Quai vs Bitcoin
Quai keeps what makes Bitcoin trusted, proof of work, and removes its limits. A Bitcoin block takes about 10 minutes, and Bitcoin does not run general smart contracts. Quai confirms in about 5 seconds, runs the EVM on its base layer, and has a second token, Qi, made for everyday payments.
Facts reviewed in November 2026.
Where Quai is stronger
Blocks 120 times faster
A Quai block arrives about every 5 seconds. A Bitcoin block arrives about every 10 minutes.
Smart contracts on proof of work
Bitcoin's base layer does not run general smart contracts. Quai runs the Ethereum Virtual Machine, so Solidity contracts and common developer tools work on a proof-of-work chain.
Built to scale
Bitcoin keeps one chain, which limits it to a few transactions per second. Quai runs a hierarchy of chains that share security through merged mining, and it adds chains as demand grows.
Money to save and money to spend
QUAI is the store of value, with emission that slows as the network grows. Qi is cash whose supply follows mining difficulty and the cost of energy. One network does both jobs.
Other chains pay for the burn
Through SOAP, miners of Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Ravencoin also mine Quai. The rewards from the blocks they find buy QUAI on the open market, and that QUAI is burned. No other network has this.
At a glance
| Property | Quai (QUAI) | Bitcoin (BTC) |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Proof of work, with PoEM consensus | Proof of work, longest chain by total work |
| Secured by | Miners with SHA-256, Scrypt, or KawPoW hardware | Miners with SHA-256 hardware |
| Block time | About 5 seconds | About 10 minutes |
| Smart contracts | Yes. The EVM runs on the base layer. | Limited. Bitcoin Script, with no general smart contracts on the base layer. |
| Supply | Emission slows as the network grows, and SOAP buybacks burn QUAI. 1.9 billion genesis QUAI was burned. | Fixed cap of 21 million. The block reward halves about every 4 years. |
| Launched | February 2025 | January 2009 |
| Supply growth, year 3 | 8.3% (projected) | 59% |
| Revenue, 12 months | $6.0M | None. Fees and block rewards go to miners. |
Revenue is protocol revenue for the last 12 months from DefiLlama. Quai's revenue is the value of the other chains' block rewards that SOAP used to buy QUAI. Supply growth compares each network in its third year after launch, from the QUAI tokenomics post.
How the two connect
Quai accepts SHA-256 hardware, the same machines that mine Bitcoin. Bitcoin is on the Quai roadmap as a planned SOAP chain.
Questions people ask
Is Quai a fork of Bitcoin?
No. Quai is a separate network with its own code and its own consensus, named Proof of Entropy Minima (PoEM). It uses the same proof-of-work security model as Bitcoin, and SHA-256 hardware can mine it.
Can Bitcoin miners mine Quai?
Yes. Quai accepts SHA-256 hardware, the same machines that mine Bitcoin. Miners are paid in QUAI.
How does QUAI supply compare with Bitcoin's?
QUAI's mining reward grows only with the logarithm of difficulty, so emission slows as the network grows, and SOAP buybacks burn QUAI. In its third year, QUAI supply is projected to grow 8.3%. Bitcoin's supply grew 59% at the same age.
More comparisons
Sources
This page gives information only. It is not financial advice. See the disclaimers.