Cardano (ADA) and Polkadot (DOT): a comparison
Cardano and Polkadot set side by side: how the quotes moved, how the protocols are built and what tasks each one was made for.
Specifications of ADA and DOT
| Cardano (ADA) | Polkadot (DOT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.179252 | $0.856799 |
| Ticker | ADA | DOT |
| Type | coin of its own network | coin of its own network |
| Launched | 2017 | 2020 |
| Built by | Charles Hoskinson | Gavin Wood |
| Consensus | Proof of Stake (Ouroboros) | Nominated Proof of Stake |
| Block | ~20 sec | ~6 sec |
| Supply cap | 45 B ADA | — |
| Privacy | transfers are public | transfers are public |
| In circulation | 37.58 B ADA | 1.71 B DOT |
| Market cap | $6.74 B | $1.47 B |
| Rank by cap | #18 | #60 |
Source: CoinGecko, Nov 10, 2026 12:57. How these numbers are counted
Price movement: ADA and DOT
The start of the period is taken as 100 for both prices: the chart shows the difference in movement, not the quotes themselves.
| Period | ADA | DOT |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | −6.23% | −8.7% |
| 30 days | −29.02% | −32.01% |
| 90 days | −5.46% | +8.29% |
The link between their daily moves over the quarter is 0.74 (they travel together).
The tasks ADA and DOT were made for
- Contracts and applicationsCardano and Polkadot
How Cardano and Polkadot are built
How Cardano works
The consensus is called Ouroboros, a block appears roughly every 20 seconds, and accounting follows an extended UTXO model. ADA is delegated to stake pools, and the coins are not locked while it is. The supply cap is 45 billion ADA.
What Cardano is for
ADA pays fees, is staked to protect the network and is used in Cardano DeFi and NFT applications.
How Polkadot works
The design has two levels: a relay chain holds the shared security, and parachains connect to it. The consensus is Nominated Proof of Stake, with a block every 6 seconds. Staked DOT cannot be transferred straight away: an unbonding period comes first.
What Polkadot is for
DOT is needed for staking, network governance and for connected chains to obtain blockspace.