Secret Network vs Oasis Network: TEE-Based Privacy vs Confidential ParaTimes

Secret Network excels at providing a unified, privacy-first execution environment by building its entire Layer 1 around Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). This deep integration ensures that privacy is the default state for smart contracts (called "secret contracts"), with data encrypted during computation. For example, its mainnet has processed over 50 million private transactions, demonstrating proven, on-chain private computation at scale with fees typically under $0.01.

Oasis Network takes a different approach by separating consensus and execution into the Consensus Layer and ParaTime Layers. This modular architecture allows developers to choose a specialized Confidential ParaTime (like Cipher) for TEE-based privacy or a different ParaTime for other needs (e.g., EVM-compatibility with the Sapphire ParaTime). This results in a trade-off: greater flexibility and potential for higher throughput (Sapphire can handle ~1,000 TPS) but a more complex deployment model where privacy is an opt-in, para-time-specific feature rather than a network-wide guarantee.

The key trade-off: If your priority is a sovereign, dedicated chain where privacy is the non-negotiable, foundational property for all applications—such as private DeFi or confidential NFTs—choose Secret Network. If you prioritize architectural flexibility, the ability to leverage both private and public computation in a single ecosystem, or require specific EVM compatibility from day one, choose Oasis Network and its Confidential ParaTimes.

Secret Network excels at providing default, programmable privacy for smart contracts because its entire mainnet is built on Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs). This creates a uniform, secure enclave for all dApps, enabling private computations on encrypted data. For example, its flagship privacy DeFi protocol, Shade Protocol, leverages this to offer private swaps and lending with over $10M in historical TVL, demonstrating a proven use case for its architecture.

Oasis Network takes a different approach by separating consensus and execution into the Consensus Layer and ParaTimes. This modular design allows for diverse, purpose-built confidential ParaTimes (like the Cipher ParaTime) that can be optimized for specific use cases, such as confidential AI or enterprise data co-processing. This results in a trade-off: greater flexibility and potential specialization at the cost of a more fragmented developer experience compared to Secret's unified environment.

The key trade-off: If your priority is a battle-tested, monolithic chain for privacy-first DeFi and NFTs where every contract is private by default, choose Secret Network. Its integrated TEE model and established ecosystem with tools like Secret.js and the SNIP-20 token standard provide a streamlined path. If you prioritize architectural flexibility, data tokenization (e.g., via the Oasis Privacy Layer), or need to build a custom confidential runtime for a niche vertical like confidential AI, choose Oasis Network. Its parachain-like structure and higher theoretical throughput (up to 1,000 TPS per ParaTime vs. Secret's ~20 TPS mainnet) cater to scalable, specialized applications.