The leading blockchain network Ethereum has topped the blockchain developers list of 2025, making it the most active ecosystem in crypto. Ethereum’s large ecosystem, which includes its Layer-1 network, Layer-2 rollups, and security-dependent chains, continues to attract more new and active contributors than its competitors.
According to a recent X post by the Ethereum Foundation, the Ethereum ecosystem gained 16,181 new developers between January and September 2025. The foundation cited Electric Capital’s report, noting “Ethereum is the #1 ecosystem for new developers in 2025.”
Solana is ranked second in the list with 11,534 developers, followed by Bitcoin and Polygon with 7,494 and 3,681, respectively. Electric Capital sees Polygon as a separate entity instead of part of Ethereum’s ecosystem. During the same time, Stacks added 3,246 new developers, making it one of the top five blockchains.
Even though there is a difference, the Ethereum ecosystem still has the most developers, with the count sitting at 31,869. This data show how strong Ethereum’s developer community is, even though the number of global crypto developers fell by 24% year over year.
Shifting landscape of blockchains
The results come at a time when blockchain development is seeing a notable shift. Sui, Aptos, and Celestia are all newer ecosystems that have made significant progress. However, none of them have come close to Ethereum’s level of engagement or the maturity of its tools, documentation, and community infrastructure.
Bitcoin, on the other hand, is still growing slowly, mostly because of new ideas like Ordinals and Layer-2 solutions. However, it still has a lot fewer developers than Ethereum.
While the report sparked discussions around Ethereum, the developer community is talking about how hard it is to define “ecosystem boundaries” in crypto, especially since modular designs and cross-chain protocols make it hard to tell networks apart.
Some people in the community said that splitting up Polygon makes Ethereum’s dominance bigger. Others said that Ethereum’s rollups, security layers, and developer pipelines still make the most connected and wide-ranging network in Web3.
Apart from the controversy around Ethereum and its layer 2 ecosystem, the report backs up Ethereum’s claim to be the center of blockchain innovation. It continues to attract the best developers, even though the market is uncertain and there is competition from chains that are growing quickly.
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