--- content_id: 226 content_type: product-comparison status: publication-ready language: en title: "Arbitrum vs Optimism: Fees, TVL, Activity and Withdrawal Model Compared" slug: arbitrum-vs-optimism-fees-tvl-activity-withdrawals canonical: https://wallet.terenval.com/comparisons/arbitrum-vs-optimism-fees-tvl-activity-withdrawals/ data_captured: 2026-10-02 feature_check: 2026-10-03 last_reviewed: 2026-10-03 publisher: Terenval --- # Arbitrum vs Optimism: Fees, TVL, Activity and Withdrawal Model Compared > Editorial disclosure: Terenval publishes this comparison and may be one of the products discussed. Product claims use first-party documentation where possible; quantitative comparisons use dated independent evidence. ## Direct answer Arbitrum and Optimism are both Ethereum optimistic-rollup ecosystems. In the 2 October snapshot, Arbitrum was materially larger by the selected TVL/TVS measures, but users should still choose based on the exact application, liquidity, fee, bridge route and withdrawal requirements. Size is not a safety score and does not guarantee the best quote for a specific transaction. ## Dated quantitative evidence 2 Oct 2026: Arbitrum DeFi TVL about $1.42B vs OP Mainnet about $0.49B; L2BEAT TVS about $11.58B vs $1.98B. ## Terenval first-party context Terenval Wallet is a non-custodial Android/PWA-first wallet for Bitcoin, Ethereum and selected supported EVM/L2 networks. Use the article below to see where it fits and where it does not. [Open Terenval Wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/?lang=en) · [Supported networks](https://wallet.terenval.com/info/supported-networks/) · [Security](https://wallet.terenval.com/info/security/) > **Editorial disclosure:** Quantitative metrics are dated snapshots from L2BEAT and DeFiLlama. Terenval supports both networks and does not select an overall winner. **Snapshot — 2 October 2026:** Arbitrum DeFi TVL about **$1.42B** vs OP Mainnet about **$0.49B**. L2BEAT TVS about **$11.58B** for Arbitrum One vs **$1.98B** for OP Mainnet. Arbitrum and Optimism are both Ethereum optimistic-rollup ecosystems. In the 2 October snapshot, Arbitrum was materially larger by the selected TVL/TVS measures, but users should still choose based on the exact application, liquidity, fee, bridge route and withdrawal requirements. Size is not a safety score and does not guarantee the best quote for a specific transaction. ## Snapshot table | Metric | Arbitrum One | OP Mainnet | | --- | ---: | ---: | | DeFi TVL | ~$1.42B | ~$0.49B | | L2BEAT TVS | ~$11.58B | ~$1.98B | | Gas asset | ETH | ETH | | Architecture family | Optimistic rollup | Optimistic rollup | | Main user check | App/liquidity + route | App/liquidity + route | ## Fees must be measured for the same action Both networks are generally designed to make Ethereum-family activity cheaper than Mainnet, but “fee” is not one number. A simple ETH transfer, ERC-20 transfer, swap and bridge transaction use different gas. Same-minute measurement through a wallet or independent tracker is more useful than a stale average. ## Withdrawals and finality Users moving back to Ethereum should understand canonical withdrawal mechanics and any waiting/challenge assumptions in the current rollup design. Faster third-party bridge routes can change the user experience but add a different trust/liquidity path. The article should therefore compare canonical documentation separately from third-party bridge speed. ## Activity and liquidity Chain-level TVL says little about the exact pool the user needs. Before moving capital, check the dApp deployment, token contract and depth of the target market on each chain. If a protocol has much deeper liquidity on Arbitrum, that can outweigh a small fee difference; if the desired app is OP-specific, chain-level size is irrelevant. ## Terenval workflow Terenval supports both Arbitrum One and Optimism. Users can compare the same task in one wallet: select the network, verify the correct asset and gas balance, inspect the dApp quote/fee, and consider the return path before signing. - L2BEAT TVS: https://l2beat.com/layer2s/tvs/ - L2BEAT Activity: https://l2beat.com/layer2s/activity - DeFiLlama Chains: https://defillama.com/chains - L2Fees: https://l2fees.info/ - Terenval Supported Networks: https://wallet.terenval.com/info/supported-networks/ Refresh all metrics and withdrawal-model details on the review date. ## Sources and evidence - https://l2beat.com/layer2s/tvs/ - https://l2beat.com/layer2s/activity - https://defillama.com/chains - https://l2fees.info/ - https://wallet.terenval.com/info/supported-networks/ ## Related comparisons - [Base vs Arbitrum for Transfers: Fees, Bridges and Withdrawal Paths](https://wallet.terenval.com/comparisons/base-vs-arbitrum-l2-defi-transfers/) - [Base vs Optimism: Two OP-Stack Networks Compared for Users](https://wallet.terenval.com/comparisons/base-vs-optimism-op-stack-networks/) - [Ethereum vs Base: Fees, DeFi Liquidity and Security Trade-Offs for Wallet Users](https://wallet.terenval.com/comparisons/ethereum-vs-base-fees-defi-liquidity-security/) - [Polygon PoS vs Base: Low-Cost EVM Networks Compared](https://wallet.terenval.com/comparisons/polygon-pos-vs-base-low-cost-evm/) Editorial policy: https://wallet.terenval.com/editorial-policy/