The Open Network (TON) blockchain has recorded a substantial drop in daily active users, according to on-chain data from analytics provider IntoTheBlock.
A chart shared on social media platform X by the on-chain metrics firm reveals a sharp decline in TON’s daily user activity over recent weeks. During this period, Toncoin, the native token of the Telegram-backed layer-1 blockchain, has also faced challenges in gaining upward momentum.
In September, the TON blockchain saw a surge in daily active users, particularly driven by activity in the decentralized gaming sector. According to a report from DappRadar, the user growth was largely fueled by Telegram-based decentralized applications (dApps), including popular projects like Catizen and Yescoin. On September 27, active addresses on the network exceeded 5 million, marking a significant peak.
However, this spike was short-lived. As of October 21, the number of daily active addresses has dropped dramatically to 1.58 million—a sharp decline from the previous peak of 5.16 million. This plunge coincides with broader market turbulence and a reduction in on-chain activity across the network. Key indicators such as new address creation and zero-balance addresses have also seen substantial declines, falling from 2.58 million and 346,000 to under 650,000 and 68,000, respectively.
Analysts from IntoTheBlock noted that spikes in TON’s user activity have historically been linked to hype cycles or major events, and the current decline reflects a broader market slowdown. Telegram’s recent issues, including the legal troubles of its founder, Pavel Durov, have also likely contributed to the dip in network activity.
Despite the downturn, future network events—such as integrations with payment platforms like Alchemy Pay—may present opportunities for TON to recover its active user base. Additionally, airdrop events, such as the recent Dogs token distribution, have previously sparked temporary upticks in user engagement.