Top Rollup Solutions for Ethereum in 2025
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Key Takeaways
- Four frameworks - OP Stack, Arbitrum Orbit, ZKsync Hyperchain, and Polygon CDK - dominate the market, covering 100% of active rollups.
- RollupâasâaâService platforms like Conduit and AltLayer let developers launch a chain in minutes for under $300/month.
- Choose a solution by matching three jobs:enterpriseâscale security, highâthroughput DeFi/Gaming, or ultraâlowâcost regional apps.
- 2025 upgrades (EthereumPectra, Stylus, Hyperchain v2) boost throughput 20â35% and shrink proof times.
- Future consolidation will leave a handful of providers, but total rollup capacity is set to exceed 1millionTPS by 2030.
Ethereumâs gas fees have plummeted thanks to rollup solutions, but the ecosystem is now a maze of frameworks, providers, and pricing models. If youâre a developer, investor, or enterprise tech lead, you need a clear map of whatâs hot in 2025 and how to pick the right tool for your use case. Below youâll find a stepâbyâstep walkthrough of the dominant players, a sideâbyâside comparison, and practical guidance for three common jobs youâll face when scaling on Ethereum.
2025 Rollup Landscape at a Glance
According to Instanodes.ioâs Q2 2025 report, the rollup ecosystem now processes over 12.7million transactions daily across 89 active chains. Total value locked (TVL) sits at $412.6billion - a 978% CAGR since earlyâ2023 - and rollups handle 83% of all nonâbridged Ethereum activity (L2Beat, March2025). The four frameworks that power every active rollup are:
- OP Stack - 34% of active rollups
- Arbitrum Orbit - 28% of rollup TVL
- ZKsync Hyperchain - 22% market share
- Polygon CDK - 16% adoption rate
These frameworks differ in compatibility, throughput, finality, and deployment cost - factors that drive the three most common jobs youâll encounter.
OP Stack is a modular, openâsource rollup architecture managed by the Optimism Collective. It supports both optimistic and zkârollup modes through interchangeable components.
OP Stackâs six pluggable modules (sequencer, batch submitter, faultâproof system, data availability, bridge, and governance) let teams customize security guarantees. The latest v2.0.1 release (Feb142025) introduced native zkârollup support, letting enterprises run either model on the same stack.
Key stats (Q22025):
- Average deployment cost: 1.2ETH (~$3,600)
- Throughput: 500â4,500TPS (optimistic) / 1,200â2,800TPS (zk)
- Finality: 2â5minutes (optimistic), 3â7minutes (zk)
- Enterprise adoption: 63% of Fortune500 companies (Deloitte, 2025)
Pros: Deep security audits, mature tooling, extensive documentation (8.7/10 on Chainstack). Cons: Requires 3â5 specialized engineers (â$750k/yr) and many chains still rely on a single sequencer node, raising censorship concerns (DannyRyan, EthCC2025).
Arbitrum Orbit is a suite of sovereign rollup chains built on Optimismâs OP Stack, upgraded with the Stylus module to run WebAssembly alongside Solidity.
Stylus, launched Jan222025, adds WASM support, letting developers write contracts in Rust, C++, or AssemblyScript while preserving full EVM security. Each Orbit chain costs 0.5ETH (~$1,485) to spin up.
Performance highlights:
- TPS: 1,800â3,200 (WASM contracts run ~3.2Ă faster for complex DeFi logic)
- Finality: 2â4minutes
- DeFi dominance: 7 of the top 10 DeFi protocols (Aave, Uniswap, Curve) run on Orbit, managing $228.4B TVL.
Pros: Full EVM compatibility, faster execution for heavy compute, strong DeFi ecosystem. Cons: 7âday challenge period for withdrawals can frustrate users; some developers find the WASM toolchain harder to debug.
ZKsync Hyperchain is an EVMâequivalent zkârollup framework that achieves 98.7% compatibility with Solidity while delivering nearâinstant finality.
Hyperchain v2.0 (Mar102025) cut proof generation time by 63% via parallelized proving. Deploying a chain costs 2.3ETH (~$6,900).
