Arbitrum One vs Polygon zkEVM Arbitrum One leads by 40 points.
Arbitrum One scores 40 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Arbitrum One ranks #1 and Polygon zkEVM #15 of 15 published L2 blockchains. Every term of the gap is on the ledger below; the inputs are on the audit receipt.
Arbitrum One81
vs
Polygon zkEVM41
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99 · ranks #1 and #15 of 15
Arbitrum One scores 40 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block.
Arbitrum One #1 of 1581
Polygon zkEVM #15 of 1541
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99; a bar is empty at 41 and full at 99.
Why, term by termArbitrum One leads on 8 of 8 published criteria; Polygon zkEVM on 0. The terms sum to the gap.
TermArbitrum OnePolygon zkEVMWeightPoints
Proof system10/100/104.3+11.2for Arbitrum One+5.8 of 32
Forced withdrawals10/100/104.3+11.2for Arbitrum One+5.8 of 32
Data on Ethereum10/100/103.4+8.7for Arbitrum One+4.5 of 32
Censorship resistance10/100/102.9+7.5for Arbitrum One+3.8 of 32
EVM equivalence10/100/102.4+6.2for Arbitrum One+3.2 of 32
Track record10/100/102.4+6.2for Arbitrum One+3.2 of 32
Exit window2/100/102.4+1.2for Arbitrum One+0.6 of 32
Rollup stage7/100/101.9+3.5for Arbitrum One+1.8 of 32
No longer operatingEligibilityoperatingsunset 2026-07-01—0.0
Net of the terms+55.9
Reproduced gap+55.9
Published gapAfter score rounding and bounds — see the note below8141+40.0
Weight is in points of the 86-point weighted total. Points are score points of the gap between the two.
Polygon zkEVM no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and is kept for reference: the engine zeroes its criteria block, whatever its cells say.
A floor bound on one row means the criterion arithmetic does not reproduce the displayed gap exactly.
Arbitrum OneScore 81Optimistic rollup with full EVM-equivalence, settling to EthereumStrength: EVM equivalence — 10/10Watch-out: Optimistic rollups carry a challenge/withdrawal window (about seven days) absent a fast-exit bridgePolygon zkEVMScore 41SUNSET — sequencer stopped 1 July 2026; claim your funds before 31 December 2027Strength: Nothing — this chain is sunset and cannot be built onWatch-out: DO NOT DEPLOY OR BRIDGE HERE. The sequencer was sunset on 1 July 2026 and the network stopped producing blocks; withdrawals can no longer be processed through the bridge.
Quick facts
At a glance
2 of 3 rows read the same for both.
FactArbitrum OnePolygon zkEVM
Asset coverageEditorial——
Region fitSnapshotus, europe, globalus, europe, global
Security postureSnapshotOptimistic rollup; data availability: Ethereum L1 (EIP-4844 blobs).No proof system; data availability: External (L2BEAT, read 13 September 2026 and 2026-10-21: custom DA, state validation none); Ethereum L1 before the sunset.
From the published criteria
Which should you pick?
Arbitrum One
81#1 of 15
Leads
Pick it when
Pick Arbitrum One if proof system matters most — it scores 10/10 to Polygon zkEVM's 0/10 there (weight 18).
Strength
EVM equivalence — 10/10
Tradeoff
Optimistic rollups carry a challenge/withdrawal window (about seven days) absent a fast-exit bridge
Polygon zkEVM
41#15 of 15
Pick it when
Polygon zkEVM leads Arbitrum One on no published criterion and no score dimension — pick it only if a fact outside the score (country, funding rail, custody) decides for you.
Strength
Nothing — this chain is sunset and cannot be built on
Tradeoff
DO NOT DEPLOY OR BRIDGE HERE. The sequencer was sunset on 1 July 2026 and the network stopped producing blocks; withdrawals can no longer be processed through the bridge.
Self-identify in 10 seconds
Which one is actually for you?
