What is PulseChain? An overview of the Layer 1 fork from Ethereum with ‘lightning-fast’ transaction speed

What is PulseChain that makes the blockchain community “buzz”?

In the context of Layer 1s continuously seeking to “break” Ethereum’s dominance, a new name has unexpectedly attracted strong attention from the community: PulseChain. With the promise of providing a cheaper, faster, and more environmentally friendly network, PulseChain officially launched its mainnet in May 2023, simultaneously deploying one of the largest airdrops in Crypto history for Ethereum users.

But is PulseChain just a “copy” of Ethereum, or does it truly possess the potential to create a new wave of alternatives? In this article, let’s explore the entire PulseChain ecosystem with Allinstation, from its operating mechanism, core products, to the unique points that help this blockchain create its own attraction in the highly competitive Layer 1 market.

What is PulseChain?

PulseChain is a Layer 1 blockchain forked from Ethereum, officially launching its mainnet in May 2023. The project was founded by Richard Heart, the controversial figure behind HEX, with the vision of building a blockchain with higher transaction speeds, lower fees, and more environmentally friendly than Ethereum.

The unique point of PulseChain lies in copying the entire Ethereum network state at the time of the hard fork, including all:

• Historical transactions
• Wallet balances
• Smart contracts
• ERC-20 tokens

This means that thousands of Ethereum projects can run parallel on PulseChain without needing to redeploy from scratch, providing a nearly seamless “copy-paste” experience for both developers and users.

With the ability to process up to 1.5 million transactions per second, PulseChain not only aims to alleviate Ethereum’s load but also wants to reshape the blockchain experience at the foundational level, where transaction costs are cheap, speeds are nearly instantaneous, and scalability is almost unlimited.

Homepage of PulseChain

How does PulseChain operate?

PulseChain is designed to inherit the best of Ethereum but with significant improvements in performance, cost, and accessibility. To achieve this, the project has built a separate blockchain infrastructure architecture, while applying modern consensus technologies and sustainable token economic mechanisms. Below are the core elements of how PulseChain operates:

1. Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) Consensus Mechanism

Initially, PulseChain used Parlia – a variant of the consensus mechanism from BNB Chain. However, after the testing phase, the project officially switched to the Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) mechanism – a combination of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and Proof-of-Authority (PoA).

With PoSA, PulseChain deploys a rotating validator network, where users stake PLS tokens to nominate validators. Every 24 hours, the network automatically rotates and replaces new validators based on the stake level, thereby:

• Ensuring decentralization and fairness
• Reducing block mining monopoly
• Encouraging the community to stake PLS to protect the network

Currently, the PulseChain network has over 50,000 validators operating globally, demonstrating community strength and relatively good distribution.

2. Fast transaction speed and short block time

Thanks to the use of a lightweight consensus mechanism, PulseChain achieves superior processing speed:

• Block creation time is only ~3 seconds
• Theoretical processing capability of up to 1.5 million transactions/second

This number far exceeds the current Ethereum, which can only process about 15 to 30 transactions/second, and also makes PulseChain a potential choice for DeFi, GameFi, NFT applications,… requiring large processing volumes in real-time.

3. Non-inflationary token model & burning fee mechanism

One of the highlights in PulseChain’s tokenomics design is the application of a 0% inflation model for PLS tokens – meaning no new PLS is created after the initial distribution.

Instead, PulseChain uses a transaction fee burning mechanism:

• A portion of the transaction fee in each block will be permanently burned
• This reduces the circulating supply over time
• Contributes to the long-term value increase of PLS

This mechanism is likened to an “improved Ethereum,” where the network is not only faster and cheaper but also has a clear inflation control strategy from day one.

4. Full compatibility with Ethereum

PulseChain is built to be 100% compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This means:

• Ethereum smart contracts can run on PulseChain without source code modification
• Projects can be redeployed quickly with just a few configuration steps
• ERC-20 tokens are “copied” to PulseChain as PRC-20, functioning equivalently

This compatibility allows PulseChain to leverage both the Ethereum developer community and the existing application ecosystem, creating a significant competitive advantage in the Layer 1 race.

