  Blockchain technology is essential for the digital economy and metaverse,
supporting applications from decentralized finance to virtual assets. However,
its potential is constrained by the "Blockchain Trilemma," which necessitates
balancing decentralization, security, and scalability. This study evaluates and
compares two leading proof-of-stake (PoS) systems, Algorand and Ethereum 2.0,
against these critical metrics. Our research interprets existing indices to
measure decentralization, evaluates scalability through transactional data, and
assesses security by identifying potential vulnerabilities. Utilizing
real-world data, we analyze each platform's strategies in a structured manner
to understand their effectiveness in addressing trilemma challenges. The
findings highlight each platform's strengths and propose general methodologies
for evaluating key blockchain characteristics applicable to other systems. This
research advances the understanding of blockchain technologies and their
implications for the future digital economy. Data and code are available on
GitHub as open source.
