Original author: @thirdweb

Original compilation: @BitalkNews

zkEVM is bringing Ethereum to the public. But with so many choices, which one is the best? We compared Polygon zkEVM (+ 2.0), zkSync Era, Linea, Scroll, and Taiko, this is your ultimate guide to zkEVM.

Quick review:

zkEVM is a layer 2 network that processes transactions and sends proofs back to Ethereum. They use zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) and EVM compatibility to reduce the computational load on Ethereum (L1) and improve scalability without sacrificing security or decentralization.

But not all zkEVMs are the same, zkEVMs have different types:

Vitalik has a great framework that shows the advantages and disadvantages of each type, from Ethereum equivalent (type 1) to EVM compatible (type 4). The main trade-off is between EVM compatibility and performance:

So which zkEVM is the best? We compared the most popular options:

→ Polygon zkEVM (+ 2.0)

→ zkSync Era

→ Linea

→ Scroll

→ Taiko

Let's break them down.

Polygon 2.0 (zkEVM Validium)

In June 2023, Polygon Labs proposed to upgrade Polygon PoS to zkEVM validium.

Polygon PoS has a strong ecosystem:

→ 2B+ TVL (on-chain assets)

→ Thousands of dApps

→ Approximately 2.5 million transactions per day

Migrating PoS to zkEVM validium will retain its network effects and low costs without affecting its existing applications, users, and developer experience. But wait, doesn't Polygon already have zkEVM?

Polygon believes that 2.0 (its proposed zkEVM validium) is a lower-cost, higher-throughput version of its Polygon zkEVM Rollup.

Rollups utilize Ethereum to publish transaction data and verify proofs, inheriting its security and decentralization. But there are trade-offs:

The downside of Rollup is the high cost of publishing transaction data to Ethereum and limited throughput. Validium provides similar security guarantees (ZK proofs ensure the validity of transactions), but provides transaction data off-chain.

Compared to Rollup, this gives Validiums two main advantages:

• Lower costs, as they do not consume expensive Ethereum Gas (i.e., block space for storing transaction data)

• Higher scalability, as the throughput of Rollups is limited by the transaction data that can be published to Ethereum

The trade-off for Validium is ensuring the availability of transaction data outside of Ethereum, which may be challenging. However, Polygon PoS's existing 100+ validators can serve as highly secure and reliable guarantees for data availability.

So why use Polygon zkEVM?

Polygon zkEVM

Polygon zkEVM is a type 3 ZK-Rollup. Its goal is to be EVM equivalent—meaning it has greater scalability when working with existing Ethereum tools and clients (by preserving EVM opcode compatibility).

Currently, Polygon PoS (2.0) and Polygon zkEVM rollup are two public networks in the Polygon ecosystem. This will remain the case after the upgrade: one as an aggregator, the other as Validium.

But why not just abandon Polygon zkEVM?

Polygon 2.0 and Polygon zkEVM complement each other: Polygon zkEVM (Rollup) has slightly higher costs and lower throughput, but provides the highest level of security. This is best suited for applications handling high-value transactions (e.g., DeFi).

On the other hand, Polygon 2.0 (zkEVM validium) will provide the highest scalability. This is best suited for applications with high transaction volume and low costs (e.g., Web3 games, social).

Polygon zkEVM's mainnet was launched in March 2023, with TVL on the network currently around $54 million. Built on Polygon zkEVM: https://thirdweb.com/polygon-zkevm

zkSync Era

zkSync Era is currently a type 4 zkEVM, but over time, it may increase EVM bytecode compatibility. Era (its mainnet) was built by Matter Labs and went live in March 2023, with TVL currently around $450 million and a transaction volume of 27 million in the past month.

The goal of zkSync is not EVM equivalence, but to increase proof generation speed through its custom virtual machine (VM). It natively supports Ethereum cryptographic primitives, simplifies testing with Hardhat plugins, and improves user experience through native account abstraction.

zkSync Era uses its LLVM compiler to convert Solidity, Vyper, and Yul code into executable code on zkSync VM, and plans to be compatible with Rust and C++ in the future. It has a robust L1-L2 contract message passing system to help developers pass data between contracts on Ethereum and zkSync.

The upcoming zkPorter integration in zkSync will provide users with the following options:

• High-security zkRollup accounts, with costs approximately 20 times lower compared to Ethereum
• zkPorter accounts with stable transaction fees and a different security model, allowing for flexible user experiences

For data availability, zkSync Era publishes state differences instead of transaction inputs—providing data compression and integration with zkPorter.

As the only type 4 zkEVM in this list, its custom virtual machine enables certain features (and higher scalability) on zkSync Era.

For example: zkSync Era enhances the developer experience by natively supporting account abstraction through its custom virtual machine. But EVM equivalent chains cannot natively support account abstraction; they achieve this through Ethereum's ERC-4337.

The downside of type 4 zkEVM is the lack of compatibility—requiring adjustments to the development process to build applications on zkSync. Built on zkSync Era: https://twitter.com/thirdweb/status/1666119985520066561

Linea

Built by ConsenSys (creator of MetaMask, Truffle, and Infura), Linea is currently a type 3 zkEVM. Integrated with native MetaMask wallet and Truffle development toolkit, its Alpha mainnet was launched in July 2023 and has accumulated a TVL of $50 million.

Linea's uniqueness lies in its ability to execute unaltered native bytecode according to the Ethereum Virtual Machine specification. Its goal is to provide a type 2 zkEVM in the future, ensuring near-complete compatibility with Ethereum while maintaining scalability.

Linea does not use a transpiler or custom compiler. It directly uses the bytecode compiled from Solidity to generate ZK proofs for smart contracts, reducing the risk of errors and hacker attacks. For users, this means similar security to Ethereum, with much lower transaction costs.

Built on Linea: https://thirdweb.com/linea

Scroll zkEVM

Scroll is a zk-Rollup on Ethereum, currently a type 3 zkEVM, with plans to transition to type 2.

Its long-term goal is to prioritize EVM compatibility and decentralization over ZKP fast generation, transitioning towards type 1 zkEVM.

A successful type 1 is the ultimate form of EVM compatibility, decentralization, and scalability—essentially replicating Ethereum L1. But as we have seen with Ethereum itself, this is much more difficult to achieve.

Currently, Scroll's alpha testnet is a type 3 zkEVM and is open to the public. Built on Scroll: https://thirdweb.com/scroll-alpha-testnet

Taiko

Similar to Scroll, Taiko is a generalized zk-Rollup aiming to become a native type 1 zkEVM. Taiko takes a different approach from Scroll to become type 1, prioritizing decentralization over speed from the start:

Scroll is gradually enhancing EVM compatibility (starting from the type 3 testnet) and making its sequencer and prover more decentralized at mainnet launch. While ZKP generation speed is slower, Taiko makes these components decentralized from the start and maximizes EVM compatibility.

Taiko's type 1 testnet is currently available. Built on Taiko: https://thirdweb.com/taiko-grimsvotn-l2

Using Vitalik's framework: → Taiko: type 1 (testnet live) → Polygon zkEVM: type 3 (mainnet live + planned transition to type 2) → Linea: type 3 (mainnet live + planned transition to type 2) → Scroll: type 3 (testnet live + planned transition to type 1) → zkSync Era: type 4 (mainnet live)

In conclusion, L2 development and adoption are key to the future of Ethereum and solving blockchain scalability issues. Each zkEVM has unique advantages and faces unique challenges, but they all play a crucial role in realizing an accessible web3 ecosystem.

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