includes developers working on both Ethereum’s layer-1 and its layer-2 networks, such as Arbitrum, Optimism, and Unichain, as defined by L2Beat. Importantly, contributors working across multiple Ethereum-based projects were counted only once, ensuring a more accurate snapshot of activity within the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
Solana’s Rapid Growth Stands Out
While Ethereum maintains its dominance, Solana’s developer growth rate has drawn attention. The network saw a 29.1% increase in full-time developers over the past year and an impressive 61.7% surge over two years, highlighting its strong appeal to new builders and Web3 startups.
However, Solana Foundation representatives noted that the data may not fully capture the network’s recent progress. Jacob Creech, Solana’s head of developer relations, argued that Electric Capital’s data underestimates Solana’s true developer count by roughly 7,800 contributors.
Creech encouraged Solana developers to register their GitHub repositories with Solana’s internal tracking systems to improve visibility and accuracy in future reports.
Methodology and Data Concerns
While Electric Capital’s developer tracker is widely referenced in the industry, some experts have questioned its methodology. Certain EVM-compatible chains were not grouped together, even though developers often reuse the same tools and skills across these networks.
Tomasz K. Stańczak, founder of Nethermind, pointed out that Polygon and BNB Chain developers share similar development frameworks and should ideally be considered part of the broader Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem.
Cointelegraph reached out to Electric Capital for clarification on these discrepancies but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
The AI Factor: Are Numbers Being Inflated?
Some industry participants believe the rise in blockchain developer counts may be overstated due to the increased use of AI coding tools and short-term project repositories.
Jarrod Watts, head of Australia operations for layer-2 project Abstract, suggested that many repositories flagged as “active” might be temporary or generated by AI-assisted code rather than full-time developers.
“IMO this data likely includes a tonne of vibe coding slop and hackathon repos that are never touched again… I don’t think I can name one new crypto dev that started this year,” Watts commented.
Ethereum Still Dominates Despite Slowdown
Despite these questions, Ethereum’s consistent influx of developers underscores its continued leadership in the blockchain landscape. The ecosystem’s maturity, robust tooling, and growing layer-2 ecosystem make it the first choice for developers building decentralized applications (dApps), smart contracts, and scaling solutions.
Even as Solana and other ecosystems like Avalanche and Near gain traction, Ethereum’s developer network remains unmatched in both size and infrastructure support. Its slower growth rate—5.8% over the past year and 6.3% over the past two years—reflects the ecosystem’s maturity rather than stagnation.
As new technologies such as AI-assisted coding, cross-chain development, and modular blockchains reshape the developer landscape, Ethereum’s established foundation could continue to give it a strategic advantage in retaining and supporting developers across the Web3 sector.
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