If you’re sending SOL or any SPL token, Solana transactions usually settle in under a second. Most transfers feel instant in Zerion Wallet for Solana. Even during busy periods, confirmations land within 1–5 seconds.
That’s the short version. Now, let’s go deeper into what affects Solana transfer times and why the network is able to operate at this speed.
How fast is Solana?
Solana was built from the ground up for performance. It uses Proof of History (PoH) to order transactions before they reach consensus. Validators agree on the sequence of events. This helps to avoid delays that are common on other blockchains.
In ideal conditions, Solana can process thousands of transactions per second. The actual settlement happens in well under a second.
What influences everyday transaction speed?
While Solana is fast, it isn't immune to traffic.
When demand spikes, the network processes huge volumes of transactions at once. If blocks fill up, transfers may take a few extra seconds to be confirmed. Latency between your wallet and RPC provider also plays a role.
Over the years, Solana also had several outages. Transactions weren’t processing for some time. But those periods are rare, as you can see on the Solana status page.
How does Solana compare to other chains?
Compared to Ethereum or Bitcoin, Solana settles dramatically faster.
Ethereum confirmations take from several seconds to minutes, depending on gas and congestion. Bitcoin requires even more time due to longer block intervals. Solana’s parallel execution and PoH-powered ordering enable near-real-time transfers at scale.
How to check if Solana was sent?
The easiest way to check is to just paste a Solana address into Zerion web app’s search field.
Zerion will then immediately show all transaction history for this address. This could be your address or any other address. It works for both the address from which you sent Solana and to which you want to receive. For example, here is how Anatoly Yakovenko's toly.sol looks in Zerion:
What can affect Solana's sending time?
If you’re still waiting for a transaction, there could be several reasons.
Transaction processing and confirmations
Every Solana transaction goes through the same flow. First, the wallet signs it, and the RPC forwards it to a validator. Then the network executes it, and then the transaction is confirmed. Solana reaches finality quickly. Most transfers finalize in about a second.
Network conditions and congestion
When the network experiences high activity, transactions may take a little longer. This might happen during major launches, big mints, or high market volatility. Transactions still go through. But they may not be prioritized immediately. Even in these moments, delays are usually measured in seconds rather than minutes.
Third-party delays
Sending SOL or Solana tokens from a centralized exchange might be slower. There could be safety checks or technical limitations.
Usually, if in the exchange UI you see a transaction hash or a link Solscan, the transaction is onchain. Again, once it’s onchain, it should be done in seconds.
Final answer: Solana is one of the fastest ways to send crypto
Most Solana transfers complete in less than one second. Even during heavy traffic, they land within a few seconds.
Zerion Wallet helps you send, track, and manage SOL on the go.