The post The Best Layer-2 Networks Compared appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Ethereum competes with other chains like Solana or BNB Chain, thanks largely to its layer-2 solutions. In fact, while the layer-1 of Solana and BNB Chain do not require layer-2 solutions due to their very fast and cost-effective transactions, Ethereum’s layer-1, on the other hand, needs layer-2 to compete on equal footing in these aspects.  The most important Ethereum layer-2 solutions are Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon, zkSync Era, and Starknet. These are different solutions based either on easily implementable rollups or on secure and fast zero-knowledge (ZK) protocols.  Arbitrum Arbitrum is the leading layer-2 of Ethereum for adoption and liquidity.  It was developed by Offchain Labs and has reached a DeFi TVL of approximately 3 billion dollars.  It is a 100% EVM-compatible layer-2, allowing developers to migrate dApps from Ethereum without needing to make any modifications. Specifically, Arbitrum One handles up to 40,000 theoretical transactions per second, with a sustained average of 1,600 TPS and average costs of $0.08-0.10 per transaction. Arbitrum Nova, optimized for gaming and NFTs, further reduces costs to fractions of a cent.  On Arbitrum, there are already over 500 DeFi protocols hosted, such as Uniswap, Aave, and GMX, in addition to NFT marketplaces and games.  The main advantages are high liquidity, ease of development, and seamless integration with Ethereum. However, it is slightly slower compared to ZK-rollups. Base One of the most well-known layer-2 solutions is Base, as it was developed by the giant Coinbase.  This is an optimistic rollup launched in 2023, built on the OP Stack like Optimism, but managed independently.  Lately, it has surpassed Arbitrum in DeFi TVL, also thanks to its 4.2 million weekly active users.  It handles more transactions than any other layer-2 on Ethereum (up to 3.5 million per day), with average sustained TPS between 220–350.  The average fee per…

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Filed under: News - @ December 7, 2025 7:18 pm