Chainlink (LINK) vs. Cosmos (ATOM) | Which Coin Is the Best?

This article compares two coins, ATOM and LINK, associated with platforms Cosmos and Chainlink. These platforms are busy making data from different blockchains or even off-chain data readily available for users when needed. Cosmos provides cross-chain solutions, while Chainlink aims to make off-chain data available for blockchain-based platforms. Both coins are the leading cryptocurrencies. Please read this article to figure out what are the essential characteristics of these coins and platforms and see which one of them meets your requirements.

1. What Is Chainlink (LINK)?
2. What Is Cosmos (ATOM)?
3. Chainlink vs. Cosmos (table)
4. Chainlink vs. Cosmos (details)

What Is Chainlink (LINK)?

Chainlink is a decentralized tamper-proof oracle network delivering and processing outside data on any blockchain via smart contracts. In this sense, Chainlink is bridging off-chain and on-chain worlds.  

The platform was built on Ethereum in 2017. The coin LINK is an ERC-677 token. The fuel needed to bring the off-chain data on blockchains is the Chainlink (LINK) token. LINK tokens can be stored in all wallets that support ERC-20 tokens. On top of working with data, Chainlink provides such features as off-chain computation, enhancing privacy tools, and staking.

For years, the LINK token has been steadily gaining value, even in the times when BTC and most of the crypto market were declining. As of July 2022, LINK has a market cap of $3.6 billion, the 25th biggest market cap in the field. The current token price is over $7.

What Is Cosmos (ATOM)?

Cosmos Hub is a decentralized blockchain ecosystem. Its native token is called ATOM. Like Chainlink, Cosmos aims to bridge things, not off- and on-chain data, but data on different blockchains. Cosmos is a cross-blockchain connectivity tool.

The project was founded in the early years of the 2010s; however, the whitepaper was released only in 2016. Apart from bridging other blockchains, Cosmos provides functions close to the ones of Ethereum: you can build, host, and run smart contracts and dapps on Cosmos, etc. Cosmos was designed to avoid the known shortcomings of Ethereum, so it's scalable, cheap, and fast. Also, one can build in-game tokens and collectibles using Cosmos Hubs.

The ATOM token fuels the network. As of July 2022, ATOM's price exceeds $10 while market cap reaches $3 billion, making ATOM the 28th biggest crypto by this measure.

Chainlink vs. Cosmos (table)

Chainlink vs. Cosmos (details)

The price and the market cap 

Cosmos (ATOM) seems to be a more promising asset in terms of market performance. At first glance, you might think that now, ATOM and LINK are almost identical. Both coins are at the close price range and have nearly the same market cap (as of August 2022, ATOM and LINK are at the 28th and 25th positions, respectively). However, if we look at the price history, we will notice that the best days of Chainlink were the first half of 2021, the latest and the most substantial crypto rally. But Cosmos managed to repeat and outperform its glory of the spring of 2021 in the fall of the same year and once more in January of 2022. It seems that Cosmos is a preferred investment if compared to Chainlink, although it's fair to say that both projects are giants, hands down.

Popular markets

LINK and ATOM are often traded at nearly the same exchanges. We can't say that one of these coins is easier to find than another. Interestingly, the prime exchange for ATOM is Bithumb, not Binance, which is the second most popular exchange for ATOM. For LINK, Binance is the second exchange after P2PB2B, while Bithumb doesn't support LINK at all. Generally, we can easily state that both coins are well presented on numerous significant exchanges. 

Platform

Chainlink is built on Ethereum, while Cosmos is based on the custom blockchain. It makes ATOM more independent. However, LINK is better integrated into the Ethereum ecosystem, which is vast.

Consensus mechanism

Both platforms rely on the Proof-of-Stake mechanism. Hence LINK and ATOM can be generated via staking.

Products

Both platforms provide solid sets of products, mainly associated with the crypto market. These products include tools and services for funds protection, exchange, generation of tokens, smart contracts operation, etc. More than that, both projects keep on evolving and adding new products. We can state that in terms of products, Chainlink and Cosmos are on the level.

Use cases

Cosmos and Chainlink have numerous use cases. Chainlink seems to be a more viable project as it deals with all possible data, while Cosmos is focused on on-chain data. It makes Chainlink a more versatile platform.