When you think of crypto tokens, Ethereum’s ERC-20 probably comes to mind first. But that’s not the whole story. Over the last few years, other blockchains have built their own token standards-faster, cheaper, and sometimes more powerful. If you’re using tokens outside of Ethereum, you’re likely interacting with SPL, BEP-20, or TRC-20. These aren’t just copies of ERC-20. They’re tailored for real-world use cases that Ethereum struggles with: high-frequency trading, micro-payments, and mass adoption in regions where gas fees are a dealbreaker.
Why Do We Need Other Token Standards?
Ethereum was the pioneer, but it wasn’t built for scale. During peak times in late 2023, transaction fees regularly hit $15 to $50. Blocks took 15 seconds to confirm. For a simple token swap, that’s expensive and slow. Meanwhile, Solana, Binance Smart Chain, and TRON stepped in with faster, cheaper alternatives. They didn’t just tweak ERC-20-they rebuilt it from the ground up for different goals.BEP-20: The Ethereum Clone That Won DeFi
BEP-20 is Binance Smart Chain’s version of ERC-20. It’s designed to be a drop-in replacement. If you’ve ever used PancakeSwap, you’ve used BEP-20 tokens. The key advantage? It’s almost identical to ERC-20, so developers can migrate their smart contracts with minimal changes. That’s why over 1.8 million BEP-20 tokens exist as of mid-2024. The trade-off? Speed and cost. BEP-20 runs on BSC, which confirms blocks every 3 seconds and charges around $0.05 to $0.10 per transaction. That’s 150 to 200 times cheaper than Ethereum during congestion. It’s no wonder DeFi projects flocked to it. PancakeSwap alone processed $22.4 billion in trading volume in Q2 2024. But BEP-20 has a big weakness: centralization. BSC only has 41 validator nodes, all controlled by Binance. That’s a far cry from Ethereum’s 800,000+ validators. Security firms like CertiK rate BSC’s security as “low” because of this. If Binance ever decides to censor transactions or shut down the chain, BEP-20 tokens could be frozen. For many, that’s a dealbreaker.SPL: The Speed Demon of Token Standards
Solana’s SPL token standard is the opposite of BEP-20. It’s not designed to be compatible with Ethereum. It’s designed to break records. SPL runs on Solana’s Proof of History consensus, which allows it to process up to 65,000 transactions per second. Block times? 400 milliseconds. Fees? Around $0.00025 per transaction. SPL doesn’t just handle fungible tokens like ERC-20. It also handles NFTs, interest-bearing tokens, and even programmable tokens-all in one standard. The SPL Token-2022 update, launched in June 2023, added features like token freezing, transfer hooks, and metadata enhancements. That’s something Ethereum can’t do without separate standards like ERC-721 or ERC-1155. Game developers love SPL. Star Atlas and other blockchain games rely on it because they need hundreds of transactions per second just for in-game actions. Decentralized exchanges like Serum process over 1.2 million SPL transactions daily. But there’s a catch: complexity. Writing SPL tokens requires Rust, not Solidity. Ethereum developers often spend 6 to 8 weeks learning the ropes. And Solana’s network has had outages-four major ones in 2022 and 2023. That’s a risk for serious DeFi apps.
TRC-20: The Zero-Fee Payment Standard
TRC-20 is the quiet giant of token standards. It doesn’t compete in DeFi or gaming. It competes in payments. Built on the TRON blockchain, TRC-20 tokens cost as little as $0.001-or sometimes nothing at all. TRON’s Delegated Proof of Stake consensus allows 2,000 transactions per second, with most transfers completing in under 2 seconds. This is why TRC-20 dominates stablecoin usage in Asia. Over 105 million USDT (TRC-20) transactions happened in Q2 2024, mostly in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Nigeria. For people sending small amounts of money across borders, a $0.001 fee is the difference between using the system and giving up. TRON’s weakness? Tooling and trust. While BEP-20 has Binance’s ecosystem behind it, and SPL has a growing developer community, TRC-20’s documentation is thin in English. Many wallets outside Asia don’t support it well. And the TRON Foundation, led by Justin Sun, has faced regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. That makes Western exchanges hesitant to list TRC-20 tokens.Comparing the Three: Speed, Cost, and Use Cases
| Feature | SPL (Solana) | BEP-20 (BSC) | TRC-20 (TRON) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block Time | 400 milliseconds | 3 seconds | 3 seconds |
| Transactions Per Second | Up to 65,000 | 100-300 | 2,000 |
| Average Fee | $0.00025 | $0.05-$0.10 | $0.001 (often $0) |
| Developer Language | Rust | Solidity | Solidity |
| Primary Use Case | Gaming, NFTs, high-frequency trading | DeFi, DEXs, low-cost swaps | Payments, remittances, stablecoins |
| Security Rating (CertiK) | 8.7/10 | 6.2/10 | Not rated |
| Market Share (Non-Ethereum Tokens) | 32% | 58% | 10% |
Which One Should You Use?
If you’re a developer building a DeFi app and you already know Solidity, BEP-20 is your safest bet. It’s familiar, cheap, and backed by Binance’s infrastructure. Just remember: you’re trusting a centralized company with your funds. If you’re building a game, an NFT platform, or a high-speed trading bot, SPL is the only choice. The speed is unmatched. But be ready for a steep learning curve and occasional network hiccups. If you’re focused on payments-especially in Asia or emerging markets-TRC-20 is unbeatable. Zero fees matter more than fancy features. But if you’re in the U.S. or Europe, you might struggle to find wallets or exchanges that support it.
The Future: Cross-Chain Bridges and Evolving Standards
No single standard will win forever. The real trend is interoperability. Chainlink’s CCIP protocol now connects BEP-20, SPL, and TRC-20 tokens directly. That means you can send a BEP-20 token to a Solana wallet without swapping it first. Binance is working on BEP-20 v2.0, aiming to cut fees another 40% and improve cross-chain messaging. Solana’s team is adding zero-knowledge proofs by late 2025 to boost privacy. TRON plans to merge Ethereum-compatible smart contracts into TRC-20 while keeping fees at zero. The winner isn’t the fastest or cheapest. It’s the one that balances performance, security, and ease of use. Right now, BEP-20 leads in adoption. SPL leads in innovation. TRC-20 leads in accessibility.Common Problems and How to Fix Them
- BEP-20: “Insufficient GAS” error - Make sure you have BNB in your wallet. You need it to pay for transactions, even if the token itself is free.
- SPL: “Account In Use” or “Insufficient Rent” - Solana requires accounts to be rent-exempt. Use a wallet that auto-funds accounts, or manually pay rent with SOL.
- TRC-20: “Bandwidth Limit Exceeded” - TRON gives you free bandwidth, but it resets daily. Wait 24 hours or stake TRX to increase your limit.
These aren’t bugs-they’re design choices. Each ecosystem has rules you need to learn. Read the documentation. Test small. Don’t assume they work like Ethereum.