Here is an quick update to this post. I will probably write up a post that will compare SmartNodes to Bitcoin Full Nodes. Currently Bitcoin is still the leader in the total amount of Full Nodes at over 11K. Here is a link that continues to track this: https://bitnodes.earn.com/dashboard/?days=365
Also, I think it is important that people understand the value of Full Nodes I recommend you watch this
by the famous Andreas M. Antonopoulos
video by