Arbitrum OneLeads
Choose Arbitrum One if proof system matters most
Proof system: 10/10 against 0/10 for Polygon zkEVM (weight 18)
Forced withdrawals: 10/10 against 0/10 for Polygon zkEVM (weight 18)
Data on Ethereum: 10/10 against 0/10 for Polygon zkEVM (weight 14)
Arbitrum OneScore 81Optimistic rollup with full EVM-equivalence, settling to EthereumStrength: EVM equivalence — 10/10Watch-out: Optimistic rollups carry a challenge/withdrawal window (about seven days) absent a fast-exit bridge
Polygon zkEVM
Polygon zkEVM leads Arbitrum One on no published criterion
Choose it only if something outside the published criteria decides for you — your country, a funding rail, or custody.
Polygon zkEVMScore 41SUNSET — sequencer stopped 1 July 2026; claim your funds before 31 December 2027Strength: Nothing — this chain is sunset and cannot be built onWatch-out: DO NOT DEPLOY OR BRIDGE HERE. The sequencer was sunset on 1 July 2026 and the network stopped producing blocks; withdrawals can no longer be processed through the bridge.
Criterion by criterion
Scorecard
Published criteria · weight in points of 8616 of 16 cells scored. Strength is read from the evidence file; the weight is the published one. Methodology
EVM equivalence
by 10 of 10weight 2.4 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Track record
by 10 of 10weight 2.4 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Data on Ethereum
by 10 of 10weight 3.4 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Rollup stage
by 7 of 10weight 1.9 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One7/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Proof system
by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Exit window
by 2 of 10weight 2.4 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One2/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Forced withdrawals
by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Censorship resistance
by 10 of 10weight 2.9 of 86Arbitrum One leads
Arbitrum One10/10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Score dimensions
weights sum to 86
The published score is five dimensions, each weighted for the category. "Published criteria" is the criteria block above; the other four are the engine's own terms — availability, friction, trust record, measured data. Each bar is one side's points out of that dimension's maximum; the weight beside the name is its points of the 86-point weighted total. The published criteria above can fill 24 of the block’s 30. A weight marked “constant here” belongs to a dimension every ranked product in the category holds at the same value: it still counts in the total, and it orders nothing here.
Availabilityweight 20 of 86 · constant here
Arbitrum One14/20Polygon zkEVM14/20
Tie
Published criteriaweight 30 of 86
Arbitrum One21.5/30Polygon zkEVM0/30
Arbitrum One leads
Frictionweight 10 of 86 · constant here
Arbitrum One2.7/10Polygon zkEVM2.7/10
Tie
Trust recordweight 8 of 86 · constant here
Arbitrum One3.2/8Polygon zkEVM3.2/8
Tie
Measured dataweight 18 of 86 · constant here
Arbitrum One5.5/18Polygon zkEVM5.5/18
Tie
Decision rulePublished order
Choose Arbitrum One unless the term Polygon zkEVM leads on is the one you are buying.
Polygon zkEVM leads Arbitrum One on no published criterion and no score dimension — pick it only if a fact outside the score (country, funding rail, custody) decides for you.
The published order weighs every criterion the same way for everyone. To weigh them your way, run .
From the published order
Next best action
If this isn't your case
Other matchups worth comparing
How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
Control failure: a key or vote changes the rules, freezes or mints.
Scored by Exit window before an upgrade · 10% (Arbitrum One 2/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Verification failure: an invalid state or transfer is accepted.
Scored by Ethereum data availability · 14% (Arbitrum One 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Scored by Proof system · 18% (Arbitrum One 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Liveness failure: the operator stops, censors you or loses data.
Scored by Withdrawals if the operator stops · 18% (Arbitrum One 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Scored by Transactions if the sequencer censors you · 12% (Arbitrum One 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Also scored, as cost, quality or a summary of several families: EVM equivalence (10%), Maturity & track record (10%), Rollup stage (8%).
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Arbitrum One scores 40 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Published scores, out of 100: Arbitrum One 81 (rank 1 of 15 l2 blockchains), Polygon zkEVM 41 (rank 15 of 15).
Reviewed means both products compared here was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
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