Scroll zkEVM Layer 2 Guide

If you're searching for the best zkEVM Layer 2 on Ethereum, Scroll stands out with its bytecode level EVM compatibility and low fees that drop during off peak times. This guide compares Scroll against top alternatives like zkSync Era, Polygon zkEVM, Linea, and others, using 2025 metrics on TVL, throughput, and costs to help you pick the right rollup for DeFi, gaming, or daily transactions.

Scroll leads zkEVM rollups in 2025 with $748 million TVL, processing 50,654 daily transactions through its decentralized proof network. The Feynman Upgrade added EIP-1559 fees that adjust dynamically-rising 20% during peaks but staying under $0.0005 on average-while enabling full Ethereum blockhash access for precise DeFi oracles.

Bytecode compatibility lets Solidity contracts deploy without changes, cutting migration time to hours as seen with Aave's 95% cost reduction. Scroll Canvas badges reward on chain activity with non transferable proofs via Ethereum Attestation Service, boosting user retention by 35% in Q3.

• Proofs distributed to validators for true decentralization, unlike centralized sequencers.
• Finality in minutes via zk proofs versus days on optimistic rollups.
• USDC transactions up 35% to 288k, signaling stablecoin dominance.
• Potential Stage-1 zk rollup by April with security council.
• SCR token pays fees and incentivizes provers, though early volatility hit lows in April.

Bridge assets carefully using the official cross chain contract to avoid sequencer delays; test small transfers first during high Ethereum gas periods.

zkSync Era for High Volume Ethereum Scaling

Daily throughput: Over 27 million transactions monthly, powered by Boojum GPU friendly proofs that slashed generation time by 40%.

Account abstraction lets wallets sponsor gas or batch actions natively, ideal for mobile dApps where users pay nothing for first swaps. LLVM compiler handles Solidity to zkVM, with costs fixed at $0.0003 per tx even under load-no spikes like EIP-1559 peaks.

• Custom zkEVM supports permissioned systems out of box.
• Top L2 for raw speed, beating Scroll's 50k daily avg.
• Less full EVM equivalence requires minor Solidity tweaks.
• Strong DeFi growth but trails Scroll in TVL.

Enable account abstraction in your wallet before deploying; volume tiers unlock near zero fees above 1M monthly tx.

Polygon zkEVM and AggLayer Integration

Each transaction lands at $0.0007 with Type 3 zkEVM proofs that balance speed and Ethereum tool compatibility-no full bytecode match like Scroll, but AggLayer unifies liquidity across 50+ chains for instant settles.

• CDK lets you spin up custom ZK chains in days.
• Mature ecosystem with millions of users pre zkEVM.
• Prover network scales to 10k TPS bursts.

Polygon's shared security model cuts solo chain risks; prioritize apps using AggLayer for cross rollup swaps under 1 cent total.

Linea zkEVM Privacy Edge

How low can costs go? Linea's $0.0004 tx fee includes OP Stack hybrids for faster exits, with consensus zkEVM adding privacy layers that obscure balances during DeFi trades.

Full EVM support mirrors Scroll but emphasizes zk circuits for selective disclosure, drawing privacy protocols that process 20k tx daily without mainnet leaks.

• Hybrid proofs cut verification to 2 minutes.
• Strong for confidential compute in finance.
• Smaller TVL at $200M limits liquidity depth.
• Enforced withdrawals protect against sequencer fails.
• Developer grants cover first 100k tx free.

Select Linea for trades needing privacy; pair with Tornado Cash forks but verify exit proofs manually post bridge.

Starknet Custom Language Power

Starknet hits $0.0002 per tx by using Cairo for native parallelism, enabling 100k TPS in tests-far beyond Scroll's current 50k daily. Tradeoff: rewrite Solidity to Cairo, but gains include STWO prover that's 10x faster on Rust code.

• Parallel execution for game loops without bottlenecks.
• Feeder based sequencing decentralizes faster than Scroll.
• STRK token staking yields 5-8% APY for provers.

Migrate only if building from scratch; use their VS Code extension to convert 70% of Solidity logic automatically.

Loopring DEX Optimized Rollup

Trading fees: Flat 0.1% with ring mining where relayers compete to bundle orders, settling 1k trades per ring for under $0.01 total. zkRollup verifies rings in one proof, perfect for CEX like books on L2.

Non custodial wallet handles AMM or limit orders, with 2025 volumes at 500k daily trades-niche but deeper liquidity than Scroll for spot pairs.

Fees drop to 0.05% for high volume makers. No gas wars since rings fix costs upfront.

• Specialized for exchanges, not general dApps.
• LayerZero integration for cross L2 trades.

