Polygon review: from a sidechain to a family of networks

Polygon began in 2017 as Matic Network, founded by a team from India, and was renamed Polygon in 2021. It became one of the most used networks for Ethereum-compatible applications.

Polygon PoS

The best-known product is the Polygon PoS chain: an Ethereum-compatible network with its own validators and proof-of-stake consensus that periodically checkpoints to Ethereum. Because it has its own validator set, it is often described as a sidechain rather than a rollup. Fees are low, and many games, payments and DeFi applications use it.

Zero-knowledge direction

Polygon invested heavily in zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, which let a network prove that a batch of transactions is valid without everyone re-executing it. The project develops ZK-based scaling technology and tools to connect several chains.

From MATIC to POL

The original token was MATIC. In 2024 the project began migrating to POL, intended as the token for staking and securing multiple Polygon chains. On exchanges, the market now trades as POL — see the POL coin page.

What users notice

• Very low fees on Polygon PoS.
• Ethereum wallets work after adding the network.
• Bridging between Ethereum and Polygon takes time and uses official bridges.

Risks

Validator and bridge security, changes during the token migration, and competition among scaling networks.

This review describes the project's design and is not investment advice. Cryptocurrency prices can be highly volatile.