NEAR Protocol

31 reviews, 87% of them positive.87% positive · 31 reviews· Influence factor 119, above 24% of accounts

The record

From 12 activities · May 2026

NEAR Protocol is a Layer 1 blockchain founded in 2018 known for fast, cheap transactions and user-friendly design powered by Nightshade sharding. The protocol positions itself as AI-native infrastructure for autonomous agents and DeFi, with strong developer accessibility and wallet integration. While praised for technical solidity, scalability, and longevity through multiple market cycles, critics argue the ecosystem lacks compelling user adoption despite solid fundamentals, and that leadership has made strategic missteps—with some viewing the project as trend-chasing rather than delivering on its promises.

What people say

Received · 31 Given · 0

“One of the best L1s to be ever created, and their founders are very nice, they even helped solve of Solana's problems”I loved their Youtube whiteboard series where they explained many other protocols to us while talking to their founders, the chain was very fast and rarely had issues. I still believe that the biggest mistake of Near is that it existed in era where people just want to gamble meme coins.

matar770 · 1226· 1y ago13

“One of the few chains I actually use regularly—fast, affordable, and reliable.”Great tech, strong dev experience, just needs a bit more love on the marketing side 😉

Adam Westerén · 1343· 1y ago15

“AI powered defi blockchain”The official X account for the Layer 1 blockchain project NEAR Protocol. Founded in 2018 by Illia Polosukhin and Alexander Skidanov, NEAR claims to be a high-performance, scalable, and user friendly blockchain designed as an AI native platform. Its bio states "The blockchain for AI," meaning it provides the infrastructure for AI agents to transact, coordinate, and evolve. Its primary focus is creating a secure, low-cost ecosystem for DeFi, NFTs, and autonomous agents.

dTfN · 1291· 1y ago14

“Very good chain but the whole L1 space is becoming overcrowded now”

Sethi · 1274· 1y ago11

“Gained more attention after the AI Hype”Its good to see that people are opening their worldview, to research more into the AI topics

CookBreh · 1330· 1y ago10

“Alot going for em”Having been in the crypto space for a while and pivoting a little i feel the team is well aligned with the Ai movement and are somewhat less spoken of. Well positioned and prepared for an Ai boom - NEAR's team has been very active with other teams and running spaces / podcasts and AMAs to inform the space of their developments. They've managed to onboard MANY users into the space and yet have a low fee model via a cost effective and dev frfiendly environment.

WIZΞ ∞ · 1315· 1y ago12

“The blockchain for developers”NEAR markets itself as 'the blockchain for developers' with a focus on providing resources to make it easy to build on and use. While I don't understand the specifics of the technicals, NEAR is frequently announcing new partnerships and is also expanding its AI initiatives. Currently the 25th largest protocol by market cap.

ZimmerAllDay · 1717· 1y ago9

“Overally good”Not exceptional but it does the work, not a perfect product, not a bad one. Functional

➰The Black Philip➰ · 1526· 1y ago67

“Near”Create your own AI Agent, build cross-chain dApps, and experience true user-friendly blockchain. The future is being built on NEAR. There’s no better time to join.

Dönay · 1400· 1y ago8

“Could be better”Near Protocol is one of the most impressive Layer 1 blockchains out there! With its fast, low-cost transactions and developer-friendly environment, it’s a powerhouse for building scalable dApps. The sharding technology (Nightshade) ensures smooth performance, while its carbon-neutral approach makes it eco-friendly.

Chef.BenjiBenimoto · 1316· 1y ago8

“Riding AI ir building”I haven't yet looked into this but does look rather interesting

Dub-AI · 1327· 1y ago · neutral8

“Best Protocol”been using near for a long and i am in love with it

J A Z I I · 1440· 1y ago14

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