An EVM-compatible blockchain, Canto delivers free public infrastructure for DeFi—built-in DEX and lending—prioritizing permissionless, low-cost, rent-free financial primitives.
Canto is a Cosmos SDK Layer-1 with a built-in EVM (Canto EVM) that uses CANTO for gas and connects to the Cosmos ecosystem via IBC, enabling Solidity apps with native cross-chain interoperability. It is used for DeFi via its public-infrastructure AMM and lending market, cross-chain asset issuance/liquidity, and low-cost EVM deployments (block time ~6s, simple transfers typically cost under $0.01, practical throughput in the hundreds of TPS with burst capacity >1,000 TPS). Network activity varies with market conditions, commonly ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of transactions per day.
Canto’s defining feature is its Free Public Infrastructure (FPI): core DeFi primitives like the AMM and lending market are operated as public goods, avoiding protocol rent extraction while using CANTO for fees and governance. It also offers Contract Secured Revenue (CSR), which lets smart-contract developers register to receive a share of the gas paid on their contracts—aligning network fees directly with dApp developers. Combined with EVM compatibility plus IBC interoperability, Canto delivers low-fee (~<$0.01 transfers), fast (~6s blocks), and high-throughput (hundreds TPS) execution with native cross-chain connectivity.
Canto uses CANTO as the gas token for transaction fees. You can obtain CANTO by bridging from other chains or purchasing using thirdweb Bridge.
To bridge CANTO to Canto, connect your wallet to thirdweb bridge, select your source chain, choose the token you want to bridge, select Canto as the destination, enter the amount, and confirm the transaction. The bridge will handle the cross-chain transfer instantly.
To build on Canto you can use thirdweb, which provides an easy way to build, monetize and scale your apps, games or agents. You can find detailed guides and documentation on https://portal.thirdweb.com to get started quickly.
To add Canto to your wallet, you can connect your wallet and click on [Add to Wallet] button at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can add the network manually using the RPC URL and chain details and add it to your wallet's network settings.
To send CANTO on Canto, ensure your wallet is connected to the Canto network, enter the recipient's address, specify the amount of CANTO to send, review the gas fee, and confirm the transaction in your wallet.