Dapps - Decentralized applications
Ethereum-powered tools and services
Dapps are a growing movement of applications that use Ethereum to disrupt business models or invent new ones.
Get started
To try a dapp, you'll need a and some ETH. A wallet will allow you to connect, or log in. And you'll need ETH to pay any .
Beginner friendly
A few dapps that are good for beginners. Explore more dapps below.
Uniswap
Swap your tokens with ease. A community favourite that allows you to trade tokens with folks across the network.
OpenSea
Buy, sell, discover, and trade limited-edition goods.
Gods Unchained
Strategic trading card game. Earn cards by playing that you can sell in real life.
Ethereum Name Service
User-friendly names for Ethereum addresses and decentralized sites.
Explore dapps
A lot of dapps are still experimental, testing the possibilities of decentralized networks. But there have been some successful early movers in the technology, financial, gaming and collectibles categories.
Choose category
Decentralized finance
These are applications that focus on building out financial services using cryptocurrencies. They offer the likes of lending, borrowing, earning interest, and private payments – no personal data required.
Always do your own research
Ethereum is a new technology and most applications are new. Before depositing any large quantities of money, make sure you understand the risks.Lending and borrowing
- Goto Aave website(opens in a new tab)AaveLend your tokens to earn interest and withdraw any time.
- Goto Compound website(opens in a new tab)CompoundLend your tokens to earn interest and withdraw any time.
- Goto Summer.fi website(opens in a new tab)Summer.fiTrade, borrow, and save with Dai, an Ethereum stablecoin.
- Goto PWN website(opens in a new tab)PWNEasy loans backed by any token or NFTs on Ethereum.
- Goto Yearn website(opens in a new tab)YearnYearn Finance is a yield aggregator. Giving individuals, DAOs and other protocols a way to deposit digital assets and receive yield.
- Goto Convex website(opens in a new tab)ConvexConvex allows Curve liquidity providers to earn trading fees and claim boosted CRV without locking their CRV.
Exchanges
- Goto Uniswap website(opens in a new tab)UniswapSwap tokens simply or provide tokens for % rewards.
- Goto Loopring website(opens in a new tab)LoopringPeer-to-peer trading platform built for speed.
- Goto Balancer website(opens in a new tab)BalancerBalancer is an automated portfolio manager and trading platform.
- Goto Curve website(opens in a new tab)CurveCurve is a dex focused on stablecoins
- Goto DODO website(opens in a new tab)DODODODO is a on-chain liquidity provider, which leverages the Proactive Market Maker algorithm (PMM)
Demand aggregators
- Goto KyberSwap website(opens in a new tab)KyberSwapSwap and earn at the best rates.
- Goto Matcha website(opens in a new tab)MatchaSearches multiple exchanges to help find you the best prices.
- Goto 1inch website(opens in a new tab)1inchHelps you avoid high price slippage by aggregating best prices.
Bridges
- Goto Rubic website(opens in a new tab)RubicCross-Chain tech aggregator for users and dApps.
Investment funds
- Goto PoolTogether website(opens in a new tab)PoolTogetherA lottery you can't lose. Prizes every week.
- Goto Index Coop website(opens in a new tab)Index CoopA crypto index fund that gives your portfolio exposure to top DeFi tokens.
- Goto Yearn website(opens in a new tab)YearnYearn Finance is a yield aggregator. Giving individuals, DAOs and other protocols a way to deposit digital assets and receive yield.
- Goto Convex website(opens in a new tab)ConvexConvex allows Curve liquidity providers to earn trading fees and claim boosted CRV without locking their CRV.
Portfolio management
- Goto Zapper website(opens in a new tab)ZapperTrack your portfolio and use a range of DeFi products from one interface.
- Goto Zerion website(opens in a new tab)ZerionManage your portfolio and simply evaluate every single DeFi asset on the market.
- Goto Rotki website(opens in a new tab)RotkiOpen source portfolio tracking, analytics, accounting and tax reporting tool that respects your privacy.
- Goto Krystal website(opens in a new tab)KrystalA one-stop platform to access all your favourite DeFi services.
Insurance
- Goto Nexus Mutual website(opens in a new tab)Nexus MutualCoverage without the insurance company. Get protected against smart contract bugs and hacks.
- Goto Etherisc website(opens in a new tab)EtheriscA decentralized insurance template anyone can use to create their own insurance coverage.
Payments
- Goto Sablier website(opens in a new tab)SablierStream money in real-time.
- Goto Request Finance website(opens in a new tab)Request FinanceA suite of financial tools for crypto invoices, payroll, and expenses.
Crowdfunding
- Goto Gitcoin Grants website(opens in a new tab)Gitcoin GrantsCrowdfunding for Ethereum community projects with amplified contributions
Derivatives
- Goto Synthetix website(opens in a new tab)SynthetixSynthetix is a protocol for issuing and trading synthetic assets
Liquid staking
- Goto Lido website(opens in a new tab)LidoSimplified and secure staking for digital assets.
- Goto Ankr website(opens in a new tab)AnkrSet of different Web3 infrastructure products for building, earning, gaming, and more — all on blockchain.
Prediction markets
- Goto Polymarket website(opens in a new tab)PolymarketBet on outcomes. Trade on information markets.
- Goto Synthetix website(opens in a new tab)SynthetixSynthetix is a protocol for issuing and trading synthetic assets
Want to browse more apps?
The magic behind decentralized finance
What is it about Ethereum that allows decentralized finance applications to thrive?
Open access
Financial services running on Ethereum have no sign up requirements. If you have funds and an internet connection, you’re good to go.
A new token economy
There’s a whole world of tokens that you can interact with across these financial products. People are building new tokens on top of Ethereum all the time.
Stablecoins
Teams have built – a less volatile cryptocurrency. These allow you to experiment and use crypto without the risk and uncertainty.
Interconnected financial services
Financial products in the Ethereum space are all modular and compatible with one another. New configurations of these modules are hitting the market all the time, increasing what you can do with your crypto.
The magic behind dapps
Dapps might feel like regular apps. But behind the scenes they have some special qualities because they inherit all of Ethereum’s superpowers. Here's what makes dapps different from apps.
What makes Ethereum great?No owners
Once deployed to Ethereum, dapp code can’t be taken down. And anyone can use the dapp’s features. Even if the team behind the dapp disbanded you could still use it. Once on Ethereum, it stays there.
Free from censorship
Built-in payments
Plug and play
One anonymous login
Backed by cryptography
No down time
How dapps work
Dapps have their backend code (smart contracts) running on a decentralized network and not a centralized server. They use the Ethereum for data storage and smart contracts for their app logic.
A smart contract is like a set of rules that live on-chain for all to see and run exactly according to those rules. Imagine a vending machine: if you supply it with enough funds and the right selection, you'll get the item you want. And like vending machines, smart contracts can hold funds much like your Ethereum account. This allows code to mediate agreements and transactions.
Once dapps are deployed on the Ethereum network you can't change them. Dapps can be decentralized because they are controlled by the logic written into the contract, not an individual or a company.