Arbitrum vs Starknet

Arbitrum4.2/5

VS

Starknet3.4/5

Feature	ArbitrumVisit	StarknetVisit
Ratings
Our score	4.2/5	3.4/5
User rating	No reviews yet	No reviews yet
Performance	4.5	4.0
Fees	4.5	4.0
Ecosystem	5.0	3.5
Decentralization	3.0	2.5
Developer experience	4.5	3.5
Specs
Layer	Layer 2	Layer 2
Consensus / design	Optimistic rollup	ZK rollup
Native token	ARB	STRK
EVM compatible	Yes	No
Smart contract languages	Solidity, Rust (Stylus)	Cairo
Block time	~0.25 seconds	Not disclosed
Finality	~7 days (dispute window)	Not disclosed
Mainnet since	2,021	2,021
Sequencer	Centralized	Not disclosed
Data availability	Ethereum L1 calldata / EIP-4844 blobs	Ethereum
Gas paid in	ETH	ETH, STRK
Company
Founded	2021	2021
Headquarters	United States	Israel
Investors	Coinbase Ventures, IOSG Ventures, OKX Ventures, ParaFi Capital +1	Coatue Management
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	Native account abstraction makes every wallet a programmable smart account STARK proofs provide mathematical validity without relying on trusted setup ceremonies STRK20 enables confidential balances and unlinked DeFi interactions via Shadow Accounts StarkWare raised a $100M funding round led by Coatue Management
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	Lacks native EVM compatibility, requiring developers to build dApps in Cairo Paused block sequencing for over four hours during a January 2026 Blockifier bug Ecosystem protocols have experienced exploits, including a $3.5M attack on Nostra Decentralization roadmap remains ongoing, with sequenced block production still transitioning
Best for	High-frequency DeFi traders, Rust and Solidity smart contract developers, Teams launching dedicated Orbit appchains	Cairo smart contract developers, Users needing native account abstraction, Traders using private DeFi positions

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