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, has been one of the most visible faces of Sonic Labs.

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, with the migration window running for several years to give holders time to transition. 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 hold FTM, use the official migration tool at the Sonic Labs website to convert FTM to S at a one-to-one ratio. 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. Many of these exchanges also support legacy FTM trading during the migration window.

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 should use the official migration tool rather than swapping directly on a DEX.

Latest Sonic News

The most consequential recent 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. The points-driven incentive programs have helped seed liquidity and user activity on Sonic in its first year.

The FTM-to-S migration remains open for an extended window, giving long-term FTM holders time to swap. Sonic Labs has continued to ship protocol upgrades, expand bridge support, and onboard ecosystem partners. Following the Sonic Labs blog and X account is the best way to track upgrades, ecosystem launches, and migration milestones.