Arbitrum vs Base

Arbitrum4.2/5

VS

Base4.0/5

Feature	ArbitrumVisit	BaseVisit
Ratings
Our score	4.2/5	4.0/5
User rating	No reviews yet	No reviews yet
Performance	4.5	4.5
Fees	4.5	4.5
Ecosystem	5.0	5.0
Decentralization	3.0	2.5
Developer experience	4.5	4.5
Specs
Layer	Layer 2	Layer 2
Consensus / design	Optimistic rollup	Optimistic rollup
Native token	ARB	ETH
EVM compatible	Yes	Yes
Smart contract languages	Solidity, Rust (Stylus)	Solidity
Block time	~0.25 seconds	Not disclosed
Typical transaction fee	Not disclosed	$0.01 - $0.05
Finality	~7 days (dispute window)	7 days (L1 dispute window)
Validators / sequencer	Not disclosed	1 sequencer
Mainnet since	2,021	2,023
Throughput (TPS)	Not disclosed	107.6
Sequencer	Centralized	Centralized
Data availability	Ethereum L1 calldata / EIP-4844 blobs	Ethereum
Gas paid in	ETH	ETH
Company
Founded	2021	2023
Headquarters	United States	—
Investors	Coinbase Ventures, IOSG Ventures, OKX Ventures, ParaFi Capital +1	Not disclosed
Strengths and weaknesses
Pros	Secured over $12.3B in value with 2.7 billion lifetime transactions by mid-2026 Supports smart contracts in Rust, C, and C++ alongside standard EVM Solidity Fast sub-second block times around 0.25 seconds with gas settled in ETH	Typical transaction costs range between $0.01 and $0.05 Uses ETH for gas without requiring a volatile network token Over $6.1B in TVL backed by deep onchain liquidity Coinbase distribution channels
Cons	Sequencer remains centralized, creating liveness and transaction ordering dependencies ARB staking through the DAO does not distribute protocol fee revenue to holders Substantial non-circulating ARB supply remains subject to scheduled token unlocks	Sequencing remains centralized under Coinbase operation Native bridge withdrawals to Ethereum require a 7-day challenge period Public RPC endpoints have restricted namespaces and tighter rate limits Tokenized equity features are restricted to eligible non-US residents
Best for	High-frequency DeFi traders, Rust and Solidity smart contract developers, Teams launching dedicated Orbit appchains	Ethereum developers seeking low fees, Active DeFi traders using ETH, Institutional tokenized asset issuers

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