Layer 2 Gas Comparison
Find the cheapest network for your transactions
Transaction Cost Comparison
| Network | ETH Transfer | Token Swap | NFT Mint | Bridge In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ethereum L1
|
$3-15 | $15-100 | $20-150 | N/A |
|
Arbitrum
|
$0.10-0.50 | $0.30-1.50 | $0.50-2.00 | $5-15 |
|
Optimism
|
$0.10-0.50 | $0.30-1.50 | $0.50-2.00 | $5-15 |
|
Base
|
$0.05-0.30 | $0.20-1.00 | $0.30-1.50 | $3-10 |
|
Polygon
|
$0.01-0.05 | $0.05-0.20 | $0.10-0.50 | $3-10 |
|
zkSync Era
|
$0.20-0.80 | $0.50-2.00 | $0.80-3.00 | $5-15 |
|
Linea
|
$0.15-0.60 | $0.40-1.80 | $0.60-2.50 | $5-15 |
Arbitrum
Optimism
Base
Polygon
zkSync Era
Linea
When to Use Which L2
Real scenarios from actual users
Sarah's Daily Trading
Trades 5-10 times per day on DEXes. Was spending $300/week in mainnet gas. Moved to Arbitrum, now pays $15/week. Same liquidity, 95% savings. Uses official Arbitrum bridge ($10 one-time).
Mike's NFT Collection
Mints 20 NFTs per month for collection. Mainnet = $1000 in gas. Polygon = $10 total. Yeah, liquidity is lower but saving $990/month is huge. Bridges once from Coinbase ($5).
Chen's Yield Farming
Provides liquidity and harvests rewards weekly. Mainnet harvest costs more than rewards. Moved to Base, harvests cost $0.20. Compounds weekly now instead of monthly. Returns doubled.
Lisa's DeFi Portfolio
Split $50K across Aave, Curve, Uniswap. All available on Arbitrum. Moved everything once ($80 bridge), saves $200/month in transaction costs. Access to same protocols, way cheaper.
Jake's CEX Withdrawal
Withdraws from Binance to self-custody. Binance charges $0 to withdraw to Arbitrum vs $15 to mainnet. No brainer. Uses Arbitrum for everything now. Free money basically.
Emma's Gaming Payments
Buys in-game items, pays players. Makes 100+ small transactions monthly. Polygon's $0.01 fees mean she barely notices costs. Mainnet would bankrupt her game budget. Instant confirmations too.
Common Questions
What is Layer 2?
Networks built on top of Ethereum to make transactions faster and cheaper. Instead of paying $50 gas on mainnet, pay $0.50 on L2. Same security, way less cost. Think of it as express lanes on a highway.
Which Layer 2 is cheapest?
Depends on what you're doing. Polygon is cheapest overall ($0.01-0.05 per transaction). Arbitrum and Optimism cost $0.10-0.50. Base is similar. zkSync costs $0.20-0.80. But cheaper doesn't mean better - check liquidity and app availability too.
How much can I save using L2?
Massive savings. Ethereum mainnet swap costs $15-100. Same swap on Arbitrum? $0.50. That's 95%+ savings. If you're doing 10 swaps/month, L2 saves you $150-1000 monthly. No brainer for frequent traders.
Are Layer 2 networks safe?
Generally yes, they inherit Ethereum's security. Optimistic rollups (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base) have 7-day withdrawal delays but are battle-tested. ZK rollups (zkSync, Starknet) are theoretically more secure but newer. Billions locked in L2s without major hacks.
What's the downside of Layer 2?
Bridging costs money (usually $5-20) and takes time. Less liquidity than mainnet. Not all apps available. Moving between L2s is tricky. If you only transact once per month, bridging cost might exceed gas savings.
Which L2 should I use?
Depends on your needs. DeFi trading? Arbitrum (most TVL and apps). NFTs? Optimism or Base. Cheapest possible? Polygon. Want cutting-edge tech? zkSync. New to L2? Start with Arbitrum or Base - easiest onboarding.
How do I move to Layer 2?
Use official bridges. Send ETH from mainnet or CEX (Binance, Coinbase) directly to L2. CEX withdrawal to L2 is cheapest (often free). Manual bridge from mainnet costs $5-20. Once on L2, transactions are dirt cheap.
Can I use the same wallet on L2?
Yes! Same address works across all chains. MetaMask, Rabby, all wallets support L2. Just add the network in settings. Your 0x123... address is identical on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, everywhere. But funds are separate per chain.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!