Base Leads L2 costs by $147,000 per day as most chains make less than $5,000

CryptoRank data showed that Base captured nearly 70% of Ethereum L2 fee revenue in a single day, well ahead of Arbitrum.

Base topped Ethereum’s second ranking on Jan. 14, generating about $147,000 in daily revenue, well above Arbitrum’s roughly $39,000 and Starknet’s $9,000, according to figures shared by CryptoRank.io.

The data shows a sharp concentration of activity on one network, while most other Ethereum scaling chains struggled to rake in $5,000 in fees in the same 24-hour period.

Basis pulls ahead as reimbursement data shows widening disparities

CryptoRank said Base’s share of total Ethereum L2 revenue was almost 70% based on the January 14 snapshot, while all other L2s combined raised just over $15,000. Linea recorded around $4,500 in fees, Optimism $2,400, Unichain $2,000, Ink $1,500, zkSync $900, and Scroll $600, showing how few fees are generated outside the top tier.

The rate figures quickly sparked debate on social media, especially after some users pointed out Polygon’s much higher revenue on the same day. Crypto analyst Vadim and X-user New York Pascal both posted that Polygon recorded about $155,000 in daily fees, slightly more than Base’s total, based on a network-wide revenue table from DefiLlama shared within hours of CryptoRank’s post.

That comparison led to questions about how to classify Polygon. X-gebruiker Thorex vroeg of Polygon überhaupt een L2 is, als weerspiegeling van een langlopende discussie in de gemeenschap over Polygon’s mix van schaaloplossingen, inclusief de proof-of-stake-keten en nieuwere zero-knowledge-producten.

The distinction is important because CryptoRank’s post focused specifically on Ethereum L2s, while Polygon’s revenue figures often include activities from the broader ecosystem.

DefiLlama’s income table showed Tron tops all chains with over $1 million in daily fees, followed by Polygon, Base, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, and Arbitrum. Within that broader context, Base was still at the top for Ethereum-aligned networks, even if it wasn’t the highest-grossing chain overall.

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Ecosystem growth adds context to Base’s rate strength

Base’s recent fee performance comes as Coinbase continues to expand the products built on its network. Late last year, the exchange launched its tokenized “Everything app,” a revamped version of Coinbase Wallet that combines social content, trading and payments in one interface.

The company said the app, which is now available in more than 140 countries, is built on Base and uses tokenized messages and assets that can be traded directly from a social-style feed. The launch introduced new ways for users to interact on-chain, including earning content engagement and receiving rewards directly to their wallets.

While Coinbase has not published a direct link between the app and the daily fees, the timing helps explain why Base continues to attract activity compared to other L2s that lack a similar consumer-facing funnel.