5 Top Cardano Alternatives Thriving as Ethereum’s 2040 Collapse Looms

• As Ethereum faces warnings of a potential collapse by 2040, Cardano, Avalanche, Solana, Polkadot, NEAR, and Algorand are gaining momentum.

• ETF filings and strong weekly performances reflect increasing confidence in competing smart contract platforms amid Ethereum’s ongoing challenges.

Ethereum’s dominance is currently being seriously questioned, especially after Charles Hoskinson — Ethereum co-founder turned Cardano (ADA) leader — warned that without major reforms, Ethereum could collapse by 2040.

Meanwhile, Cardano itself is thriving. ADA climbed over 12% last week, closing above $0.70 — its best level since February 2025. However, it’s not just Cardano benefiting from Ethereum’s struggles. As shared in a tweet by Cardano feeds, Cardano founder puts Ethereum on blast despite pprice recovery.

Cardano Founder Puts Ethereum On Blast Despite Price Recovery, Altcoin Rival’s 6,000% ROI Potential Makes Headlines https://t.co/GNMi4F45E2

— Cardano Feed ($ADA) (@CardanoFeed) April 27, 2025

Several smart contract platforms are making strong moves, gaining traction among users, developers, and institutions. In this article, we will list the five Cardano alternatives gaining momentum:

Avalanche (AVAX)

Avalanche continues its steady rise, buoyed by VanEck’s spot AVAX ETF filing now under SEC review. Priced at $22.06 today, with an increase of 8.53% this week, Avalanche’s scalable subnet architecture and enterprise partnerships position it as a formidable Ethereum challenger.

Solana (SOL)

Solana maintains its buzz with rapid transaction speeds and a thriving DeFi scene. SOL trades around $150.210, up about 6.54% for the week.

With Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, and VanEck pushing Solana ETF proposals (pending SEC decisions later this year), institutional interest is clearly growing.

Polkadot (DOT)

Polkadot saw a solid 10% rise this week, hitting $4.18, with a consistent increase of 1.19% in the past day and 6.13% in the past week.

Its flexible parachain model continues to attract attention, and a 21Shares Polkadot ETF listing on Nasdaq is in the pipeline, awaiting regulatory greenlight.

NEAR Protocol (NEAR)

NEAR Protocol has been one of the week’s best performers, surging 9.85% in the past week to a current price of $2.53. Bitwise’s recent NEAR ETF filing highlights growing institutional bets on its user-friendly, sharded blockchain architecture.

Algorand (ALGO)

Algorand has quietly impressed with an 18.8% jump, now priced at $0.2267, increasing by 1.24% in the past day and 12.23% in the past week. Known for its low fees and fast transaction speeds, ALGO is increasingly part of discussions around sustainable blockchain solutions.

Cardano and the Broader Market: What’s Happening Now?

To this end, Cardano’s relative strength, combined with the growing popularity of Avalanche, Solana, Polkadot, NEAR, and Algorand, suggests that smart contract platforms are carving out new opportunities. This comes just as doubts around Ethereum’s long-term scalability take center stage.

ADA price, as expected in recent post by CNF, shows that a bullish forecast hints at 10x ADA gains through April.  As of today, Cardano (ADA) is trading at $0.7159, staying strong with a 2.54% increase in the past day and 10.69% in the past week. Broader crypto markets are slightly mixed, while Ethereum (ETH) struggles near $2,000. See ADA price chart below.