Polygon
EVM-compatible proof-of-stake chain anchored to Ethereum by checkpoints, with POL as the gas and staking token.
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Polygon key facts
| Category | Layer 1 blockchain |
|---|---|
| Chains | Polygon PoS |
| Platforms | Web, API |
| Token | POL (gas and staking; migrating from MATIC) |
| Open source | Yes, LGPL-3.0 (github.com/0xPolygon/bor) |
| Chains | Polygon Chain (chain ID 137), anchored to Ethereum |
| Fees | Gas paid in POL; fees split between the Bor block producer and Heimdall validators |
POL token
- Price
- $0.0891 -1.5% 24h
- Market cap
- $949.1M
- Fully diluted value
- $949.1M
- 30-day change
- -11.5%
Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 8, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
What is Polygon?
Polygon Chain is an EVM-compatible proof-of-stake blockchain anchored to Ethereum through periodic checkpoints. Heimdall validators handle consensus and Bor nodes produce blocks. Milestones give deterministic finality in 2 to 5 seconds. POL replaces MATIC as the gas and staking token.
How Polygon works
Polygon Chain runs as three layers.
A set of contracts on Ethereum mainnet holds staking, checkpoint storage and the bridge. Heimdall-v2, built on Cosmos SDK and CometBFT, tracks those staking contracts and validates blocks. Bor, built on Go Ethereum, produces the blocks. For each span, Heimdall picks one block producer from a small pool elected by validator votes, weighted by stake.
Finality comes from milestones. At every Heimdall height each validator proposes the Bor block hashes it has seen, and any sequence with at least 2/3 agreement becomes final. Separately, Heimdall bundles block hashes into a Merkle tree and posts the root to Ethereum as a checkpoint, roughly every 30 minutes. Withdrawals to Ethereum are proven against that checkpoint and then claimed by calling exit on the RootChainManager contract.
How to start with Polygon
- Any Ethereum wallet such as MetaMask works once you add Polygon mainnet: RPC polygon-rpc.com, chain ID 137.
- You need POL to pay gas.
- Existing Solidity contracts and tools like Hardhat, Foundry and Remix deploy without changes.
- Tokens that are already mapped can be bridged through the Polygon Portal without a new mapping request.
- To stake, open staking.polygon.technology with a wallet set to Ethereum mainnet, holding POL plus ETH for gas.
- Pick a validator and delegate.
- There is no minimum, and the docs suggest starting with 1 POL.
- If you still hold MATIC you can delegate it, but rewards arrive in POL.
- The same dashboard lets you withdraw or restake rewards.
Polygon fees and limits
- Polygon set aside 12% of the 10 billion token supply for staking rewards, and POL emission runs at about 2% a year after June 2025, split between validator rewards and a community treasury.
Gas is paid in POL. Validator income is staking rewards plus transaction fees: the current Bor block producer keeps a share of each block's fees and the rest goes to Heimdall validators. Delegators earn rewards in proportion to their stake, minus the validator's commission.
Risks to know before using Polygon
- Security rests on Polygon's own proof-of-stake validator set.
- Checkpoints anchor block roots to Ethereum, but a checkpoint only needs signatures from 2/3 plus one of stake.
- When you unbond a delegation, the tokens stay locked for 80 checkpoints before you can withdraw them.
- Moving stake between validators is a single transaction with no delay.
- The POL migration contract keeps the swapped MATIC instead of burning it, and governance can switch the unmigrate feature on or off.
- The docs warn that the MATIC to POL change has drawn scams, so verify contract addresses only through official sources.
- The EmissionManager contract is upgradeable by governance, but it cannot mint above the cap set in the POL contract.
Polygon alternatives
Other projects people compare with Polygon.
Proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain with SOL as native token and a 5,000 lamport base fee per signature.
Proof-of-stake Layer 1 blockchain using the Move language and Mysticeti consensus, with SUI as native token.
Layer 1 blockchain using the Move language and AptosBFT consensus, with APT as native token.
Layer 1 network whose Primary Network runs the C-Chain, P-Chain and X-Chain, with AVAX as native token.
Proof-of-work peer-to-peer currency network with a hard cap of 21 million bitcoins.
EVM-compatible blockchain using Proof of Staked Authority with 21 validators and BNB as gas token.
Polygon pros and cons
- Deterministic finality in 2 to 5 seconds
- Existing Solidity contracts deploy with no changes
- Bor client public on GitHub under LGPL-3.0
- Not a rollup: security rests on its own PoS validators
- Each span has a single block producer from a small validator pool
- Withdrawals to Ethereum need a checkpoint first
Polygon FAQ
What is Polygon?
Polygon Chain is an EVM-compatible proof-of-stake blockchain anchored to Ethereum through periodic checkpoints. Heimdall validators handle consensus and Bor nodes produce blocks. Milestones give deterministic finality in 2 to 5 seconds. POL replaces MATIC as the gas and staking token.
Which chains does Polygon support?
Polygon PoS.
How much does Polygon cost?
Gas paid in POL; fees split between the Bor block producer and Heimdall validators, according to Polygon’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Does Polygon have a token?
Yes, POL. Its market cap was $949.1M on CoinGecko on Nov 8, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
Sources
How this page works
Sources: Polygon: official site, Polygon: Building on Polygon, Polygon: Bor GitHub repository. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.