NEAR Protocol and Polygon (MATIC) are two blockchain protocols that have emerged as alternatives to Ethereum's network congestion issues. NEAR Protocol uses a technology called sharding to split the blockchain into fragments, allowing for over 100,000 transactions per second (tps) with minimal fees. Polygon, on the other hand, is a layer two solution that works on top of the Ethereum main chain, processing up to 65,000 tps. Both protocols use a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism and have not suffered from congestion issues despite wide adoption.

While Polygon is built on top of Ethereum, making it inherently compatible, NEAR Protocol has also implemented Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility, allowing for cross-chain transactions. Despite NEAR's higher throughput, it has a lower market value than Polygon, with capitalizations of $7.5 billion and $9.8 billion respectively.

In terms of future outlook, NEAR has seen a 600% value increase in the last six months, while MATIC has increased around 50% in the same period. Both assets offer significant investment opportunities, and the choice between them depends on individual investment strategies.