Arbitrum vs Bitcoin

Arbitrum4.2/5

VS

Bitcoin3.9/5

Feature	ArbitrumVisit	BitcoinVisit
Ratings
Our score	4.2/5	3.9/5
User rating	No reviews yet	No reviews yet
Performance	4.5	3.5
Fees	4.5	3.5
Ecosystem	5.0	4.0
Decentralization	3.0	5.0
Developer experience	4.5	3.0
Specs
Layer	Layer 2	Layer 1
Consensus / design	Optimistic rollup	Proof of Work
Native token	ARB	BTC
EVM compatible	Yes	No
Smart contract languages	Solidity, Rust (Stylus)	Bitcoin Script
Block time	~0.25 seconds	~10 minutes
Typical transaction fee	Not disclosed	Low processing fees
Finality	~7 days (dispute window)	Not disclosed
Validators / sequencer	Not disclosed	Proof-of-work miners
Mainnet since	2,021	2,009
Sequencer	Centralized	Not applicable
Data availability	Ethereum L1 calldata / EIP-4844 blobs	Not disclosed
Gas paid in	ETH	BTC
Company
Founded	2021	2009
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	Operates without a central authority or bank Bitcoin uses proof of work, and nodes validate transactions against its consensus rules The Bitcoin Project is released under the MIT License Worldwide network availability
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	Blocks arrive roughly every 10 minutes Proof-of-work requires energy Bitcoin is not EVM compatible Lost keys or wrong addresses can cause permanent loss
Best for	High-frequency DeFi traders, Rust and Solidity smart contract developers, Teams launching dedicated Orbit appchains	Self-custody BTC holders, Peer-to-peer payments, Users prioritising decentralisation

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