Hedera (HBAR) vs NEAR Protocol (NEAR)

Hedera Hashgraph is a layer 1 blockchain platform that aims to be a more efficient, secure, and reliable distributed ledger than Bitcoin. The protocol is based on Proof of Stake (PoS) and is powered by a unique technology called Hashgraph, which incorporates concepts from directed acyclic graph theory for node management and a mechanism called "gossip protocol" for transaction validation.

NEAR Protocol, more commonly abbreviated as Near, is a layer 1 blockchain operating on a Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism. The technological infrastructure of Near uses an innovative sharding method called Nightshade, which enhances transaction processing capacity and network scalability. Developers can create and deploy smart contracts using familiar programming languages, and the Aurora tool allows them to have full compatibility with Ethereum.