What is Polygon, and what counts as a Polygon token?
Polygon started life as Matic Network and grew into a family of networks built to scale Ethereum. The one most people mean today is Polygon PoS: an EVM-compatible proof-of-stake chain that periodically checkpoints its state to Ethereum. Because it runs the same smart-contract environment as Ethereum, the same wallets, addresses, and token standards work on both, and fees are usually far lower than on Ethereum mainnet.
When people search for Polygon tokens or Polygon ecosystem tokens by market cap, they usually want a ranked view of the assets that live on the network: POL itself, stablecoins, large tokens bridged from Ethereum, DeFi and gaming projects that launched on Polygon, and community tokens. TokenCap’s Polygon view follows CoinGecko’s polygon-ecosystem category, and the live table is always the source of truth for which coins appear and in what order.
MATIC to POL: why you may see two names
For years the network’s token was MATIC. In September 2024 Polygon began migrating MATIC to POL, an upgraded token that now pays gas and secures staking on Polygon PoS. The migration was designed as a one-to-one swap, but it rolled out across exchanges, wallets, and data providers at different speeds.
That is why older articles, tax records, and some exchange tickers still say MATIC, while newer listings say POL. If a ranking looks like it is missing Polygon’s own token, check for the other name before assuming an error, and use the coin detail page linked from the live table to confirm which asset you are looking at.
PoS, zkEVM, and AggLayer in plain terms
Polygon has shipped more than one network. Alongside Polygon PoS, it launched Polygon zkEVM, a zero-knowledge rollup that posts proofs to Ethereum, and later announced plans to wind it down and concentrate on PoS. It is also building AggLayer, an interoperability layer meant to connect separate chains so assets and messages can move between them.
For market-cap purposes, the practical point is simple: “Polygon tokens” in most rankings means assets on Polygon PoS. A token that only exists on a different Polygon-connected chain may or may not carry the polygon-ecosystem tag, so treat the category as a guide to the main network rather than a complete map of everything Polygon has built.
Bridged vs native assets and multichain caveats
Many big names on Polygon arrived by bridge. A token issued on Ethereum can be locked there while a representation of it circulates on Polygon. Some issuers later deployed native versions too; USDC is the best-known case, where Circle’s native USDC sits alongside the older bridged version, often labeled USDC.e. Both can appear in wallets with similar names, and they are not always interchangeable in every app.
Because CoinGecko can tag one asset with several ecosystem categories, the same brand may show up here and in our Ethereum tokens by market cap landing. Its market cap usually describes the asset as a whole, not just the supply on Polygon, so a large multichain token can rank highly even if most of its activity happens elsewhere. Before you interact with any contract, confirm the address from the project’s official channels or the coin detail page, since look-alike tokens with copied names and tickers are common.
Who uses Polygon ecosystem rankings?
Traders watch how POL and Polygon-native projects size up against bridged blue chips. Builders and researchers compare the ecosystem with other EVM networks such as Base and BNB Chain, or with non-EVM chains like Solana. People who hold assets on Polygon through a wallet or a game want a quick way to see what is established and what is new. TokenCap links static landings like this one to live category views for exactly that.
For protocol finance across chains, open DeFi tokens by market cap; for dollar-pegged assets, many of which are issued on Polygon, see stablecoins by market cap. New to rankings? Read what market cap means in crypto and how circulating supply is counted, or return to the TokenCap home markets table for all cryptocurrencies.
Disclaimer
TokenCap provides market information only. Nothing on this site is financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, and bridged assets carry added bridge and smart-contract risk. Always verify data on the live table and do your own research before making decisions.