What is Acurast? How It Works & Where to Use It

Overview

Acurast at a glance.

Acurast lets developers run computation on a permissionless network of smartphone-based processors instead of centralized servers, with the Acurast token ACU used to pay for compute, secure the chain through staking, and govern the protocol. Here is how it works and what it is used for, not the price.

Total value locked (DeFi)

n/a

Value locked in DeFi protocols on Acurast. Updated Jun 8, 2026. Source: DefiLlama.

Native token

ACU

Used for fees and securing the network. See the live ACU price.

How it works

How Acurast works.

Acurast runs as a Substrate-based parachain in the Polkadot ecosystem and uses Nominated Proof of Stake. ACU holders nominate validators that produce blocks and secure the chain, and the design pairs that on-chain layer with an orchestrator that matches developer workloads to available smartphone processors. The Genesis mainnet and the ACU token went live in November 2025.

Consensus: Nominated Proof of Stake

Acurast runs as a Substrate-based parachain in the Polkadot ecosystem and uses Nominated Proof of Stake. ACU holders nominate validators that produce blocks and secure the chain, and the design pairs that on-chain layer with an orchestrator that matches developer workloads to available smartphone processors. The Genesis mainnet and the ACU token went live in November 2025.

Smartphone processors

Idle smartphones run the Acurast app and act as processors, contributing compute to the network and earning rewards for completing developer workloads.

Orchestrator

A consensus-layer orchestrator schedules jobs and matches each developer deployment to suitable processors using mechanisms such as auctions and advertisements.

Trusted execution

Processors run workloads inside the secure hardware of the device so results can be attested and verified rather than simply trusted.

ACU token roles

ACU pays for compute, is staked under Nominated Proof of Stake to secure the chain, and carries governance rights. A portion of ACU is burned on settlement transactions.

Ecosystem & usage

What Acurast is used for.

The Acurast ecosystem centers on developers buying compute and smartphone owners supplying it, coordinated by the orchestrator and the ACU token.

Serverless compute

Developers run off-chain functions and backend workloads on the network instead of provisioning centralized cloud servers.

Oracle and data jobs

Verifiable off-chain computation can feed data and results to applications and other chains that Acurast connects to.

Monetizing idle devices

Smartphone owners contribute spare device capacity to the network and earn rewards for the workloads they process.

In Zypto App

Hold, swap and spend ACU.

Acurast is integrated in Zypto App. Hold ACU in self-custody, swap it to any supported asset, and use it across Zypto’s features.

Hold ACU in Zypto How to buy ACU

Be the reason Acurast ships next.

Acurast isn’t in Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritised.

Request on X

FAQ

Common questions.

What is Acurast?

Acurast is a Layer 1 decentralized compute network, built as a Substrate-based Polkadot parachain, that turns smartphones into a serverless cloud for running off-chain workloads. Its native token is ACU.

What consensus does Acurast use?

Acurast uses Nominated Proof of Stake. ACU holders nominate validators that produce blocks and secure the chain, alongside an orchestrator that matches workloads to smartphone processors.

What is the ACU token used for?

ACU is used to pay for compute on the network, to secure the chain through staking, and for governance. A portion of ACU is burned on settlement transactions.

When did Acurast launch?

Acurast launched its Genesis mainnet and the ACU token in November 2025, and on-chain governance went live in March 2026.

Can I hold ACU in the Zypto App?

Not yet. ACU isn't in Zypto App at the moment. You can hold it in any self-custodial wallet, and you can ask us to add Acurast using the "Request Acurast" button above.

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