NOWPayments has released empirical data analyzing six months of enterprise payout activity across major blockchain networks, providing comparative performance benchmarks to help businesses optimize their payout infrastructure based on speed, transaction volume, and cost efficiency.
The dataset examined activity on TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Bitcoin, and Ethereum, which collectively accounted for 94.04% of payout volume and 77.84% of payout transactions during the period studied.
Performance Across Networks
Each network demonstrated distinct operational characteristics. Solana recorded the fastest average payout speed at 1 minute and 45 seconds, followed by Bitcoin at 2 minutes 53 seconds, TRON at 3 minutes 8 seconds, BNB Smart Chain at 3 minutes 13 seconds, and Ethereum at 5 minutes 56 seconds. The difference between the fastest and slowest networks was 4 minutes and 11 seconds.
Volume and Transaction Distribution
TRON led in total monetary volume, accounting for 43.69% of payouts, more than double BNB Smart Chain's 21.75% share. However, BNB Smart Chain handled the largest share of individual transactions at 48.23%, compared with 15.73% for TRON.
The disparity suggests different payout patterns: TRON carried higher-value transfers while BNB Smart Chain processed more frequent, lower-value payouts. Based on these shares, the average TRON payout was approximately 6.2 times larger than the average BNB Smart Chain payout.
Ethereum ranked third by volume at 18.84% and represented 7.42% of transactions. Bitcoin accounted for 6.68% of volume and 2.60% of transactions, while Solana represented 3.08% of volume and 3.86% of transactions.
Beyond Blockchain Networks
NOWPayments noted that minimizing payout costs may require looking beyond blockchain networks themselves. The platform allows businesses to send payouts to ChangeNOW Pro wallets with no network or service fees within its ecosystem. Recipients are identified by email and confirm transfers before funds move, eliminating the need to collect wallet addresses in advance.
Kate Lifshits, Commercial Director at NOWPayments, stated: "The useful question is not which network tops a leaderboard. It is what a specific payout flow needs to optimize: value, frequency, speed, or cost."
