What Is Sonic?

Sonic is a high-performance EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain launched by Sonic Labs (formerly the Fantom Foundation) as the successor to the Fantom Opera chain. Sonic's mainnet went live in December 2024 with a new consensus engine, a new database, and an upgraded EVM that together target sub-second finality and high throughput at low cost. The network's native gas and staking asset is S, which existing FTM holders can migrate to at a one-to-one ratio.

Overview - Table of Contents
What Is Sonic?
Getting Started With Sonic
How To Get A Sonic Wallet?
Sonic Resources
How To Buy Sonic?
Latest Sonic News

Fantom originally launched in 2018 as one of the earliest DAG-based smart contract platforms and grew into a popular DeFi hub during the 2021 bull market. By 2023 the Fantom team began work on a substantial protocol redesign, originally branded as Fantom Sonic, that eventually became Sonic itself. The rebrand from Fantom to Sonic in 2024 was paired with the launch of the Sonic mainnet, a new S token, an updated foundation structure, and a renewed focus on DeFi. Andre Cronje, the well-known DeFi developer behind Yearn Finance and a long-time advisor to Fantom, was closely associated with the project and served in senior technical roles at Sonic Labs. In June 2026, Cronje, Michael Kong, and David Richardson stepped down from the Sonic Labs board and moved into advisory roles, with Matt Visser appointed Chief Executive Officer and Kosta Kourkoumelis appointed Chief Operating Officer to lead a new management team.

Under the hood, Sonic uses a redesigned BFT consensus protocol that targets near-instant finality, and an EVM optimized for parallel execution and a high transaction throughput ceiling. The team has published benchmarks measured in tens of thousands of transactions per second under load, with median fees a small fraction of those on Ethereum mainnet. Solidity contracts and standard Ethereum tooling (MetaMask, Foundry, Hardhat, ethers, viem) work on Sonic with minimal changes.

S is the native token of Sonic. FTM holders migrate to S through an official bridge that swaps FTM for S at a one-to-one ratio. An earlier plan to retire Fantom Opera and close the migration on June 30, 2026 was reversed: in June 2026 Sonic Labs said Opera will stay live at least through the end of 2026, with the migration bridge funded throughout that period. Holders who still need to convert should confirm the current status on the Sonic Labs website. S is used to pay gas, stake to validators, and participate in governance. Sonic Labs has signaled an intent to use S in additional protocol-level mechanics such as the points-based airdrop programs used to bootstrap activity in the first year of mainnet.

One of Sonic's more distinctive features is its Fee Monetization program, which routes a configurable share of the gas fees consumed by an application back to the project that deployed it. The idea is to give protocol builders a sustainable revenue stream that scales with usage, rather than relying entirely on token emissions. Combined with the Sonic Airdrop and developer grants from Sonic Labs, this has attracted DeFi protocols, perp DEXs, lending markets, on-chain games, and infrastructure providers to the chain.

Sonic also includes a Sonic Gateway, a native bridge between Sonic and Ethereum mainnet that uses a security model designed to be more conservative than typical bridge designs, including a fail-safe mechanism that allows users to withdraw assets back to Ethereum even if the bridge operators go offline.

Getting Started With Sonic

Because Sonic is EVM-compatible, getting started is similar to using any other EVM Layer 1:

Step 1: Install an EVM wallet such as MetaMask or Rabby and back up the seed phrase. Add the Sonic network RPC and chain ID using values from the official Sonic documentation.
Step 2: If you still hold FTM, check the current migration status on the Sonic Labs website before proceeding. As of mid-2026, Sonic Labs has committed to keeping Fantom Opera and the migration bridge live at least through the end of 2026. Otherwise, buy S on a supported exchange and withdraw to your Sonic address.
Step 3: Bridge stablecoins or ETH from Ethereum to Sonic via the Sonic Gateway or a third-party bridge.
Step 4: Connect to Sonic DeFi apps, lending markets, or games, and transact using S for gas.

How to Get a Sonic Wallet?

S is held by standard EVM wallets:

MetaMask

MetaMask is the most widely supported wallet for Sonic. Add the Sonic RPC and chain ID and S appears as the native gas token. Most Sonic dApps integrate with MetaMask directly.

Rabby

Rabby is a strong alternative wallet with transaction simulation and multi-chain UX. It is a good fit for DeFi users moving across Sonic, Ethereum, and other EVM chains.

Coinbase Wallet

Coinbase Wallet (the self-custody wallet) supports Sonic via custom RPC configuration and works well for users who want a mobile-first experience.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger and Trezor hardware wallets work with Sonic via MetaMask or Rabby. The standard Ethereum app on Ledger signs Sonic transactions like any other EVM chain.

Sonic Resources

How to Buy Sonic?

S is widely listed on major centralized and decentralized venues:

Centralized Exchanges

S is available on Binance, Coinbase (where regional availability varies), Bybit, OKX, KuCoin, Bitget, Gate, MEXC, and others. Common pairs include S/USDT, S/USDC, and S/BTC. Some exchanges supported legacy FTM trading around the migration, and activity has largely moved to S.

Decentralized Exchanges

On Sonic, S trades against stablecoins and bridged ETH on native DEXs such as SwapX, Beethoven X (Sonic), Equalizer, and Shadow. DEX aggregators route across these pools automatically.

After buying, S can be used to pay gas, staked to validators to earn rewards, or held in a hardware wallet for long-term storage. FTM holders who still need to convert should check the current migration status on the Sonic Labs website, since Sonic Labs has committed to keeping the route open at least through the end of 2026.

Latest Sonic News

The most consequential developments for Sonic were the December 2024 mainnet launch and rebrand from Fantom, the rollout of the Sonic Airdrop and Fee Monetization programs, and the migration of major Fantom DeFi protocols (and a wave of new ones) to the chain. In June 2026, new Sonic Labs leadership reversed an earlier plan to retire Fantom Opera at the end of that month, committing to keep Opera and the migration bridge live at least through the end of 2026. The Sonic Airdrop concluded in 2026 with a token burn and a final claim deadline, closing out the first-year incentive programs.

Sonic Labs also saw significant leadership changes. In June 2026, Michael Kong, Andre Cronje, and David Richardson stepped down from the board into advisory roles, and Matt Visser and Kosta Kourkoumelis took over as CEO and COO. The team has continued to ship, outlining a roadmap that includes work toward quantum resistance, though that remains a stated goal rather than a shipped feature. Following the Sonic Labs blog and X account is the best way to track upgrades, ecosystem launches, and migration milestones.