Polygon zkEVM vs Unichain Unichain leads by 34 points.
Unichain scores 34 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Polygon zkEVM ranks #15 and Unichain #5 of 15 published L2 blockchains. Every term of the gap is on the ledger below; the inputs are on the audit receipt.
Polygon zkEVM41
vs
Unichain75
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99 · ranks #15 and #5 of 15
Unichain scores 34 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block.
Polygon zkEVM #15 of 1541
Unichain #5 of 1575
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99; a bar is empty at 41 and full at 99.
Why, term by termUnichain leads on 7 of 8 published criteria; Polygon zkEVM on 0. The terms sum to the gap.
TermUnichainPolygon zkEVMWeightPoints
Proof system10/100/104.3+11.2for Unichain+5.8 of 32
Forced withdrawals10/100/104.3+11.2for Unichain+5.8 of 32
Data on Ethereum10/100/103.4+8.7for Unichain+4.5 of 32
Censorship resistance10/100/102.9+7.5for Unichain+3.8 of 32
EVM equivalence10/100/102.4+6.2for Unichain+3.2 of 32
Track record2/100/102.4+1.2for Unichain+0.6 of 32
Rollup stage7/100/101.9+3.5for Unichain+1.8 of 32
No longer operatingEligibilityoperatingsunset 2026-07-01—0.0
Net of the terms+49.7
Reproduced gap+49.7
Published gapAfter score rounding and bounds — see the note below7541+34.0
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.
UnichainScore 75Uniswap Labs' DeFi-native OP Stack optimistic rollup, EVM-equivalentStrength: EVM equivalence — 10/10Watch-out: Newest chain here (mainnet 2025) — the shortest production track recordPolygon 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.
FactPolygon zkEVMUnichain
Asset coverageEditorial——
Region fitSnapshotus, europe, globalus, europe, global
Security postureSnapshotNo proof system; data availability: External (L2BEAT, read 13 September 2026 and 2026-10-21: custom DA, state validation none); Ethereum L1 before the sunset.Optimistic rollup; data availability: Ethereum L1 (blobs).
From the published criteria
Which should you pick?
Polygon zkEVM
41#15 of 15
Pick it when
Polygon zkEVM leads Unichain 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.
Unichain
75#5 of 15
Leads
Pick it when
Pick Unichain if proof system matters most — it scores 10/10 to Polygon zkEVM's 0/10 there (weight 18).
Strength
EVM equivalence — 10/10
Tradeoff
Newest chain here (mainnet 2025) — the shortest production track record
Self-identify in 10 seconds
Which one is actually for you?
Polygon zkEVM
Polygon zkEVM leads Unichain 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.
UnichainLeads
Choose Unichain 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)
UnichainScore 75Uniswap Labs' DeFi-native OP Stack optimistic rollup, EVM-equivalentStrength: EVM equivalence — 10/10Watch-out: Newest chain here (mainnet 2025) — the shortest production track record
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 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain10/10 out of 10
Track record
by 2 of 10weight 2.4 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain2/10 out of 10
Data on Ethereum
by 10 of 10weight 3.4 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain10/10 out of 10
Rollup stage
by 7 of 10weight 1.9 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain7/10 out of 10
Proof system
by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain10/10 out of 10
Exit window
weight 2.4 of 86Tie
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain0/10 out of 10
Forced withdrawals
by 10 of 10weight 4.3 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain10/10 out of 10
Censorship resistance
by 10 of 10weight 2.9 of 86Unichain leads
Polygon zkEVM0/10 out of 10
Unichain10/10 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
Polygon zkEVM14/20Unichain14/20
Tie
Published criteriaweight 30 of 86
Polygon zkEVM0/30Unichain19.1/30
Unichain leads
Frictionweight 10 of 86 · constant here
Polygon zkEVM2.7/10Unichain2.7/10
Tie
Trust recordweight 8 of 86 · constant here
Polygon zkEVM3.2/8Unichain3.2/8
Tie
Measured dataweight 18 of 86 · constant here
Polygon zkEVM5.5/18Unichain5.5/18
Tie
Decision rulePublished order
Choose Unichain unless the term Polygon zkEVM leads on is the one you are buying.
Polygon zkEVM leads Unichain 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% (Polygon zkEVM 0/10, Unichain 0/10)
Verification failure: an invalid state or transfer is accepted.
Scored by Ethereum data availability · 14% (Polygon zkEVM 0/10, Unichain 10/10)
Scored by Proof system · 18% (Polygon zkEVM 0/10, Unichain 10/10)
Liveness failure: the operator stops, censors you or loses data.
Scored by Withdrawals if the operator stops · 18% (Polygon zkEVM 0/10, Unichain 10/10)
Scored by Transactions if the sequencer censors you · 12% (Polygon zkEVM 0/10, Unichain 10/10)
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
Unichain scores 34 points above Polygon zkEVM, which no longer operates (since 2026-07-01) and scores zero on the criteria block. Published scores, out of 100: Polygon zkEVM 41 (rank 15 of 15 l2 blockchains), Unichain 75 (rank 5 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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