Polygon zkEVM has processed its 100 millionth transaction, reaching the milestone just 18 months after its mainnet launch. The achievement validates zero-knowledge proof technology as a viable scaling solution for Ethereum and positions Polygon zkEVM as one of the most actively used ZK rollups in the blockchain ecosystem. The network has demonstrated consistent growth in transaction throughput, developer activity, and total value locked throughout 2025 and into 2026.
The Journey to 100 Million Transactions
Polygon zkEVM launched in March 2024 after an extended beta period and rapidly gained traction among DeFi protocols and developers seeking Ethereum-compatible execution with lower costs and faster confirmations. The first 10 million transactions took approximately four months, but the pace accelerated significantly as network effects took hold and more applications deployed on the platform.
Transaction volume growth has been driven primarily by DeFi activity, with decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and yield aggregators collectively generating over 60% of network transactions. Uniswap, Aave, and SushiSwap all maintain active deployments on Polygon zkEVM, providing users with familiar DeFi tools at a fraction of Ethereum mainnet costs.
The network's total value locked has grown to $2.3 billion, up from $400 million at the start of 2025. This growth reflects both new capital entering the network and the deployment of additional protocols that attract liquidity. Cross-chain bridges connecting zkEVM to Ethereum mainnet, other Polygon chains, and external networks have facilitated the inflow of assets.
Technical Performance Improvements
Since launch, Polygon zkEVM has undergone several significant upgrades that improved performance and reduced costs. Proof generation time has decreased by 85%, from approximately 10 minutes per batch to under 90 seconds. This improvement has enabled more frequent proof submissions to Ethereum, reducing finality times and improving the user experience for applications that require confirmed settlement.
Gas costs on the network have also declined substantially through optimization of the proving system and transaction batching logic. Average transaction costs on Polygon zkEVM are now approximately $0.02, competitive with optimistic rollups and significantly cheaper than Ethereum's base layer. The introduction of Ethereum's EIP-4844 blob transactions further reduced data posting costs by approximately 90%.
EVM equivalence has progressed from the initial type-3 zkEVM to near type-2 compatibility, meaning almost all Ethereum smart contracts can be deployed on Polygon zkEVM without modification. This compatibility is crucial for developer adoption, as it eliminates the need to rewrite or audit smart contracts for deployment on the network.
Ecosystem Growth
The Polygon zkEVM ecosystem now includes over 300 deployed protocols spanning DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and infrastructure. Developer tooling has matured, with major development frameworks including Hardhat, Foundry, and Remix providing native support for zkEVM deployment and testing.
Several protocols have launched exclusively on Polygon zkEVM, attracted by the combination of Ethereum compatibility, ZK security, and growing user base. These native protocols span categories including concentrated liquidity management, real-world asset tokenization, and decentralized social applications. The emergence of zkEVM-native projects signals that the ecosystem has reached sufficient maturity to attract developers who choose to build there first rather than porting from Ethereum.
The relationship between Polygon zkEVM and the broader Polygon CDK ecosystem creates additional growth dynamics. CDK chains can interoperate with zkEVM through the AggLayer, meaning applications on zkEVM gain access to liquidity and users across the entire network of Polygon-connected chains.
ZK Rollup Competition
Polygon zkEVM operates in an increasingly competitive ZK rollup landscape. zkSync Era, Scroll, Linea, and StarkNet all offer ZK-based Ethereum scaling with different technical approaches and ecosystem strategies. Transaction counts and TVL across these networks have grown collectively, suggesting that ZK technology adoption is expanding the overall market rather than creating a zero-sum competition.
Each ZK rollup has developed distinct strengths. zkSync's native account abstraction provides a superior user experience for new users. StarkNet's Cairo programming language enables unique optimization possibilities. Polygon zkEVM's advantage lies in its deep EVM compatibility and its connection to the broader Polygon ecosystem, which provides the largest Layer 2 user base in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Road to Full Decentralization
Polygon Labs has published a decentralization roadmap for zkEVM that transitions the network from its current centralized sequencer model to a fully decentralized proof-of-stake system. The first phase, currently in testing, introduces a permissioned set of sequencers operated by independent entities. Subsequent phases will open sequencer participation to any staker meeting minimum requirements.
Proving decentralization is also planned, with a competitive proving market where multiple provers compete to generate ZK proofs for transaction batches. This approach improves censorship resistance and reduces single points of failure while potentially reducing proving costs through market competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Polygon zkEVM?
Polygon zkEVM is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that uses zero-knowledge proofs to batch and verify transactions. It provides near-full compatibility with Ethereum smart contracts while offering significantly lower costs and faster transactions, with security guaranteed by cryptographic proofs submitted to Ethereum.
How much does it cost to transact on Polygon zkEVM?
Average transaction costs are approximately $0.02, down significantly from earlier in the network's history due to proving system optimizations and Ethereum's EIP-4844 upgrade that reduced data posting costs. Complex DeFi operations may cost slightly more but remain far cheaper than Ethereum mainnet.
How does Polygon zkEVM compare to optimistic rollups like Arbitrum?
ZK rollups use cryptographic proofs for transaction verification, providing faster finality and stronger security guarantees. Optimistic rollups use fraud proofs with a 7-day challenge period. zkEVM transaction costs are now comparable to optimistic rollups, though the technology is newer and the ecosystem is still catching up in terms of TVL and deployed applications.