Aptos vs Sui Blockchain: A Detailed Comparison

The advent of blockchain technology has revolutionized industries across the globe, introducing decentralized and secure solutions that have fundamentally reshaped the digital landscape.

The market adoption of blockchain technology continues to surge, with an estimated global blockchain market projected to reach US$163.83 billion by 2029, representing a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 56.3% from 2022 to 2029.

In this dynamic and rapidly evolving environment, two prominent players, Aptos and Sui, have emerged as significant contenders, each bringing its own set of distinctive features and approaches to tackle the pressing challenges of scalability, security, and interoperability to secure their foothold and make a lasting impression on investors and developers.

As the competition in the blockchain ecosystem intensifies, it becomes essential for individuals and businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the contrasting characteristics and shared elements between Aptos and Sui.

In this article, we will take a deep-dive into analyzing the similarities and differences between Aptos and Sui blockchain, so that you as an investor or developer will be able to make an informed decision on which blockchain would suit your needs best.

Programming Language

Both Aptos and Sui utilize Move, a Rust-based programming language, for parallel execution, although Sui has its own modified version of it.

Move serves as an executable bytecode language for creating smart contracts and custom transactions on the blockchain.

In Diem's whitepaper on Move, it highlights its focus on two crucial aspects: scarcity and access control. Scarcity ensures asset limitations and prevents double-spending, while access control manages ownership and privileges.

While Aptos generally adheres to the standard design outlined in Diem's whitepaper which is an address-centric one, Sui introduces a slightly different object model. Sui adopts an object-centric storage system, which represents various elements on the blockchain as "objects".

This approach allows for a comprehensive view of the blockchain's components. In Sui's version of Move, object ownership, sharing, mutability, and immutability are clearly indicated, providing transparency in the blockchain design. In comparison, Aptos lacks such explicit indicators. Furthermore, Sui's ownership API presents a cleaner representation of the blockchain design, offering enhanced clarity compared to Aptos.

Architecture

Although both Aptos and Sui utilizes proof-of-stake as their consensus mechanism, the underlying algorithm is different for both blockchains and hence affects their scalability.

Aptos uses a mechanism called Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), that is able to allow fast blockchain transactions while ensuring security due to its ability to analyze on-chain statuses and automate the process of fixing unqualified validators. This means that the BFT system is fully functional even when certain nodes are down.

On the other hand, Sui uses a consensus algorithm known as Narwhal and Bullshark, which allows it to conduct parallel execution of transactions. This protocol is able to withstand denial-of-service (DoS) attacks as it is asynchronous.

While Aptos has a modular architecture from storing their ledger on the blockchain, Sui has a multi-layered architecture as its ledger is stored as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). This allows Sui to have a much greater scalability and flexibility compared to Aptos.

Tokenomics

Aptos and Sui, two prominent blockchain platforms, have distinct token economics models that govern the usage and distribution of their native tokens.

Aptos introduces APT as its native token, initially launching with a total supply of 1 billion tokens on 12 October 2022. The tokenomics plan devised by Aptos Labs outlines that 82% of the initial supply is currently staked for Proof of Staking (PoS) participation, distributed across different categories. The breakdown of the distribution is as follows:

• 51.02% allocated to the community
• 19.00% allocated to core contributors
• 16.50% allocated to the Aptos Foundation
• 13.48% allocated to the project's investors

This allocation structure ensures a gradual release of tokens over time and encourages long-term commitment and participation from various stakeholders within the Aptos ecosystem.

On the other hand, the total supply of the SUI token is capped at 10 billion tokens, and according to Sui Foundation's tokenomics whitepaper, these tokens will be distributed to various members of the Sui community, such as builders, researchers, validators and more. This also includes their Developer Grant Program, which rewards early projects who are building on Sui.

The SUI tokens have 4 main uses:

1. Staked to a validator to secure the network and earn staking rewards
2. Pay gas fees to execute transactions and other operations
3. Provide on-chain liquidity to support the whole Sui economy
4. Provide holders with the right and ability to participate in future governance

The Sui tokenomics also has 3 core components, namely:

1. Proof-Of-Stake Mechanism: To ensure the incentives of SUI holders are in line with Sui's validators
2. Gas Mechanism: Ensure low and stable gas fees no matter the demand on the network
3. Storage Fund: To ensure that data storage is priced accurately in order to prevent burden on future users of the network

Funding

Aptos Labs and Mysten Labs, the companies behind Aptos and Sui blockchains respectively, have successfully secured significant funding from renowned venture capital firms and investors.

Aptos Labs, the creator of the Aptos blockchain, has raised a total of approximately $400 million in funding. The company has attracted investments from a diverse range of capital ventures, including Andreessen Horowitz, FTX Ventures, Jump Crypto, a16z, Tiger Global, Multicoin Capital, and several others. With a strong investor base, Aptos Labs currently boasts 28 investors supporting its vision and development.

On the other hand, Mysten Labs, the driving force behind the Sui layer-1 blockchain, has recently made significant strides in funding. In their Series B funding round held in September 2022, the company successfully raised $300 million. Major investors, such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and Redpoint, have provided substantial support during this funding round. When combined with the $36 million raised in the Series A, Mysten Labs has amassed a total funding amount of $336 million. This recent funding round has propelled the valuation of Sui to over $2 billion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite the rapid developments and growth of either projects, it is still too early to decide which blockchain is the best. However, we can already see growing popularity among developers to build on both Sui and Aptos, given their much faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees as compared to the blockchain giants like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

No matter which blockchain you decide on eventually, CyberK has the tools to help you seamlessly integrate it to your business or project. Here at CyberK, we focus on providing you with customized solutions based on your business needs and implementing them using our plug-and-play architecture.

If you are interested in building a project or expanding your business into the world of blockchain, we will help you navigate and succeed in this ever-evolving space!