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Head-to-head · L2 Blockchains

Base vs Polygon zkEVM Base leads by 36 points.

Base scores 36 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Base ranks #3 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.

Base77
Polygon zkEVM41
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99 · ranks #3 and #15 of 15
Methodology v2026.10.18Ranking snapshot Evidence verified through 8 published criteria5 score dimensions Receipt #cc-VS-BASE-VS-POLYGON-ZKEVM-fedd59c0
Published verdictRanking snapshot 3 November 2026

Base leads by 36 points

Base scores 36 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block.

Base #3 of 1577
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 termBase leads on 7 of 8 published criteria; Polygon zkEVM on 0. The terms sum to the gap.
TermBasePolygon zkEVMWeightPoints
Proof system10/100/104.3+11.2for Base+5.8 of 32
Forced withdrawals10/100/104.3+11.2for Base+5.8 of 32
Data on Ethereum10/100/103.4+8.7for Base+4.5 of 32
Censorship resistance10/100/102.9+7.5for Base+3.8 of 32
EVM equivalence10/100/102.4+6.2for Base+3.2 of 32
Track record6/100/102.4+3.7for Base+1.9 of 32
Rollup stage7/100/101.9+3.5for Base+1.8 of 32
No longer operatingEligibilityoperatingsunset 2026-07-01—0.0
Net of the terms+52.2
Criteria roundingThe criteria block is rounded to whole points before it is spread+0.1
Reproduced gap+52.3
Published gapAfter score rounding and bounds — see the note below7741+36.0

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.
Quick facts

At a glance

2 of 3 rows read the same for both.
FactBasePolygon 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?

Base

77#3 of 15
Leads
Pick it when
Pick Base if proof system matters most — it scores 10/10 to Polygon zkEVM's 0/10 there (weight 18).
Strength
EVM equivalence — 10/10
Tradeoff
Younger than the 2021-era rollups, so a shorter production track record

Polygon zkEVM

41#15 of 15
Pick it when
Polygon zkEVM leads Base 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?

BaseLeads

Choose Base 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)
Polygon zkEVM

Polygon zkEVM leads Base on no published criterion

  • Choose it only if something outside the published criteria decides for you — your country, a funding rail, or custody.
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 86Base leads
Base10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Track record

by 6 of 10weight 2.4 of 86Base leads
Base6 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Data on Ethereum

by 10 of 10weight 3.4 of 86Base leads
Base10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Rollup stage

by 7 of 10weight 1.9 of 86Base leads
Base7 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Proof system

by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Base leads
Base10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Exit window

weight 2.4 of 86Tie
Base0 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Forced withdrawals

by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Base leads
Base10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 out of 10

Censorship resistance

by 10 of 10weight 2.9 of 86Base leads
Base10 out of 10
Polygon zkEVM0 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
Base14/20Polygon zkEVM14/20
Tie
Published criteriaweight 30 of 86
Base20.1/30Polygon zkEVM0/30
Base leads
Frictionweight 10 of 86 · constant here
Base2.7/10Polygon zkEVM2.7/10
Tie
Trust recordweight 8 of 86 · constant here
Base3.2/8Polygon zkEVM3.2/8
Tie
Measured dataweight 18 of 86 · constant here
Base5.5/18Polygon zkEVM5.5/18
Tie
Decision rulePublished order

Choose Base unless the term Polygon zkEVM leads on is the one you are buying.

Polygon zkEVM leads Base 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% (Base 0/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
  • Verification failure: an invalid state or transfer is accepted.
    Scored by Ethereum data availability · 14% (Base 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
    Scored by Proof system · 18% (Base 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
  • Liveness failure: the operator stops, censors you or loses data.
    Scored by Withdrawals if the operator stops · 18% (Base 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
    Scored by Transactions if the sequencer censors you · 12% (Base 10/10, Polygon zkEVM 0/10)
Not assessed by this ranking: Contract failure, Execution failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means.
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

Base scores 36 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Published scores, out of 100: Base 77 (rank 3 of 15 l2 blockchains), Polygon zkEVM 41 (rank 15 of 15).

Related pages

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Reviewed Next review by Methodology v2026.10.18
How this page is reviewed

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.

Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.

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