Hedera Hashgraph is a blockchain network that was designed to allow developers to create DApps that require higher throughput and faster settlement. Hedera uses its own consensus protocol that assigns every transaction a consensus time that is calculated as the median of the times at which each node in the network first received it. The network is powered by the HBAR coin.

ChainLink is developing the LINK Network, which will enable connected smart contracts. LINK will provide smart contracts with a variety of external data and access to APIs. ChainLink's goal is to solve the connectivity problem that plagues smart contract based systems, and discourages mass adoption. Many decentralized applications are unable to connect with important external data sources due to limitations involving their consensus protocols. The LINK network wants to connect their smart contracts with external systems and APIs by using secure middleware.