Base Surges Ahead in Layer 2 Rivalry with Arbitrum

A recent snapshot by L2BEAT shows that Base and Arbitrum One are neck and neck in terms of their performance on Ethereum's layer 2 network. On September 1, 2026, Base secured $12.40 billion in total value, just an 8% lead over Arbitrum One's $11.45 billion.

However, when it comes to activity, Base is in the clear, processing 99.35 user operations per second compared to Arbitrum One's 19.23. This five-to-one advantage in throughput is due to Base's focus on consumer applications and social media, which generate a high number of transactions.

The two chains also differ in terms of their decentralization progress. Neither chain has a fully decentralized sequencer, with both still relying on centralized entities for transaction ordering. However, Arbitrum One does have the BoLD system, which provides permissionless fraud proofs and helps to decentralize validation.

Another key difference is the presence of native tokens. Base has no native token, while Arbitrum One's ARB token has a circulating supply of around 6.678 billion against a cap of 10 billion. The token's chart shows that its recent price increase may be part of a larger downtrend.