Ethereum Layer 2 Comparison 2026
Side-by-side comparison of the top Ethereum L2 networks by fees, speed, TVL and ecosystem maturity.
| Feature | Arbitrum One | Optimism | Base | zkSync Era | Starknet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Optimistic | Optimistic | Optimistic | ZK-rollup | ZK-rollup |
| Avg tx fee | ~$0.01-0.05 | ~$0.01-0.05 | ~$0.001-0.01 | ~$0.01-0.10 | ~$0.05-0.20 |
| TVL (Jul 2026) | ~$18B | ~$8B | ~$12B | ~$4B | ~$2B |
| Finality | ~7 days | ~7 days | ~7 days | ~24h | ~4h |
| EVM compatible | ✅ Full | ✅ Full | ✅ Full | ✅ Full | 🔴 Partial |
| Native token | ARB | OP | ETH only | ZK | STRK |
| Best for | DeFi, trading | OP Stack apps | Coinbase users | ZK security | DeFi + Cairo |
| Ecosystem | 🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥 | 🟥🟥🟥🟥⚪ | 🟥🟥🟥🟥⚪ | 🟥🟥🟥⚪⚪ | 🟥🟥🟥⚪⚪ |
✅ Optimistic rollups (Arbitrum, OP, Base)
- EVM identical — deploy existing Solidity without changes
- Lower fees, especially Base (post EIP-4844)
- 7-day withdrawal period to L1 (use fast bridge to skip)
- Largest DeFi ecosystems today
🔒 ZK rollups (zkSync, Starknet)
- Cryptographic proof = stronger security guarantees
- Faster finality to L1 (hours vs days)
- Higher computational cost = slightly higher fees
- Growing ecosystems, still maturing