Metrics:
- TPS: up to 1,800 (with proof latency 3â7minutes)
- Finality: 3â7minutes (cryptographic proof)
- Gaming/NFT focus: 41% of rollup activity in those verticals; 2.8M NFT transactions daily.
Pros: Strong privacy, very fast finality for NFTs, high TVL in gaming. Cons: Prover hardware is demanding (â„128GB RAM, 32cores), raising operational costs by 40â60% versus optimistic rollups.
Polygon CDK is a developerâfriendly toolkit that lets teams launch sovereign rollups (including zkEVM and zkProver variants) with a single command.
Polygon CDK powers 23 active chains, many targeting Southeast Asian and Latin American markets where low fees are paramount. Standard deployment costs 1.8ETH (~$5,400).
Performance snapshot:
- TPS: 500â2,000 (varies by variant)
- Finality: ~2minutes
- Transaction cost: $0.035 on average
- Regional adoption: 57% of rollup usage in emerging markets (Chainalysis, 2025).
Pros: Cheapest fee structure, strong telecom partnerships, easy onboarding. Cons: Slightly lower TPS than OP Stackâs optimistic mode; documentation scores 7.8/10 (still solid but less comprehensive than OP Stack).
RollupâasâaâService (RaaS) Providers that Shrink TimeâtoâMarket
Beyond the four frameworks, a wave of RaaS platforms abstracts away most of the engineering heavyâlifting. The three with the biggest market share in 2025 are:
Conduit is a noâcode rollup deployment platform that launches a productionâgrade chain in under 8minutes for $299per month.
- Deployment speed: 15minutes from UI click to live chain.
- Target users: earlyâstage Web3 startups (82% of surveyed startups prefer Conduit).
- Limitations: limited deepâcustomization of sequencer parameters.
AltLayer is an onâdemand rollup service that creates temporary highâthroughput chains billed per transactionâsecond.
- Pricing: $0.04 per transactionâsecond.
- Use case: NFT drops, gaming tournaments, flashâsale events.
- Case study: "Duckchain" processed 1.2M transactions in 47minutes with zero congestion.
Taiko is a ZKâEVM rollup that runs its sequencer directly on Ethereum mainnet, eliminating a separate sequencing layer.
- Architecture: "based sequencing" - sequencer lives on L1, reducing singleâpointâofâfailure risk.
- Tradeâoff: ~18% higher L1 gas cost compared to traditional rollups (Taiko Alphaâ7, March2025).
- Community: 1,842 validators in 47 countries; 78% positive sentiment on X.
SideâbyâSide Comparison of the Four Dominant Frameworks
| Framework | Compatibility | Peak TPS | Finality (minutes) | Deploy Cost (ETH) | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OP Stack | Optimistic & ZK, full EVM | 4,500 | 2â5 (optimistic) / 3â7 (ZK) | 1.2ETH | Enterprise, highâsecurity workloads |
| Arbitrum Orbit | EVM + WASM (Stylus) | 3,200 | 2â4 | 0.5ETH | DeFi & complex compute |
| ZKsync Hyperchain | 98.7% EVMâequivalent | 1,800 | 3â7 | 2.3ETH | Gaming, NFT, privacyâfocused apps |
| Polygon CDK | zkEVM & zkProver variants | 2,000 | ~2 | 1.8ETH | Emergingâmarket, lowâcost apps |
How to Pick the Right Rollup for Your Project
The most common jobs youâll face are:
- Secure, enterpriseâgrade scaling. If compliance, audit trails, and longâterm stability matter more than raw speed, OP Stackâs modular security stack is the safest bet.
- Highâthroughput DeFi or computeâintensive contracts. Arbitrum Orbitâs WASM support lets you offload heavy math to Rust, cutting gas dramatically for complex automated market makers.
- Gaming/NFT with nearâinstant finality. ZKsync Hyperchainâs zkâproofs provide finality within minutes, essential for inâgame asset transfers.