Highlights of PulseChain

In the highly competitive Layer 1 market, PulseChain is not just a simple fork of Ethereum. This project possesses many unique technological and strategic deployment factors, positioning it as a comprehensive alternative solution to the Ethereum network. Below are the highlights that make PulseChain attractive:

• Superior transaction speed: Block time is only about 3 seconds, much faster than Ethereum, with a theoretical throughput of up to 1.5 million transactions per second. PulseChain helps solve the network congestion problem, a persistent issue that Ethereum often faces during peak market periods.
• Transaction fees 100 times cheaper than Ethereum: Transaction fees are only 1/100 compared to Ethereum with a 0% inflation model when no new tokens are issued after the Airdrop
• Fully compatible with Ethereum: Copies the entire Ethereum network state at the time of the fork when supporting the PRC-20 standard, equivalent to ERC-20 and compatible with EVM, allowing smart contract deployment identical to Ethereum.
• The largest airdrop in Crypto history: Free PLS tokens are given to users holding ETH and ERC-20 at the snapshot time, creating a significant incentive for the Ethereum community to care, test, and support PulseChain from the early days
• Environmentally friendly: PulseChain uses the Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) mechanism, a more energy-efficient variant.

Potential and challenges of PulseChain

Although newly launched, PulseChain has quickly attracted the attention of the crypto community thanks to its superior transaction speed, low fees, and aggressive airdrop strategy. However, like every other Layer 1 project, PulseChain also faces many significant challenges if it wants to become a sustainable ecosystem. Let’s objectively evaluate:

Potential of PulseChain

Expanding the DeFi ecosystem

With fast and cheap blockchain infrastructure, PulseChain is gradually becoming an ideal place for DeFi projects to build:

• PulseX has been operating stably with steadily increasing liquidity
• Many new projects like 9inch, Phux, Sparkswap,… are testing on the network
• High processing capability helps DeFi dApps operate smoothly, avoiding congestion

Ethereum compatibility, attracting developers

Copying the entire Ethereum state helps PulseChain:

• Support easy dApp migration
• Leverage Ethereum’s open-source resources and development tools
• Create a new playground for builders without needing to relearn foundational knowledge

Large community, Richard Heart effect

Despite being controversial, Richard Heart still has a large following, especially from the HEX community. Thanks to that:

• PulseChain has a large support force from the start
• The number of validators reaching 50,000+ is proof of community attraction
• Many Ethereum users have also participated in testing thanks to the airdrop program

Challenges of PulseChain

The ecosystem is still nascent

• Besides PulseX, the number of quality dApps on PulseChain is still limited
• Lacks pillars like lending protocols, oracles, launchpads,…
• Does not yet have a complete developer tools system like Ethereum or Solana

Legal controversies around the founder

• Richard Heart is currently being sued by the SEC for allegedly offering unregistered securities and misusing raised funds
• Although there is no final verdict yet, this lawsuit could affect investor sentiment and the project’s reputation as well as relationships with exchanges or investment funds

Strong price volatility after Airdrop

• The large airdrop of PLS and PLSX results in a very large initial supply
• Profit-taking sentiment after the airdrop can create selling pressure, causing strong price volatility
• Investors need to be cautious when trading in the early stages

Token Information and Tokenomics

Basic Information

How to add Pulsechain network to Metamask wallet

Distribution model and tokenomics:

PulseChain applies a non-inflationary model, meaning no new PLS is created after the initial distribution. Additionally, the burning fee mechanism helps gradually reduce the supply over time, creating a natural deflationary pressure.

Highlights in tokenomics:

• 0% inflation: no additional token issuance
• Burn transaction fees: helps control supply
• Large airdrop: free distribution of PLS to Ethereum users
• Used for staking, gas fees, network governance

Project Team and Investors

The project was founded by Richard Heart, a famous (and controversial) figure in the Crypto space. Before PulseChain, he was behind HEX, a token with a staking model that attracted significant attention in 2020-2022.

Although Richard Heart has a good community-building ability, he is also entangled in a lawsuit from the SEC for allegedly offering unregistered securities. This raises some doubts about the transparency and credibility of the project in the eyes of traditional investors.

As of now, PulseChain has not announced a specific technical team, nor has any major institutional investor officially confirmed participation.

Portrait of Richard Heart

Conclusion

PulseChain brings an ambitious promise: a faster, cheaper, and more accessible version of Ethereum, while maintaining compatibility with EVM and the entire existing ecosystem. From the PoSA consensus mechanism, non-inflationary token model, to high transaction speeds and the PulseX ecosystem – this project is opening up a noteworthy direction in the Layer 1 race.

However, PulseChain is still a young network. The ecosystem is limited, the legal status of the founder is still in question, and long-term sustainability needs more time to verify. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a high-performance blockchain platform and want to get ahead of the wave of new projects building on PulseChain, this is still an ecosystem worth watching and experiencing, especially when it is backed by an extremely enthusiastic community ready to develop from the early days.