Layer 2 & Scaling

Ethereum's largest L2 by TVL with deep DeFi ecosystem but centralized sequencer.

Scroll is one of the most technically rigorous zkEVM implementations, offering bytecode-level Ethereum equivalence with strong security, though sequencer decentralization and ecosystem maturity are still developing.

Superchain pioneer powering Base and others, strong vision but centralized operations.

Massive ecosystem transitioning from PoS sidechain to ZK-powered L2 aggregation layer.

Celo's strategic migration from L1 to OP Stack L2 gains Ethereum security and Superchain interoperability while preserving its mobile-first, RWA-focused identity—a bold and well-reasoned strategic pivot.

Mantle Network leverages one of crypto's largest DAO treasuries and Bybit's exchange ecosystem to build a modular L2 with mETH liquid staking, offering strong financial backing but significant centralization around Bybit.

Leading zkEVM rollup with strong tech but centralized operations and post-airdrop ecosystem challenges.

Polygon's zkEVM rollup — one of the first production EVM-equivalent zk-rollups with genuine technical achievement, but competing within Polygon's own multi-chain strategy and facing fierce competition from zkSync, Scroll, and the broader L2 landscape.

Most technically advanced ZK rollup with STARK proofs, but non-EVM design limits adoption.

Optimistic rollup with decentralized sequencer progress, but small ecosystem and adoption.

Based rollup with decentralized sequencing from Ethereum L1 — principled design, very early ecosystem.

X Layer leverages Polygon CDK and OKX's massive user base to create a zkEVM L2, benefiting from exchange-driven adoption but raising centralization concerns due to deep OKX dependency.

opBNB extends BNB Chain with OP Stack-based L2 scaling for sub-cent transactions, backed by Binance's ecosystem but inheriting significant centralization from both OP Stack's current design and BNB Chain governance.

Ronin recovered remarkably from the devastating $620M bridge hack, rebuilding security and expanding beyond Axie Infinity into a broader gaming chain, but centralization and bridge trust remain ongoing concerns.

Rollup-as-a-service platform with EigenLayer-restaked rollups supporting multiple rollup frameworks.

Coinbase's L2 powerhouse — massive adoption and activity but fully centralized with no token.

Arbitrum's AnyTrust chain for gaming and social — ultra-cheap fees via a Data Availability Committee, but weaker security guarantees than a full rollup.

Ethereum-native multichain with gas-free L2 chains and containerized nodes for app-specific scaling.

Gaming-focused zkEVM with strong partnerships but dependent on crypto gaming mass adoption.

Blast pioneered the native-yield L2 concept with ETH staking and T-Bill returns built into the protocol, but its controversial deposit-locking launch, centralization, and sustainability questions demand skepticism.

Modular rollup ecosystem on Cosmos — RollApps with built-in settlement and IBC interoperability. Ambitious and technically sound.

StarkNet's native token — technically backed by top ZK tech but hampered by controversial distribution and weak demand.

Omnichain smart contracts that natively interact with any chain — ambitious universal interoperability thesis with growing ecosystem.

Linux-based L2 enabling dApp development with mainstream languages through RISC-V virtual machine.

Consumer crypto L2 from the Pudgy Penguins team with native smart wallets and mainstream UX focus.

Coinbase's L2 with massive user onboarding but fully centralized operations and no token.

Consensys' zkEVM rollup with MetaMask integration — institutional credibility but centralized and ecosystem still developing.

Bitcoin L2 bringing zkEVM to BTC — positioned in the hot BTCFi narrative with EVM-compatible DeFi on Bitcoin, but Bitcoin L2 security guarantees are fundamentally weaker than Ethereum L2s, and the space is crowded with competitors.

CyberConnect's social-focused L2 on OP Stack with native account abstraction — well-positioned in the SocialFi niche with genuine social graph infrastructure, but the decentralized social thesis remains unproven and competes with Lens, Farcaster, and mainstream platforms.

Modular execution layer with custom VM for parallel execution — strong tech, nascent ecosystem.

Treasury-rich L2 using modular DA, but centralized with incentive-driven ecosystem.

Gaming-focused L2 evolved from Treasure DAO on Arbitrum — established gaming community and infrastructure stack, but faces stiff competition from other gaming chains and uncertain MAGIC token value accrual.

Veteran crypto project reborn as OP Stack L2 targeting real-world assets and emerging market adoption.

