Base Leads L2 Costs $147K Daily As Most Chains Earn Less Than $5K

CryptoRank data showed Base capturing nearly 70% of Ethereum L2 revenue in one day, ahead of Arbitrum.

Base led Ethereum’s layer-2 Fee rankings on January 14, generating about $147,000 in daily revenue, well ahead of Arbitrum’s about $39,000 and Starknet’s $9,000, according to statistics shared by CryptoRank.io.

The data points to a sharp concentration of activity on one network, as other Ethereum blockchains struggle to clear $5,000 in the same 24-hour period.

Basis Pulls Forward as Payroll Data Shows Widening Gaps

CryptoRank said Base’s share of total Ethereum L2 revenue is approaching 70% based on the January 14 summary, while all other L2s together brought in just over $15,000. Linea posted about $4,500 in payouts, Optimism $2,400, Unichain $2,000, Ink $1,500, zkSync $900, and Scroll $600, showing how the microcoin generation is staying out of the top tier.

The payment figures immediately started a debate on social media, especially after some users pointed out the very high income of Polygon on the same day. Crypto analyst Vadim and X-user New York Pascal both posted that Polygon recorded around $155,000 in daily payments, slightly more than Base’s total, based on a network-wide revenue table from DefiLlama shared within hours of the CryptoRank post.

That comparison led to questions about how Polygon should be divided. X user Thorex asked if Polygon is L2 at all, reflecting a long-running discussion in the community about Polygon’s mix of scaling solutions, including its proof-of-stake series and new zero-information products.

The difference is important because CryptoRank’s posts focus exclusively on Ethereum L2s, while Polygon’s revenue statistics generally include activity from its broader ecosystem.

DefiLlama’s revenue table showed Tron tops all chains with more than $1 million in daily payments, followed by Polygon, Base, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, and Arbitrum. Within that broader context, Base still ranks near the top of Ethereum-aligned networks, even if it wasn’t the highest-paid chain overall.

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Ecosystem Growth Adds Content to Foundation Payment Power

Base’s latest coin operation comes as Coinbase continues to expand products built into the network. Late last year, the exchange launched a tokenized “app for everything,” a rebranded version of the Coinbase Wallet that combines social content, trading, and payments into a single interface.

The company said the app, now live in more than 140 countries, is built on Base and uses tokenized posts and merchandise that can be sold directly through a community-style feed. The launch introduced new ways for users to interact on the chain, including earning money by engaging with content and instantly paying rewards to their wallets.

Although Coinbase has not published a direct link between the application and the amount of daily expenses, the timing helps to explain why Base continues to attract activity compared to other L2s that do not have the same funnel facing consumers.