IOTX is the native cryptocurrency of the IoTeX blockchain, and IoTeX's documentation compares its role to that of Ether (ETH) on Ethereum. Nodes that propose new blocks and identify fraudulent activities within the network are rewarded in IOTX.
Key facts from IoTeX's documentation
- Fees: Anyone initiating a transaction must pay a fee in IOTX.
- Voting: Token holders stake IOTX to vote for delegates.
- Collateral: Validator nodes stake IOTX as a form of commitment and collateral.
- Maximum supply: 10 billion IOTX.
- Total supply: 9,441,378,959 IOTX, with no date given.
How IoTeX's 2020 post described block production
IoTeX's June 2020 tokenomics post explained how its consensus system, Roll-DPoS, chooses the nodes that produce blocks. Token holders stake IOTX to vote for delegates. The votes rank the delegates. Every hour, 24 of the top 36 voted delegates are randomly selected to produce blocks. Holder votes therefore decide which delegates can be drawn. Producing blocks is also paid work, since the docs say nodes that propose new blocks are rewarded in IOTX. CoinMarketCap describes the base chain, IoTeX L1, as compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Its wording is "a secure, EVM-compatible blockchain with a Roll-DPoS consensus mechanism."
Which uses were live in 2020
The same 2020 post said two IOTX uses were already active: gas fees and governance. Gas fees are the transaction fees paid in the token. Governance covers staked voting. The post named two more uses, burn-to-certify and stake-to-service, that would be implemented in the future.
Burn-Drop in the current docs
IoTeX's current documentation describes a mechanism called Burn-Drop. When a new IoT device is registered on the IoTeX blockchain, a specified number of tokens are burned. A corresponding amount is airdropped to stakers. Stakers, the same group that votes for delegates, receive that airdrop.
What each IoTeX source says IOTX does
How does IoTeX's 2020 tokenomics post compare with its current documentation, job by job?
Each cell reports what that source says, not whether the job is running today, and the documentation notes the token model is being updated in IoTeX 2.0.
How much IOTX exists
IoTeX's documentation lists a maximum supply of 10 billion IOTX. It lists the total supply as 9,441,378,959 IOTX, with no date. CoinMarketCap says IoTeX created 10 billion IOTX at its mainnet launch in 2019. The total in the docs is lower than that launch figure. None of these pages explains the gap.
CoinMarketCap also reports that over 3.6 billion IOTX, about 38% of supply, is staked by the community. The page dates only its circulating-supply figure to August 2025.
How IOTX is described elsewhere
IoTeX's GitHub organization page calls the project "the blockchain platform for Real World AI." The IOTX page on the IoTeX website says the token secures the network through staking, governance and validator rewards. CoinMarketCap lists its uses as transactions, staking, governance and rewards for contributions to the network. Staking and governance appear in both the website's list and CoinMarketCap's list.
Analysis: the settled jobs and the open ones
IoTeX's current documentation lists fees and staked voting, the two uses the 2020 post called active. Those are the most settled parts of the IOTX story. Two device uses are less settled. The 2020 post listed burn-to-certify as a plan. The current docs describe Burn-Drop. Neither source says Burn-Drop replaced burn-to-certify. Supply needs the same care as the uses. Depending on the source, 10 billion is a maximum or a launch total. Anyone quoting an IOTX supply figure should name its source and date.
Editorial analysis: The jobs also show who needs to hold the token. Someone sending a transaction needs it for the fee. A holder who wants a say in delegate elections stakes it. A validator posts it as collateral. A node that proposes blocks or flags fraud earns it. Under the 2020 design, only the top 36 voted delegates could be drawn to produce blocks. A staker's vote therefore shaped which nodes could earn block rewards.
What the sources leave open
The 2020 post's date comes from page metadata, not its text. CoinMarketCap does not date its staking line or say what the staking share, about 38% of supply, is measured against. No dated source confirms that Burn-Drop or stake-to-service is running.
Next step
A separate explainer covers how staking compares with yield farming. IoTeX's token documentation is the place to check the current rules. That page sets out the fee rule, the staking uses and Burn-Drop in one place.
Sources: The IOTX Token | IoTeX L1 Blokchain | IoTeX Documentation (docs.iotex.io), accessed Oct 14, 2026 · IoTeX Tokenomics — Part 1: Utility of the IOTX Coin (blog.iotex.io), accessed Oct 14, 2026 · IoTeX price today, IOTX to USD live price, marketcap and chart | CoinMarketCap (coinmarketcap.com), accessed Oct 14, 2026 · IoTeX Network (github.com), accessed Oct 14, 2026 · $IOTX (iotex.io), accessed Oct 14, 2026
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