- EVM developers migrating to Hedera: Understand key differences in Hedera’s architecture, tokenomics, and tooling, including ED25519 key management and native system contracts (introduced in HIP-632).
- Hedera-native developers adding smart contract functionality: Learn how EVM contracts interact with Hedera’s native services (HTS, HCS, HFS) and how to bridge both worlds.
High-Level Differences: Hedera vs. Ethereum
| Feature | Hedera | Ethereum |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus Mechanism | Asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (aBFT), Proof of Stake (PoS) | Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), Proof of Stake (PoS) |
| Transaction Fees | Low and predictable fees | Variable gas fees; can spike during network congestion |
| Governance Model | Governed by the Hedera Governing Council, comprising leading global organizations | Decentralized; governed by the Ethereum community |
| Native Token | HBAR | ETH |
| Token Standard | ERC-20 and ERC-721 supported; Hedera Token Service (HTS) enables native token issuance and management without smart contracts | ERC-20 and ERC-721 |
| Network State | Virtual Merkle Tree | Merkle Patricia Trie |
| Historical Data | Off-chain mirror nodes provide access to historical data and state queries | On-chain stateRoot |
| Key Management | Supports ED25519 (Hedera-native accounts), ECDSA (secp256k1), and complex keys (keylist and threshold) | ECDSA (secp256k1) only |
| Network Upgrades | Proposed through HIPs; governed by the Hedera Governing Council; backward compatible, not forks | Proposed and implemented through EIPs |
Jumbo Ethereum Transactions
Hedera supports jumbo Ethereum transactions (introduced in HIP-1086), allowing largercallData payloads to be included directly in the ethereumData field of EthereumTransaction. This aligns Hedera’s EVM behavior more closely with Ethereum’s, enabling seamless deployment of complex contracts.
📣 To learn more, including size limits, gas calculation, and limitations, see the Ethereum Transaction SDK documentation.
EVM Developers: What Changes on Hedera
The following topics cover the most common differences when coming from Ethereum:| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Hedera Account Model & Aliases | How Hedera’s account structure differs from Ethereum’s: ED25519 vs. ECDSA keys, dynamic key rotation, and aliases for EVM compatibility. |
| Decimal Handling | How to handle the difference between EVM’s 18-decimal standard and Hedera’s 8 decimals for accurate token calculations and conversions. |
| Key Rotation | Strategies for designing smart contracts that work with Hedera’s dynamic key rotation model. |
| HBAR Transfers | Explicit handling of HBAR in Solidity contracts for native token flows. |
| JSON-RPC Relay | How Hedera’s JSON-RPC relay differs from standard EVM RPC APIs. |