The cryptocurrency market in 2025 will be different from the previous DeFi or NFT booms. A quiet but steady shift has taken place, shifting from flashy speculation to a focus on "practical utility." Decentralized applications (DApps) are poised to become not just a trend but everyday applications. 2026 will be the year when their survival in the Web2 world will be tested.
The user experience is different.
DApps are applications that run directly on the blockchain, without intermediaries like traditional platforms. Users manage their own assets and identities and can access services like payments, games, and communities. However, high barriers to entry, such as wallet creation, seed phrases, and gas fees, have limited their ability to gain widespread adoption.
To reverse this trend, developers focused on improving the user experience throughout 2025. Account abstraction is a key technology that transforms "crypto wallets" into a typical app login experience. Adding MPC wallets, social login, and gas sponsorship (where the app pays for gas fees) significantly lowered the barrier to entry for new users. Furthermore, Solana's ultra-fast payments, Ethereum's enhanced data scalability, and TON's distribution capabilities, deeply tied to Telegram, also elevated the user experience to Web2 standards.
The number of developers has decreased, but the density has increased.
While the number of developers has seemingly decreased somewhat, the departures have been primarily driven by "short-term investor developers." According to Electric Capital, the number of full-time developers contributing consistently for more than 10 days per month has increased by 5% year-over-year. This represents a restructuring of teams focused on real-world use cases, rather than discrete, speculative development.
Especially in the web3 gaming sector, companies are no longer relying on traditional game companies to enter the market. Efforts are intensifying to build a self-sufficient ecosystem by enhancing game playability and incorporating sustainable revenue models, while also integrating AI and ensuring interoperability.
Building on the foundation of 'construction' in 2025, 2026 is the year of 'verification'.
If 2024 focused on developing a scalability layer, 2025 was focused on improving user-friendly infrastructure. Mobile channel expansion continued, with initiatives like Solana's Saga phone and the Telegram-based TON mini-app. Furthermore, regulatory clarity regarding stablecoins, custody, and reporting standards, particularly in the US and Europe, progressed.
Now, building on this foundation, the key question is which DApps can truly drive user loyalty. 2026 will be a critical juncture for DApps, determining whether they can create services that people will "continue" to seek out, even without high-interest rewards.
The point is everyday use, not 'token rewards'
The key battleground in 2026 will not be competition between DApps, but a direct confrontation with Web2 apps. Simply running on a blockchain isn't enough if users can't find a frequently used app without a clear reason. Therefore, DApps must offer both convenience and a consistent user journey built on decentralized technology.
Amidst these changes, "super apps" are emerging as a promising alternative. This model integrates previously fragmented app functions into a single, unified interface, allowing users to handle payments, savings, NFT tools, games, loyalty points, and social IDs within a single app. This approach is a benchmarking of Web2 successes like WeChat and Grab.
What promising sectors are attracting attention in the DApp ecosystem?
In 2026, DApp developers will focus on diverse real-world applications beyond simple finance, including creator revenue models and real-world infrastructure connectivity services. DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) garnered attention in 2025, a revenue model that connects real-world mobility, bandwidth, and power credits to the blockchain. The World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that this market will grow to $3.5 trillion (approximately KRW 5,071 trillion) by 2028.
NFTs are also evolving beyond simple image trading into music royalties, micro-IP ownership, and fan-centric revenue sharing, transforming into a resident content platform. Similarly, DApps that combine real-world applications with content consumption experiences are emerging as a promising area.
The best apps aren't the ones with the fastest chains, but the ones you want to find.
Ultimately, in 2026, the key will be not which chain has the most advanced technology, but how many users naturally return. It shouldn't be an app you use out of curiosity, but one you return to again and again out of necessity. Survival and expansion will hinge on how quickly you can establish a robust, real-world user experience that works without cryptocurrency rewards.
๐ Market Interpretation
2025 will be a year focused on improving crypto infrastructure and user experience, while 2026 will be a testing year for DApps to prove their true popularity and practicality.
๐ก Strategy Points
Gas sponsorship, account abstraction, securing mobile channels, and building super apps are emerging as key strategies for DApps to enter the mainstream. It's important to note that designing for "everyday use" rather than token rewards is essential.
๐ Glossary
Account Abstraction: A technology that makes wallet account login experience similar to a normal login experience.
Gas Sponsorship: A structure where the app pays blockchain fees on behalf of the user.
- DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks): A network model that connects real-world infrastructure such as bandwidth, mobility, and energy with blockchain.
๐ก Want to know more? AI-prepared questions for you:
A. The story is that in 2025, the focus will shift from the speculative booms of the past, like the DeFi craze or the NFT craze, to the "real-world applications" of blockchain. Developers will focus on developing decentralized services and infrastructure that people can use in their daily lives, rather than short-term fads like coins or events. As a result, while the overall number of developers has decreased slightly, the proportion of full-time developers who consistently contribute code has actually increased, explaining the market's restructuring into one centered more around "serious builders."
A. DApps are apps that run on blockchains instead of central servers, allowing users to use services like payments, finance, games, and social media without intermediaries. Account abstraction is a technology that makes "wallet accounts" as seamless as logging into a regular app. You can think of it as incorporating familiar features like password retrieval and automatic payments into smart contract accounts. Gas sponsorship is a mechanism where the app pays the blockchain fees (gas) that users would normally have to pay, reducing the inconvenience of having to purchase coins first for beginners.
A. While DApps previously competed solely among crypto users, there's a growing recognition that to achieve true utilityโone that can be used without compensationโthey must reach a level directly comparable to popular Web2 apps. In particular, with the decentralized super-app structure and everyday usability already proven by WeChat and Grab, DApps are seen as a new strategy for direct competition.
TP AI Precautions
This article was summarized using a TokenPost.ai-based language model. Key points in the text may be omitted or inaccurate.
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