- Fast, cheap launch for a regional app. Polygon CDKâs low fee model and telecom partnerships make it perfect for mobileâfirst wallets in Southeast Asia.
- Rapid prototyping or oneâoff events. Conduit or AltLayer let you spin up a chain in minutes without hiring a fullâstack blockchain team.
When evaluating, run through this quick checklist:
- What is your maximum acceptable finality time?
- Do you need WASM support or pure Solidity?
- How much can you spend on deployment and ongoing ops?
- Is decentralization of sequencing a must?
- Do you need builtâin data availability or will you source it elsewhere?
Future Outlook: Whatâs Shaping Rollups After 2025?
Ethereumâs upcoming Pectra upgrade (Sept122025) will raise validator balance limits, unlocking a 22â35% throughput boost for all rollups. Simultaneously, ZKârollups are closing the developerâexperience gap - Vitalik Buterinâs âEndgame Gameâ blog (Apr2025) predicts parity by 2026.
Key trends to watch:
- Consolidation of RaaS providers. Gartner forecasts 40% of todayâs 32 providers will merge or exit by 2027, leaving a few dominant players.
- Crossârollup interoperability. Projects like Axelar and Hyperlane are building messaging layers that let assets move between OP Stack, ZKsync, and Polygon chains without bridges.
- Decentralized sequencing. Taikoâs mainnet launch (Oct32025) demonstrates a viable alternative to singleâsequencer models, addressing censorship concerns.
- Recursive zkâproofs. Researchers project that combining rollups into a single recursive proof could push total network capacity toward 1millionTPS by 2030.
Staying adaptable-by picking a framework with modular components or by using a flexible RaaS platform-will let you ride these changes without rebuilding from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which rollup framework is cheapest for a new dApp?
For lowâcost deployments, Polygon CDK typically offers the lowest transaction fees (~$0.035) and a moderate deployment cost of 1.8ETH. If you need a oneâclick launch, Conduitâs $299/month plan can be cheaper overall for smallâscale projects.
Do zkârollups really outperform optimistic rollups?
In raw TPS, top optimistic rollups still lead (up to 4,500TPS). However, zkârollups provide faster finality and better privacy. For gaming or NFT use cases where transaction finality matters more than sheer TPS, ZKsync Hyperchain is often the better choice.
Can I migrate an existing Optimism rollup to OP Stack?
Yes. OP Stackâs modular design includes a backwardâcompatible bridge that lets you port state roots and contracts from Optimismâs original stack. The migration process typically takes 2â3 weeks of engineering effort.
What are the security risks of using a singleâsequencer rollup?
A single sequencer can be censored or become a single point of failure if the operator is compromised. Projects like Taiko mitigate this by placing the sequencer on Ethereum mainnet, while OP Stack is adding multiâsequencer support in its upcoming v2.1 release.
How do I estimate the monthly cost of running a rollup?
Add up deployment ETH (converted to USD), validator staking requirements, prover hardware (for zkârollups), and any RaaS subscription fees. For a midsize DeFi chain on Arbitrum Orbit, typical costs range from $10k to $25k per month, including validator rewards and gas for batch publishing.
Wow, this rollup roundup is super helpful! đ Itâs great to see a clear map of the options for 2025, especially with the detailed cost breakdowns. I love how each solution is matched to specific useâcases â makes the decision process feel less daunting. If youâre a startup, the RaaS options like Conduit and AltLayer really lower the barrier to entry. đ€ For enterprises, the modularity of OP Stack seems promising for compliance needs. Keep the updates coming, the ecosystem moves fast! đ
Reading through the comparison gave me a better sense of what each framework excels at. The way the guide outlines the tradeâoffs between throughput and finality really helps when youâre trying to match a projectâs priorities. I especially appreciate the checklist at the end â it feels like a quick sanity test before committing resources. Itâs also nice to see the regional focus of Polygon CDK highlighted, since many developers overlook that market. Overall, a solid reference for anyone starting to explore rollups.
