Base Dominates Ethereum L2 Fees: $147K Daily Revenue
Generally, Ethereum’s layer-2 scene is seeing a weird gap, and Base is clearly the leader, you can see this from the numbers. Normally, CryptoRank.io showed Base pulling in $147,000 in daily fees on Jan 14, a number that blows the rest away, which is pretty impressive. Obviously, Arbitrum, the runner-up, only managed about $39,000, while Starknet lagged behind with $9,000, these numbers are kinda low. Mostly, other L2s can’t even crack the $5K barrier, which is a problem for them.
Why Base is on top
Apparently, the fee gap is stark, and beyond the top three the figures are tiny, you gotta wonder why. Naturally, the numbers show most L2s still far from meaningful fee-based revenue, even though they’re supposed to scale Ethereum, which is a big deal. Usually, the top L2s are the ones with the most users, and Base is no exception, it has a lot of users. Currently, the numbers are: Linea has $4,500, Optimism has $2,400, Unichain has $2,000, Ink has $1,500, zkSync has $900, and Scroll has $600, these numbers are not that high.
A Closer Look at the Numbers
Normally, those numbers show most L2s still far from meaningful fee-based revenue, even though they’re supposed to scale Ethereum, which is a problem. Generally, the top L2s are the ones with the most users, and Base is no exception, it has a lot of users. Obviously, the numbers are not that high, but they are still important, you can learn a lot from them. Mostly, the numbers are: Linea has $4,500, Optimism has $2,400, Unichain has $2,000, Ink has $1,500, zkSync has $900, and Scroll has $600, these numbers are not that high.
The Polygon Debate
Apparently, some folks pointed out Polygon posted $155,000 in daily fees that same day, a shade higher than Base, which is interesting. Naturally, that data comes from DefiLlama’s broader revenue set, not just Ethereum L2s, so it’s not exactly the same. Usually, X user Thorex even asked if Polygon should be called an L2 at all, since it runs a PoS chain plus a bunch of ZK products, which is a good question. Currently, CryptoRank focused only on Ethereum L2s, leaving Polygon out, but in a cross-chain view Polygon still sits near the top, with Tron leading the pack at over $1 million daily, which is a lot.
Why Base Is Leading
Generally, Base’s surge isnt a fluke, it’s because of the tokenized “Everything app” that bundles wallet, social feed, trading and payments, which is a great idea. Obviously, the app is live in more than 140 countries, letting users post tokenized content and trade straight from the feed, plus earn on-chain rewards, which is pretty cool. Normally, Coinbase never said the app caused the fee jump, but the timing lines up, and the huge user base gives Base a massive advantage, which is a big deal. Mostly, the app is still new, but it’s already making a big impact, you can see this from the numbers.
What This Means for the L2 Landscape
Apparently, L2s that have strong backing and consumer-facing apps are pulling ahead, while others chase technical upgrades or niche use cases, which is a problem. Normally, if more networks can’t attract the same level of adoption, Base could widen the gap even more, which is a big deal. Generally, the space is fluid—zero-knowledge breakthroughs, new DeFi models, and better interoperability could shift things later on, so we’ll have to wait and see. Usually, the top L2s are the ones with the most users, and Base is no exception, it has a lot of users.
Conclusion
Obviously, the latest data paints a clear picture: Base is the frontrunner in Ethereum’s L2 fee race, beating rivals by a huge margin, which is pretty impressive. Normally, Polygon and other chains still make decent money, but Base’s focus on user-friendly tools and its tie-in with Coinbase is paying off, which is a big deal. Generally, we’ll have to watch if other networks can close the gap, or if Base’s dominance becomes the new normal, which is a big question. Mostly, the numbers are still changing, but for now, Base is the leader, you can see this from the numbers.
