ZK Rollup Track 2025 Top Project Analysis: Ethereum Scaling New Contender Race

Layer 2 Battle Heats Up, ZK Rollup Becomes the Hot Commodity

As the world’s largest smart contract platform, Ethereum has long been “stuck” due to its success—high transaction fees, network congestion, poor user experience. While Ethereum 2.0 is being rolled out in phases, layer 2 solutions are the direct answer to scalability. Among many Layer 2 options, Zero-Knowledge Rollup (ZK Rollup) is gaining focus from institutions and developers because of its unique cryptographic design.

Core Competitiveness of ZK Rollup: Why Is It More “Robust”?

ZK Rollup vs Optimistic Rollup

Both appear to bundle transactions on-chain, but ZK Rollup and Optimistic Rollup follow completely different paths:

• Optimistic Rollup adopts a “trust but verify” approach—assuming transactions are valid, only verifying in case of disputes, which can be exploited by fraudsters
• ZK Rollup is “verify every transaction”—using zero-knowledge proof technology to validate each transaction without trusting intermediaries

As a result, ZK Rollup achieves second-level finality, while Optimistic Rollup requires waiting through dispute periods (usually 7 days) for confirmation. This advantage is significant in high-frequency trading and derivatives scenarios. Additionally, ZK Rollup guarantees security through mathematical proofs rather than economic assumptions, making it more cryptographically secure and resistant to future quantum computing threats.

11 ZK Rollup Projects Worth Watching in 2025

1. Manta Network—DeFi Privacy Expert

Market Cap: $34.00M | Launch Date: September 2023

Manta Pacific uses zk-SNARKs technology to add “invisibility” to DeFi. Users can privately trade and exchange assets, with transaction details encrypted but still verifiable on-chain. In less than a year since launch, it has entered the top 4 Ethereum Layer 2 projects, surpassing Coinbase’s Base.

Key Selling Point: DeFi privacy is scarce; Manta fills this gap. It also aims to enable cross-chain privacy layers, empowering multi-chain DeFi.

2. Linea—Minimalist Master

Market Cap: $107.94M | Launch Date: August 2023

Linea follows a “ultra-minimalist” approach—compressing transactions with zk-SNARKs for smooth developer experience. In January 2024, it announced an airdrop of its native token LINEA, details were not disclosed at the time, but market reactions were enthusiastic.

Key Selling Point: High throughput + low cost + developer-friendly, especially suitable for small to medium dApps.

3. Polygon zkEVM—Choice of Major Players

Market Cap: MATIC collected fees | Launch Date: March 2023

Polygon’s zkEVM is fully compatible with EVM, allowing seamless migration of Ethereum code. Backed by the entire Polygon ecosystem, it benefits from network effects and tooling support.

Key Selling Point: EVM compatibility means zero learning curve, friendly for developers wanting to “try out”.

4. Starknet—Black Tech Camp

Market Cap: $397.32M | Launch Date: February 2022

Starknet uses STARKs technology (more advanced than SNARKs), claiming “no trusted setup” and “quantum resistance.” This technology is inherently more secure but also more difficult to implement.

Key Selling Point: Cutting-edge cryptography, top security level, attracting institutions seeking ultimate security.

5. zkSync Era—Product Manager’s Work

Market Cap: ZKS collected fees | Launch Date: March 2023

Matter Labs’ zkSync Era prioritizes “user experience.” EVM compatibility + low fees + high throughput address three major pain points simultaneously.

Key Selling Point: Well-rounded overall performance, no obvious weaknesses, suitable for applications seeking stable performance.

6. Scroll—Performance Hunter

Market Cap: Token to be launched | Launch Date: October 2023

Scroll focuses on “high throughput and low latency,” compressing batch transactions with zk-SNARKs. Fully EVM compatible, enabling one-click migration for Ethereum dApps.

Key Selling Point: Tailored for high-frequency scenarios (DEXs, perpetual contracts), leading in throughput metrics.

7. Aztec Protocol—Privacy + Programming Language Innovation

Launch Year: 2017 | Token Status: No native token yet

Aztec offers unique ideas—providing optional privacy modes, mixing public and private execution logic. Its self-created Noir programming language makes writing zero-knowledge proofs as easy as writing regular smart contracts.

Key Selling Point: Programmable privacy + innovative development tools, attracting cryptography enthusiasts and privacy dApps.

8. ZKFair—Fair Trading Guardian

Market Cap: $163M | Launch Date: December 2023 | Token: ZKF

Designed specifically for DEXs, using zero-knowledge proofs to prevent frontrunning. Focused on on-chain trading fairness.

Key Selling Point: A small but effective solution to solve frontrunning issues on DEXs, highly attractive to users sensitive to trading fairness.

9. DeGate V1—Derivatives Expert

Market Cap: $21.14M | Launch Date: September 2022 | Token: DG

A derivatives trading platform based on ZK Rollup, pursuing ultra-low slippage and low fees. Optimized for large trades.

Key Selling Point: Deep player in the derivatives space, preferred choice for institutional trading.

10. ZetaChain—Cross-Chain Connector

Market Cap: $81.08M | Launch Date: February 2021 | Token: ZETA

The most ambitious player—building a cross-chain “universal bridge” with ZK Rollup. Applications can call multiple assets and data across chains simultaneously, without complex bridging logic.

Key Selling Point: Plug-and-play cross-chain, making dApp liquidity no longer “isolated.”

11. Taiko—“Based” Sequencer for Decentralized Sorting

Launch Date: January 2024 (Testnet) | Funding: $37M

Taiko’s most innovative design is the “based sequencer”—not an independent centralized sequencer, but Ethereum itself acts as the “air traffic controller.” This completely eliminates the risk of the sequencer becoming a censorship bottleneck.

Key Selling Point: Architectural innovation to eliminate centralization risk, representing a new direction in Rollup evolution.

ZK Rollup Is Still Climbing

Despite a bright outlook, there are challenges:

• High Complexity: The cryptographic foundation of zero-knowledge proofs makes implementation difficult and prone to vulnerabilities
• Limited Flexibility: Some transaction types are hard to handle efficiently within ZK frameworks
• Adoption Rate: More dApps and users need to migrate to generate network effects
• Operational Costs: Proof generation is computationally intensive; economics of the last mile are still being explored

New Scripts for ZK Rollup in 2025

The current track is entering a “differentiated racing” phase:

• Technological Differentiation: Teams showcase their zk-SNARKs, STARKs, Plonk solutions
• Application Differentiation: Privacy DeFi, derivatives, cross-chain projects each carve out their own niches, not “one Rollup to rule them all”
• Capital Concentration: Funding and ecosystem support favor the top 5-6 projects

In the long run, the ZK Rollup ecosystem will evolve into “multiple specialized tracks”—each leading project finds its core application scenario rather than all aiming for a “general-purpose Layer 2.”

Final Words

Over the past two years, ZK Rollup has moved from cryptography labs to the market, witnessing a breakthrough from 0 to 1. The competition in 2025 will be more intense but also clearer—projects with genuine technical depth and clear use cases will stand out and become the protagonists of Ethereum’s scalability story. For investors, choosing the right project is less important than selecting the right niche, because after the big waves, only those with continuous innovation ability will survive.