As the 2024 markets opened for trade, Solana’s (SOL) price tanked by just over 6%. It was not the best start to the 2024 trade year, which saw the coin drop to fifth position. SOL continued to trade slightly below the $100 mark for a while. The dip at the beginning of the year is a stark difference from its over 700% gain in 2023.

Solana rose to fame in 2021 when it became known as the Ethereum killer, boasting fast, low-cost transactions. In fact, in its last bull run, SOL’s price spiked over 15,000%. Solana was the driving force behind the new cryptocurrency infrastructure, providing proof-of-history to validate transactions. The new process saw an uptake of the token and prompted many to consider ETH, BTC, and BNB to SOL exchange. By the end of November 2021, SOL had reached its $260.06 all-time high.

Understanding Solana

Anatoly Yakovenko designed Solana to improve the Ethereum network. Yakovenko began creating the cryptocurrency in 2017, with its official launch in 2020. Today it is available on all big exchanges, but its real value remains with being able to transact on the Solana ecosystem. The unique proof of history mechanism used for transaction consensus uses timestamps to predict and define the next step in the Solana blockchain. 

The new algorithm no longer relies on resource-heavy miners for the subsequent blocks in the chain, and this means that the network boasts increased transactional speeds, which come at a much lower cost to investors and traders. When comparing different currencies, such as ALGO vs SOL, it can be evidenced that the proof-of-history algorithm adds security to the network. 

Solana Market Analysis

Solana has been a solid investment. It’s held the number five spot on the market for several years. A year ago, most people would never have guessed that Solana would have such a remarkable recovery story to showcase its independence, and it's doing great at getting the ecosystem excited about where it’s going in 2024. 

Since its 2023’ ATH, Solana has slid back down to just below the $100 mark. The coin has gained back around 3% of its value in the last week. Based on its epic rise last year, analysts predict that SOL will climb past its 2023 high. Looking back, SOL started the year at around the $30 mark, and nine months later, it broke through the $100 ceiling. For 2024, many analysts believe that SOL could fetch around the $160 mark, and while optimistic, others believe the currency could even pass the $200 price range.

SOL Price Prediction

Solana has been hanging around the $98 mark at the latest trade data. The digital currency has a total market cap of $42B and an average 24-hour trading volume of $1.6B. SOL is expected to trade at an average of $143.69 for the remainder of the year. Investors can expect to see the price hit a maximum of $162.60. 

In 2025, the price of Solana is expected to trade at around $200.84 on average. Trades can, however, expect minimum pricing at around $195.09 and a maximum price of $234.88. By 2030, the cost of Solana is predicted to sit well about the $1,000 mark with an average trade price of $1,226.7 and a maximum price of $1,445.04.

Is Solana a Good Investment?

Historical data will show that Solana is almost always an excellent investment. It has seen great heights, and it’s reached those in a matter of weeks. It’s also seen several lows, just like any other crypto coin. The only difference is that SOL doesn't lose as much ground when it comes down. Solana is a solid investment in both the short and long term.