Use Loopring Wallet for mobile trading; avoid during Cairo upgrades to prevent 5-minute ring delays.

Mantle Modular zkEVM

Mantle weaves EigenDA for data availability, keeping tx at $0.0006 while offloading blobs from Ethereum-handles 80k daily tx with sub second latency for GameFi hits like Parallel TCG.

• MNT token burns 20% of fees for deflation.
• Modular design scales provers independently.
• Free tier for devs: 50k tx monthly.
• TVL at $450M trails Scroll but grows 25% QoQ.

Target GameFi; stake MNT for sequencer priority during peak events.

Blast Yield Layer 2

Why pay when you earn? Blast auto compounds yields on $0.001 tx, with native points boosting APY to 4-6% on stables-2025 TVL exploded to $600M from yield farming hooks absent in pure zkEVMs like Scroll.

Optimistic base with zk upgrades planned, offering 1-week exits but 2x returns on idle funds.

• Yield on ETH, USDC without extra steps.
• High sequencer revenue shared as points.
• Less secure than zk proofs until full migration.

Park stables here for passive gains; withdraw before upgrade forks expected Q1 2026.

Base Optimistic Entry Point

Base processes 100k daily tx at $0.0002 by leveraging Coinbase's sequencer, with zk proofs in roadmap for 2026-easiest for socialfi apps needing viral growth over Scroll's tech depth.

Superchain ties to Optimism for shared bridges, cutting cross L2 fees to $0.01.

• Free for first 10k tx via grants.
• Mass adoption via Onchain Summer campaigns.
• Fault proofs take 7 days for disputes.
• Top for memes, not heavy compute.

Ideal starter L2; use Coinbase Wallet to skip bridging hassles.

Optimism OP Stack Maturity

Fees hover at $0.005 with fault proof finality, but mature ecosystem hosts Velodrome and Synthetix with $10B+ TVL combined-beats Scroll on app count, lags on zk speed.

2025 upgrades added single slot proofs for 50% fee cuts during lows.

OP token governs upgrades voted by 1M+ holders.

• Proven for billion dollar DeFi.
• Bedrock engine handles 20 TPS steady.

Stick to Optimism for battle tested liquidity; monitor Superchain expansions for zk hybrids.

What Makes a zkEVM Layer 2 Different from Other Rollups?

zkEVMs like Scroll execute Ethereum bytecode off chain but prove validity with zero knowledge math, settling in minutes on Ethereum without trusting sequencers long term. Optimistic rollups like Base post data and challenge frauds over 7 days, cheaper short term but slower for high value tx.

• Bytecode equivalence (Scroll): Zero code changes, every opcode works.
• Type 1-4 zkEVMs trade compatibility for speed-Scroll Type 1 leads purity.
• Proof networks decentralize verification, Scroll distributes to public provers.
• Rollup contracts on L1 ensure data availability forever.

Choose zkEVM for instant finality in DeFi; optimistic for cheap social tx.

Understanding Fees and Throughput in Ethereum Layer 2 Rollups

Scroll's EIP-1559 model burns base fees during lows (under $0.0001) but spikes 3x at peaks, while zkSync fixes at $0.0003 via compression. TVL correlates to activity-Scroll's $748M supports 50k daily tx, zkSync's volume hits 27M monthly on similar infra.

• Data compression shrinks proofs 70%, to sub cent costs.
• Sequencer revenue funds decentralization roadmaps.
• Peak hours add 50-200% premiums across all L2s.

Track Dune dashboards for real time TPS; batch tx via account abstraction to halve effective costs.

How to Choose and Use the Best zkEVM Layer 2

1. Assess your needs: Scroll for Ethereum exact DeFi, Starknet for custom scale, Base for easy entry.
2. Check TVL on DefiLlama-aim over $500M for deep liquidity like Scroll or zkSync.
3. Bridge via official portals: Scroll's cross chain contract takes 10 minutes, test $10 ETH first.
4. Verify wallet network-MetaMask glitches switch to Ethereum mainnet 20% of time.
5. Monitor fees on L2Beat: Pick under $0.001 avg for daily use, batch 5-10 actions.
6. Enable account abstraction where available (zkSync, Linea) for gasless onboarding.
7. Stake native tokens: SCR yields provers 3-5%, boosts governance voice.
8. Test dApps on testnet-Scroll's Sepolia mirror deploys in 2 clicks.
9. Track upgrades: Feynman's EIP-1559 cut Scroll fees 40%, watch Q1 Stage-1.
10. Exit strategically: zk proofs finalize fast, but optimistic needs 7-day window.