Building on that perspective, one could view the rollup choice as a microâcosm of broader system design principles. When you prioritize security above speed, you echo the classic tradeâoff between safety and performance found throughout engineering. Conversely, opting for highâthroughput may demand accepting a bit more complexity in the prover infrastructure, especially with zkârollups. Itâs a reminder that no single solution is universally optimal â context matters. Aligning the technology with the projectâs longâterm governance model often yields the most sustainable outcome.
Alright folks, letâs cut to the chase!!! The rollup arena in 2025 is basically a battlefield of innovation!!! OP Stack brings that enterpriseâgrade steel, Arbitrum Orbit flexes compute muscles, ZKsync Hyperchain drops privacy bombs, and Polygon CDK keeps the fees down!!! Choose wisely, because the wrong pick can tank your launch faster than a gas price spike!!!
Yo, Jason!!! I gotta say your hype is lit, but donât u forget dat the real juice is in the dev experience!! đ If u pick a stack thatâs too frosty like a freezinâ iceberg, your team gonna melt under pressure!! Plus, those zK proofs ainât no joke â gotta budget for fancy hardware!! So yeah, hype is cool, but real talk â balance the sparkle with solid support!!
Itâs clear that many teams are navigating a complex set of factors when selecting a rollup. The guide does a good job of laying out both the technical specifications and the practical considerations such as cost and regional adoption. Understanding these dimensions can help developers make choices that align with both shortâterm goals and longâterm sustainability.
When you stare at the endless sea of rollup options, it feels like youâre standing at the edge of a new frontier, one where every decision echoes through the architecture of tomorrow. The OP Stack emerges not just as a tool, but as a manifesto for enterprises seeking ironclad security, its modular design promising a fortress of compliance that can adapt as regulations evolve. Meanwhile, Arbitrum Orbit dazzles with its WASM capabilities, turning what once was an arduous computational burden into a sleek, almost poetic dance of Rust and Solidity. Imagine the thrill of watching a DeFi protocol execute complex calculations in a fraction of the gas, the savings cascading like a waterfall of gold across user wallets. ZKsync Hyperchain, with its nearâinstant finality, offers a different kind of romance â the kind where gamers and NFT creators can finally breathe without the lingering dread of delayed confirmations. The lowâlatency proofs whisper promises of truly immersive experiences, where every inâgame asset transfer feels instantaneous. Yet, the price of that elegance is steep: the hardware requirements for provers are not for the faintâhearted, demanding servers that could fill a small server farm. Polygon CDK, on the other hand, sings a ballad of accessibility, its cheap transaction fees resonating with developers targeting emerging markets, where even a few cents matter. The partnership with telecoms in Southeast Asia transforms the rollup from a technical novelty into a bridge that connects everyday users to the blockchain. RollupâasâaâService platforms like Conduit and AltLayer act like seasoned guides, whisking startups across treacherous terrain in minutes rather than months. Their oneâclick deployments are akin to a fastâforward button on the invention of the internet, democratizing access to scaling solutions. However, with great convenience comes the subtle loss of deep customization, a tradeâoff that may bite when unique business logic is required. As we look toward the horizon, the impending Pectra upgrade and recursive zkâproof research promise to push the envelope further, hinting at a future where one million TPS becomes a tangible reality. In this evolving landscape, the wisest developers will remain fluid, choosing frameworks that not only meet today's needs but also possess the elasticity to grow with the ecosystem's relentless march. Ultimately, the rollup you pick today writes a chapter in the story of your project, and that story-if told well-can become a legend in the annals of Ethereum's renaissance.
Yo, that epic saga sounds awesome, but letâs not forget the hidden costs. Even if a rollup promises blazing speed, you still end up with hidden maintenance overhead and vendor lockâin. Sometimes the simplest L2, even if slower, saves you headaches down the line.
hey guys, just wanted to chime in â iâve seen a lot of projects bounce between OP and Polygon because theyâre just tryinâ to find the sweet spot. my advice? start with a lowâcost testnet on Polygon CDK, see how the fees feel, then scale up if you need more security. keep it simple, donât overengineer at the start.
The industryâs obsession with hype over sustainability is simply irresponsible.