Key Points
- The top 5 L2 blockchains by daily active users are Base, Arbitrum, Immutable, zkSync Era, and OP Mainnet.
- Layer 2 blockchains are designed to complete tasks for the primary blockchain, making it faster.
Layer 2 protocols boost the transaction speed and efficiency beyond the main chain. To do this, they use innovative technologies such as rollups, plasma chains, and sidechains.
According to data from Token Terminal, the latest top 5 Layer 2 blockchains by daily active users include the following:
- Base
- Arbitrum
- Immutable
- zkSync Era
- OP Mainnet
Top 5 L2 Blockchains By Daily Active Users
1. Base (739.8K)
Base sits at the top of L2 blockchains, having 739,800 daily active users.
Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 chain that offers a safe, low-cost, and developer-friendly way to build on-chain. Base L2 is built on OP Stack together with Optimism.
The most important highlights of Base are the following:
- Secured by Ethereum: Base is built with security and scalability to power dApps.
- Empowered by Coinbase: Base makes it easy to build dApps with access to Coinbase’s products, users, and tools.
- Small fees: Base offers full EVM compatibility at low fees, allowing developers to set up gasless transactions for dApps
- Open source: Base aims to be decentralized, permissionless, and open
Base recently launched Basenames to bring on-chain identity to the blockchain. According to their announcement on X, Basenames is powered by the open-source Ens Domanis protocol, enabling anyone to use and contribute to the underlying technology.
2. Arbitrum (358.8K)
Arbitrum is listed by Token Terminal as the second L2 blockchain in terms of daily active users with 358,800 people using the chain on a daily basis.
Arbitrum is an L2 technology that empowers users to explore and build in the largest L1 ecosystem, Ethereum.
The technology is designed to scale Ethereum, and users can deploy smart contracts, use Web3 apps, and their transactions will be cheaper and faster, according to the Arbitrum’s official notes.
Arbitrum’s flagship product is Arbitrum Rollup – an Optimistic rollup protocol that inherits Ethereum-level security.
Arbitrum’s key feature is the ability to adjudicate and prove fraud on L1; this is the way it inherits Ethereum’s security.
On August 20, Offchain Labs, a contributor to Arbitrum to scale Ethereum, shared a roadmap of Arbitrum innovations via X. Some of the most important are the following:
- Horizontal scaling
- Decentralized sequencing
- ZK proofs
- Stylus (MultiVM support)
3. Immutable (249.7K)
Immutable is listed by Token Terminal as the third L2 blockchain in terms of daily active users – 249,700. Immutable is an L2 for NFTs and blockchain gaming secured by Ethereum. Blockchain game developers can build and scale faster here.
According to Immutable’s official website, they have the best scaling technology based on the following:
- Strong scaling capabilities: Their tech can support games no matter how big they grow.
- Ethereum-scale security: Unlike sidechains, Immutable cannot be easily attacked or ransomed.
- 100% carbon neutrality: All NFTs traded on Immutable are always completely carbon neutral.
- Zero-knowledge roll-ups: Multiple rollup offerings that cater to users’ needs.
Recently, Immutable announced a partnership with the digital asset management platform Fireblocks which has officially received a license from New York Financial Services to offer crypto custody services to US clients.
4. zkSync Era (83.7K)
ZkSync Era is the fourth L2 blockchain with 83,700 daily active users, according to data from Token Terminal.
ZkSync Era is a trustless protocol that uses cryptographic validity proofs to offer scalable and low-cost transactions on Ethereum. The L2 supports the following:
- EVM-compatible smart contracts
- Instant transaction confirmations
- Low fees
ZkSync is a user-centric Zk rollup platform from Matter Labs. As highlighted by Messari, its key features and products include the following:
- ZkSync Era protocol
- SDKs in various programming languages to help developers build dApps on the ZKsync network
- ZkSync Node that allows users to run a read-replica of the main node
- ZK Stack and zkEVM for full compatibility with Ethereum
ZkSync recently announced its collaboration with Creator to launch a memechain with ZK Stack.
5. OP Mainnet (55.3K)
OP Mainnet is the fifth L2 with 55,300 daily active users, according to data from Token Terminal.
OP Mainnet is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum designed to increase transaction throughput and streamline costs. It operates on top of Ethereum’s architecture, acting as a minimal extension of the main Ethereum layer.
OP Mainnet is also known as Optimism, and it became one of the leading Layer 2 solutions for Web3 enthusiasts and developers, allowing dApps to operate faster and cheaper, without sacrificing the security of the Ethereum mainnet.
Optimism is also a superchain, an ecosystem where multiple L2 networks connect with each other via shared code and the ability to interact.
Via a recent post on X, Optimism announced that Superchain Interop is going Ethereum-wide. Optimism adopts ERC-7683. This is a co-authored standard for cross-chain intents with Across Protocol.
