Layer 2 Comparison: Arbitrum vs Optimism vs Base

As Ethereum's Layer 2 ecosystem matures, choosing the right L2 investment requires understanding the fundamental differences. Here's our deep dive into the leading scaling solutions.

STRICT Score Comparison

Protocol	Symbol	Score	Tier
Arbitrum	ARB	76	Silver
Optimism	OP	72	Silver
Base	-	N/A	No Token
zkSync	ZK	68	Bronze

Key Metrics Breakdown

Total Value Locked (TVL)

Current TVL Rankings:

🥇 Arbitrum: $10.2B - Dominant market leader
🥈 Base: $5.8B - Coinbase-powered growth
🥉 Optimism: $5.2B - Superchain ecosystem
4️⃣ zkSync: $1.1B - Early stage adoption

Daily Active Addresses

Coinbase integration driving massive retail adoption

Learn About Our Research First

Understand how we analyze cryptocurrencies before unlocking premium content.

Learn About STRICT Skip to Plans

Free educationMake informed decisions

Weekly Crypto Insights

Market analysis and actionable insights. No spam, ever.

Related Research

ResearchPremium

Crypto Market Outlook: What to Expect in 2025

December 5, 2024

ResearchFree

Layer 2 Tokens Lead the Recovery While Markets Bleed

March 6, 2026

ResearchFree

Layer 1 Comparison 2026: Ethereum Leads, Sui TVL Falls 85%

February 7, 2026

STRICT Score Comparison

Key Metrics Breakdown

Total Value Locked (TVL)

Daily Active Addresses

Learn About Our Research First

Tags

Weekly Crypto Insights

Related Research

Crypto Market Outlook: What to Expect in 2025

Layer 2 Tokens Lead the Recovery While Markets Bleed

Layer 1 Comparison 2026: Ethereum Leads, Sui TVL Falls 85%

STRICT Score Comparison

Key Metrics Breakdown

Total Value Locked (TVL)

Daily Active Addresses