Top Solana Projects in 2025 – Token Metrics Moon Awards Guide
In the fast-evolving world of cryptocurrency, few blockchains have matched the meteoric rise and developer interest of Solana. Known for its lightning-fast transactions, low fees, and scalable architecture, Solana has become a hub for innovative Web3 projects—from DeFi to NFTs and gaming. In 2025, the Token Metrics Moon Awards highlighted the Top Solana Projects in 2025 – Token Metrics Moon Awards Guide that are setting new standards in blockchain innovation.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the top Solana projects in 2025, selected by Token Metrics’ expert analysis and community sentiment. Whether you’re a crypto investor, developer, or enthusiast, this list provides valuable insights into the best-performing and most promising Solana-based applications this year. READ MORE
What Are the Token Metrics Moon Awards?
The Token Metrics Moon Awards are annual recognitions given to the most outstanding cryptocurrency projects across various categories. The awards use a combination of:
- AI and data-driven analysis
- Community voting
- Token performance
- Developer activity
- Innovation and impact
In 2025, Solana projects dominated several categories, reflecting the ecosystem’s growth and resilience after overcoming 2022’s technical hiccups and market volatility.
Why Solana?
Before we dive into the projects, here’s why Solana remains a blockchain of choice:
- High throughput: Capable of processing over 65,000 transactions per second.
- Low fees: Average transaction costs are fractions of a cent.
- Developer-friendly tools: Rust and C-based environments accelerate dApp development.
- Strong community: Supported by Solana Labs, Solana Foundation, and countless builders.
Top Solana Projects in 2025 – Token Metrics Moon Award Winners
Here are the top Solana projects in 2025, categorized by their niche and use case.
1. Jito Labs – Best Solana Infrastructure Project
Award: Moon Award for Infrastructure Innovation
Category: MEV Optimization, Staking
Overview:
Jito Labs has revolutionized how validators and stakers earn rewards on Solana by optimizing for Maximum Extractable Value (MEV). Their Jito-Solana validator client increases profitability without compromising decentralization.
Key Features:
- Stake pools with boosted rewards
- Transparent MEV extraction
- Used by top validators on Solana
Why It Won: Jito Labs’ technology has increased validator revenue significantly, strengthening Solana’s economic security and efficiency.
2. Drift Protocol – Best DeFi Project on Solana
Award: Best DeFi Project – Token Metrics Moon Award
Category: Decentralized Derivatives Exchange
Overview:
Drift Protocol is a decentralized perpetual futures trading platform on Solana that offers up to 20x leverage, fast order execution, and minimal slippage.
Key Features:
- Decentralized risk engine
- Cross-margin trading
- Liquidity vaults and market-making incentives
Why It Won: Drift’s trading volume has grown massively in 2025, rivaling centralized exchanges while remaining fully non-custodial.
3. Tensor – Best NFT Marketplace on Solana
Award: NFT Platform of the Year
Category: NFT Aggregator and Marketplace
Overview:
Tensor is the leading NFT marketplace on Solana, offering professional trading tools, real-time analytics, and support for advanced order types.
Key Features:
- NFT liquidity aggregation
- Pro trading dashboard
- Instant listing and sweeping tools
Why It Won: Tensor has outpaced Magic Eden in daily volume, becoming the go-to marketplace for Solana NFT traders in 2025.
4. Marinade Finance – Best Staking Protocol
Award: Best Solana Staking Platform
Category: Liquid Staking
Overview:
Marinade offers a liquid staking solution for SOL, allowing users to stake their tokens while keeping them liquid through mSOL, a token that earns staking rewards and can be used in DeFi.
Key Features:
- Delegation to 100+ validators
- Permissionless liquid staking
- DeFi integrations with Orca, Saber, and more
Why It Won: Marinade drives decentralization by encouraging staking to smaller validators and supports a vibrant liquid staking ecosystem.
5. Helium Mobile – Best Real-World Solana Integration
Award: Best Real-World Blockchain Use Case
Category: Decentralized Wireless Network
Overview:
After migrating from its own chain to Solana, Helium launched Helium Mobile, the first decentralized 5G network for smartphones, in partnership with T-Mobile.
Key Features:
- Earn crypto (MOBILE) for sharing wireless coverage
- Real-world use of Solana blockchain
- Nationwide coverage rollout in the US
Why It Won: Helium’s real-world impact is a shining example of how blockchain can disrupt legacy industries like telecom.
6. Phoenix – Best DEX on Solana
Award: Best Automated Market Maker (AMM)
Category: DeFi, DEX
Overview:
Phoenix is a blazing-fast decentralized exchange built natively on Solana, offering on-chain order books with CEX-level performance.
Key Features:
- Low-latency matching engine
- Fully on-chain settlement
- Support for institutional and retail traders
Why It Won: Phoenix’s high throughput and security give it a unique advantage in the DeFi space, making it one of the top DEXs in 2025.
7. Solend – Best Lending Protocol
Award: Best Lending/Borrowing App
Category: DeFi
Overview:
Solend is Solana’s top lending and borrowing platform, with over $100 million in Total Value Locked (TVL) in 2024.
Key Features:
- Dynamic interest rates
- Risk management dashboards
- Support for SOL, USDC, BTC, ETH, and more
Why It Won: Solend’s composability and risk tools set a new standard for secure and efficient lending protocols.
8. Clockwork – Most Innovative Dev Tooling
Award: Best Dev Tooling Platform
Category: Automation & Scheduling
Overview:
Clockwork allows developers to automate transactions, smart contract execution, and workflows on Solana without relying on centralized services.
Key Features:
- Permissionless cron-like jobs
- Account-triggered automation
- On-chain task scheduling
Why It Won: It empowers developers to build autonomous dApps, boosting Solana’s reputation as a developer-friendly chain.
The Rise of Solana DAOs in 2025
DAO infrastructure on Solana has matured, enabling seamless on-chain governance. Projects like Realms and Squads make DAO treasury management and proposal voting intuitive, fast, and secure.
Trending Solana DAOs:
- MonkeDAO – NFT community governance
- Grape Protocol – Social token and DAO tooling
- GenesysGo – Validator infrastructure community
Token Metrics’ Evaluation Criteria
To win a Token Metrics Moon Award, projects are evaluated based on:
- Technology: Quality of smart contracts and codebase
- Performance: Market cap growth, TVL, and usage metrics
- Community: Social engagement and governance participation
- Innovation: Uniqueness of product or service
- Sustainability: Long-term roadmap and business model
Solana’s Bright Future in 2025 and Beyond
Despite challenges in the past, Solana has emerged stronger in 2025 with:
- Firedancer, a new validator client by Jump Crypto, promising 1M TPS
- Growing institutional interest in Solana-based DeFi
- NFT and gaming ecosystems thriving with high-speed user experiences
- Decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) projects gaining traction
Conclusion
The Token Metrics Moon Awards 2025 highlight the innovation and resilience of the Solana ecosystem. From DeFi giants like Drift and Solend to NFT powerhouses like Tensor and infrastructure leaders like Jito Labs, Solana continues to prove why it’s one of the most important blockchains in Web3.
As adoption grows, expect Solana to lead the charge in redefining what’s possible in crypto—from blazing-fast finance to community-led DAOs and decentralized telecom. These top Solana projects are just the beginning of a decentralized revolution. READ MORE