Sui (SUI), one of the most prominent next-generation Layer-1 blockchains, is rapidly attracting attention from crypto investors and institutional players alike. Built on the Move programming language and born from the legacy of Meta’s Diem initiative, Sui seeks to overcome the transaction speed and scalability limitations of earlier blockchain architectures.

This article offers a comprehensive short-term price forecast for SUI, based on up-to-date technical and fundamental analysis. It also includes a comparative section on Aptos (APT) –  a fellow Move-based Layer-1, to contextualize Sui’s position in the market.

Current Market Context and Recent Developments

Sui launched its mainnet in early 2023 and has since demonstrated notable growth and market momentum. Over the past six months, SUI has surged by approximately 46%, with an impressive 52% gain in the past month alone. Despite a minor 4% pullback last week, the trend remains firmly bullish.

At its peak, SUI recorded a price increase of more than 300% from early 2024 to early 2025. As of mid-May 2025, SUI trades around the $3.90–$4.00 level, regaining strength after a brief correction triggered by large token unlocks.

From a broader market perspective, institutional interest is accelerating. In May 2025, Sui-linked investment products attracted $11.7 million in inflows – the highest among all altcoins, according to CoinShares. This surge in capital came as Solana and other competitors saw net outflows.

Investment firm 21Shares, Grayscale, also filed for a U.S.-based Sui ETF, having launched a European Sui ETP in 2024. These moves underscore a growing appetite for exposure to the Sui ecosystem.

Ecosystem Growth and Real-World Usage

As of Q2 2025, Sui’s DeFi ecosystem boasts nearly $2 billion in total value locked (TVL), outpacing most other post-Ethereum Layer-1s. Leading lending protocols such as SuiLend and Navi each manage over $450 million in TVL. Additionally, perpetual futures exchange BlueFin has risen to prominence with $250 million in daily trading volume.

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Sui has also integrated with real-world asset (RWA) protocols like Ondo Finance to expand stablecoin infrastructure. The network is increasingly seen as a destination for scalable, on-chain financial applications. Its design allows for localized fee markets, low latency, and cost efficiency – critical advantages for institutional-grade trading.

One key metric: Sui’s on-chain fee revenue in November 2024 exceeded Aptos’ entire fee revenue from the previous year by 24%, illustrating its higher network activity and validator profitability.

Moreover, Binance Alpha has recently played a pivotal role in accelerating the visibility and adoption of the Sui ecosystem. Several projects built on Sui have been listed on Binance following their feature in Binance Alpha’s research pipeline – a clear sign of confidence in the network’s potential, such as:

• Scallop (SCA)
• Navi (NAVX)
• Bluefin (BLUE)
• Hippo (HIPPO)

In a further show of support, Binance Alpha officially integrated the Sui blockchain into its infrastructure in early May 2025, enabling deeper analytical tooling and exposure for Sui-based projects. This level of exchange-endorsed backing is rare and reinforces Sui’s status as a rising Layer-1 contender.

Developer and Community Momentum

Sui is backed by Mysten Labs, which raised $300 million in 2022 from top-tier investors including a16z and FTX Ventures. In 2024, the team repurchased FTX’s equity stake and token rights for $96 million, reinforcing its long-term commitment to decentralization.

The Sui developer community remains active, averaging over 280 weekly contributors in early 2024 – slightly more than Aptos. Social metrics indicate that Sui is dominating public attention. As of late 2024, Google Trends data showed that interest in “Sui” was nine times greater than “Aptos,” and at times even surpassed Ethereum and Solana.

The platform’s public-facing momentum is further reflected in its superior social media following and engagement across X and Discord.

Tokenomics and Capital Flow Mechanics

SUI has a capped total supply of 10 billion tokens. As of early 2025, around 30.9% of that supply is in circulation. A series of large token unlocks, including a $322 million tranche in February 2025 – caused temporary price pressures earlier this year. However, recent unlocks have been better absorbed, suggesting stronger market maturity.

Unlike Aptos, which burns transaction fees, Sui distributes all fees directly to validators. This model offers higher economic incentives for node operators and stakers as network activity grows. Additionally, Sui features an innovative storage fee system: users deposit SUI when storing data on-chain and can reclaim up to 99% upon deletion. The remaining 1% goes into a communal storage fund for long-term sustainability.

This storage-based mechanism acts as a natural deflationary sink, complementing the validator-focused revenue stream. Combined with the high on-chain activity, these features create strong fundamental support for the token’s value.

SUI Price Prediction: Target range of $5–6

In the short term, SUI’s price trajectory continues to look bullish, with its next upside target projected in the $5–$6 range, assuming broader market sentiment remains constructive.

The token has shown strong technical recovery since bottoming at $1.90 in early April, more than doubling within a month to trade near the $3.90–$4.00 zone by mid-May 2025.

This analysis draws a deliberate comparison between Sui and Aptos, not just because both projects are rooted in Meta’s Diem legacy and the Move programming language, but also due to their divergent market performance in a time when investor capital is increasingly selective. 

With capital rotation tightening across Layer-1s amid macro uncertainty and thinning liquidity, evaluating relative strength becomes crucial.

Sui, on the other hand, is benefiting from multiple tailwinds. ETF-driven Bitcoin inflows have revived risk appetite across altcoins, particularly for those with strong ecosystem growth. Binance has played a key role in spotlighting SUI through frequent project listings tied to its ecosystem, reinforcing institutional confidence. 

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On-chain metrics back this up: Sui has recently surpassed Aptos in network activity, daily active users, and DeFi TVL. Its object-centric parallel execution model is also gaining traction among developers building high-frequency financial applications and games.

That said, broader market conditions remain fragile. Liquidity absorption, regulatory uncertainty in the U.S., and fading hype cycles can easily cap upside potential. For SUI to reach and sustain the $5–$6 range, it will need continued momentum from ecosystem expansion and sustained demand from institutions and retail alike. Should Bitcoin retrace or macro headwinds return, SUI may also face sharp corrections.

Conclusion

Overall, Sui currently holds the upper hand in terms of growth momentum and market attention. In the near term, SUI maintains a bullish trajectory with a target range of $5–6, as long as broader market sentiment remains optimistic and Sui continues to expand its ecosystem. 

However, Aptos is not far behind and still has the potential to catch up – provided it can capitalize on its technological strengths and recalibrate its strategy effectively.

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