The number of transactions processed on a blockchain is a reliable metric for measuring its usage. However, it should be noted that this metric alone may not provide sufficient insight into the actual value of the transactions being conducted. For instance, while some chains may have a lower transaction count, the value of these transactions may be significantly higher due to their use in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. On the other hand, certain chains may have a higher transaction count due to their use in gaming or other applications involving lower value transactions.

At deltapools, we analyze every block and count the number of user-initiated transactions. We exclude system transactions that are not initiated by users or smart contracts to ensure that our transaction count metric accurately reflects real network activity. As example, OP-Stack chains have one system transaction per block (42k transactions per day) which we exclude from our counts. This onchain metric is also often called 'Tx Count', 'Number of Transactions', 'Transaction Volume' or 'Transactions per Day/Month.

Transaction count can be artificially inflated through spam transactions or micro-transactions that do not represent meaningful activity on the network. Especially since transaction costs dropped for Layer 2s (after the Dencun upgrade in March 2024). Also worth noting: transaction can vary in complexity. The gas used for a transaction can range from 21,000 for a simple ETH transfer to several hundred thousand for more complex interactions. This metric is best analyzed together with Chain Revenue or Transaction Costs. If users have to pay high fees to get their transactions in they are less likely to spam the network.

A rising transaction count generally indicates growing user interest and adoption of the blockchain, while a declining count may signal waning engagement. However, it's important to consider transaction count in context with other metrics, as high activity doesn't always equate to a healthy or valuable network.