Nominated proof of stake is Polkadot's design. Holders become nominators and back the validators they trust with their stake; an election run by the protocol then picks the active validator set and spreads the backing stake across it as evenly as it can. Blocks are produced with BABE and made final with GRANDPA.
The election is the distinguishing part: instead of letting stake pile onto the most popular validators, it balances backing so that each elected validator carries a similar weight, which makes the set harder to dominate. Nominators share both rewards and penalties with the validators they back. Many chains listed here are Polkadot parachains: they produce their own blocks but are secured by the validators of the Polkadot relay chain.
| # | Asset | Consensus | Block time | Market cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | PolkadotDOT | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | 6s | $1.7B |
| 64 | peaqPEAQ | NPoS (Substrate) | 12s | $89M |
| 78 | AstarASTR | NPoS (Polkadot parachain) | — | $56M |
| 87 | PolymeshPOLYX | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | 6s | $43M |
| 88 | HydrationHDX | NPoS (Polkadot parachain) | 12s | $43M |
| 108 | Geode ChainGEODE | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | 12s | $28M |
| 220 | ReefREEF | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA, Substrate EVM) | 6s | $2M |
| 274 | DeepBrain ChainDBC | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | 6s | $307,624 |
| 275 | Acala TokenACA | NPoS (Polkadot parachain) | — | $305,061 |
| 283 | KaruraKAR | NPoS (Kusama parachain) | — | $259,948 |
| 290 | StaFiFIS | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA, Substrate) | 6s | $207,075 |
| 326 | Atleta NetworkATLA | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | — | $0 |
| 359 | NeuroWebNEURO | NPoS (Polkadot parachain) | — | $0 |
| 360 | xx networkXX | NPoS (BABE + GRANDPA) | — | $0 |
# is the chain's place in the ranking of pure cryptocurrencies. Block time is the protocol's target; blank means no source publishes it.
14 in the CoinSpectrum ranking as of 28 October 2026: Polkadot (DOT), peaq (PEAQ), Astar (ASTR), Polymesh (POLYX), Hydration (HDX), Geode Chain (GEODE), Reef (REEF), DeepBrain Chain (DBC), Acala Token (ACA), Karura (KAR), StaFi (FIS), Atleta Network (ATLA) and 2 more. Tokens never count — only chains with their own blockchain and consensus.
Both let holders back others with their stake. In delegated proof of stake the top vote-getters win; in nominated proof of stake an election spreads the backing stake evenly across the chosen validators, so a few very popular validators cannot gather most of it. Nominators can also be penalised alongside a validator that misbehaves.
The median target block time among the 8 chains here that publish one is 6s, from 6s to 12s.
Delegated proof of stakeCometBFT (Tendermint)Every Proof of Stake chain
Methodology — how each chain's consensus was decided. Wrapped, staked and pegged claims are listed separately and never counted.