Polkadot’s governance is centralized around its Relay Chain, with DOT holders, a council, and a technical committee guiding network decisions. This structured model ensures cohesive upgrades but may feel restrictive for developers seeking full autonomy. The Substrate framework, supporting multiple consensus algorithms (e.g., GRANDPA, BABE), is highly flexible and attracts developers with strong technical expertise, particularly in Rust. Polkadot’s shared security reduces the burden of bootstrapping validator networks, making it appealing for resource-rich projects.