Ethereum L2 Comparison
Arbitrum vs Optimism vs Base vs zkSync — which L2 for what use.
Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem exploded in 2023-2024. Each L2 has different trade-offs — here's an overview for practical selection.
Optimistic Rollups (Fraud Proof):
Arbitrum One:
•TVL: #1 L2 (~$15B+)
•Ecosystem: GMX, Camelot, Radiant, Pendle
•Gas: ~$0.01-0.10 per transaction
•Withdrawal: 7 days to L1 (bridge)
•Good for: DeFi trading, derivatives
Optimism (OP Mainnet):
•TVL: #2 optimistic rollup
•OP Stack — foundation for Coinbase Base
•Superchain vision — multi-chain coordination
•Good for: general DeFi use
Base (Coinbase):
•Built on OP Stack
•Coinbase integration → easy onboarding
•Massive adoption 2024: Friend.tech, Farcaster
•Gas: very low
•Good for: consumer apps, NFT, social
ZK Rollups (Validity Proof):
zkSync Era:
•Native account abstraction
•ZK Credo (open source)
•Good for: gasless txns, AA wallet
Polygon zkEVM:
•Ethereum equivalent ZK rollup
•Polygon 2.0 — AggLayer multi-chain
Starknet:
•StarkEx technology (dYdX v3, Sorare)
•Cairo language — native ZK
Which to choose:
•DeFi trading: Arbitrum
•Consumer/social: Base
•Institutional: Arbitrum or Optimism
•ZK enthusiast: zkSync or Starknet