Consensus Mechanism Comparison Calculator

Choosing a consensus mechanism shapes almost everything about a blockchain's tradeoffs, and this calculator models four common designs — Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, Delegated PoS, and Proof of Authority — using fixed per-mechanism assumptions layered on top of your network parameters. Energy use is modeled with representative annual kWh-per-node figures (PoW nodes assumed at roughly 1.5kW continuous draw for mining hardware, versus a lightweight ~50W for PoS/DPoS validators and ~30W for PoA authority nodes), scaled by your node count — except for DPoS, where the model caps "active" nodes at 101 delegates, reflecting how delegated systems concentrate block production in a small elected set regardless of how many total token holders exist. Finality time — how long before a transaction is truly irreversible — is derived as a multiple of your block time input (6 confirmations for PoW, roughly 2 epochs for PoS, faster for DPoS, and near-instant for PoA), while estimated TPS uses fixed throughput multipliers per mechanism reflecting typical real-world capacity differences.

The decentralization score starts from a baseline per mechanism (PoW and PoS score highest as permissionless systems, DPoS lower due to its limited delegate set, PoA lowest as a permissioned design) and adds a bonus for higher node counts with diminishing returns via a logarithmic curve. The security score is similarly a logarithmic function of the economic security value you provide (hashrate cost equivalent or total staked value). Treat every score here as an illustrative, order-of-magnitude comparison rather than a precise audit — real networks vary enormously in implementation details that this simplified model can't capture.