Community-driven zkRollup with 100% fair token distribution and USDC gas fees — the fair launch ethos is genuine and refreshing, but post-launch ecosystem activity collapsed and the chain struggles to justify its existence among dozens of competing L2s.

Hybrid Bitcoin-Ethereum L2 on OP Stack — pragmatic approach to Bitcoin DeFi with a credible technical roadmap.

Solana's VM as an Ethereum L2 — ambitious modular design combining SVM performance with Ethereum security, but early-stage with the challenge of bootstrapping a new execution environment.

Galxe's L2 with OP+ZK hybrid — promising omnichain design but tightly coupled to Galxe's success.

Modular ZK-enabled L2 using Celestia DA — innovative tech stack but very early and unproven.

Move language L2 on Ethereum bringing resource-oriented safety to Ethereum's liquidity and security.

Synthetix's dedicated OP Stack appchain for V3 perps and synthetic assets. Purpose-built for the protocol's specific needs.

Calimero provides private shards on NEAR — useful for enterprise and confidential applications, but adoption is limited and tied to NEAR's overall ecosystem health.

Fhenix is building an FHE-powered L2 for confidential EVM computation — bleeding-edge tech that's still pre-mainnet and years from practical performance.

Cosmos-based DeFi chain with integrated perps and spot trading — technically solid but entering a crowded DeFi L1 space.

Modular ZK L2 pivoting from gaming focus — technically ambitious but very early, small ecosystem, competing in a crowded rollup market.

Vietnam-based gaming L2 on OP Stack — strong Southeast Asian community presence but unproven chain thesis in a crowded gaming L2 market.

Bitcoin L2 that rode the Ordinals wave to billions in TVL — impressive growth but sustainability questions linger.

OP Stack L2 with DeFi-focused incentive model — very early stage with limited differentiation.

Syscoin's OP Stack L2 with Bitcoin merged-mining DA — technically interesting security model but tiny ecosystem overshadowed by major L2 competitors.

Worldcoin's OP Stack L2 with human-verified priority transactions — inherits both Optimism's tech and Worldcoin's controversies.

Optimistic rollup with unique Hybrid Compute feature but minimal ecosystem and declining activity.

OP Stack L2 for NFTs and creators — clean UX focus but early-stage with limited differentiation in a crowded L2 landscape.

HYTOPIA's gaming L2 — gasless gameplay UX with session keys, but heavily dependent on a single gaming platform and early-stage ecosystem.

Inco Network provides FHE-powered confidential state as a modular service — ambitiously positioned but deeply pre-product with all the risks of bleeding-edge FHE.

KYC-gated L2 for compliant DeFi — bold regulatory thesis but sacrifices crypto's permissionless ethos for institutional access.

Entertainment-focused ZK Stack Hyperchain. Well-funded with a consumer crypto thesis but ecosystem is unproven and early.

Hybrid optimistic-zkEVM L2 — interesting architecture in an extremely crowded market.

OP Stack L2 for fully on-chain games — purpose-built for autonomous worlds but dependent on the on-chain gaming thesis proving out.

Creator-focused OP Stack L2 for NFTs and onchain media — niche but well-executed in a narrow market.

Com2uS's gaming chain (ex-C2X) with real game publisher backing — stronger than most gaming chains on content but limited by Korean market focus and tepid Web3 gaming adoption.

Gaming zkSync Hyperchain with solid ZK tech foundation — promising infrastructure but the gaming ecosystem is sparse and the chain competes against Immutable and Ronin.

NFT-focused L2 on OP Stack — purpose-built for NFT minting and trading, but launching into a declining NFT market with intense L2 competition for a narrowing use case.

Ethereum L2 with state channel heritage offering instant finality — technically differentiated by predictable fees and instant settlement, but practically dead with zero ecosystem activity and no visible development progress.

On-demand L2 creation platform — early RaaS concept from Korea but outpaced by Caldera, Conduit, and AltLayer in the rollup proliferation era.

iGaming L3 on Arbitrum Orbit — provably fair gambling on-chain sounds great but regulatory minefields and tiny user base make this a high-risk niche play.

Korean OP Stack L2 with ZK proof ambitions — technically sound with Wemade gaming backing, but the L2 space is brutally crowded and regional focus limits growth.

NFT sidechain built for Damien Hirst and cultural drops — near-dead activity as NFT hype faded, essentially a proof-of-authority chain with minimal decentralization.

Fiat-native blockchain for mainstream payments — interesting concept but near-zero adoption, limited traction, and the fiat-on-chain niche is being eaten by larger players.