Optimism vs Starknet: Multi-Stage Migration

You prioritize EVM equivalence and fast time-to-market. The Superchain vision (OP Stack) offers a standardized, interoperable L2. This matters for projects needing to deploy on multiple chains with minimal code changes or leveraging existing Ethereum tooling (Hardhat, Foundry).

Your economics favor low, predictable fees for general-purpose apps. As a rollup with fraud proofs, transaction costs are stable and tied directly to Ethereum calldata. This matters for applications with high-volume, lower-value transactions like social apps or gaming micro-transactions.

You require maximal scalability for complex, compute-heavy logic. Starknet's ZK-STARK validity proofs enable higher theoretical TPS and lower cost for complex operations. This matters for demanding use cases like on-chain order-book DEXs, AI inference, or massively multiplayer on-chain games.

Your security model demands near-instant, cryptographic finality. Validity proofs provide Ethereum L1 security with ~12-minute finality, superior to fraud proof systems' 7-day challenge window. This matters for DeFi protocols handling large capital or institutions requiring strong settlement guarantees.

Specific advantage: Uses the Optimistic Virtual Machine (OVM), a fork of the EVM. This means Solidity/Vyper code, tooling (Hardhat, Foundry), and wallets (MetaMask) work with minimal changes. This matters for teams migrating existing Ethereum dApps who need to minimize refactoring and retraining. The Superchain vision (OP Stack) further standardizes this across chains like Base and Mode.

Specific advantage: ~$7B Total Value Locked (TVL) and integration with major DeFi protocols like Aave, Uniswap V3, and Curve. This matters for protocols requiring deep liquidity and composability on day one. The established network effect reduces bootstrap time and user acquisition costs compared to newer ecosystems.

Specific advantage: STARK-based validity proofs offer higher theoretical throughput (~100-200 TPS on mainnet) and sub-cent transaction fees that are predictable, not subject to L1 gas auctions. This matters for high-frequency applications (gaming, social, DeFi perps) where cost spikes or congestion are unacceptable. Cairo native execution is optimized for complex logic.

Specific advantage: Cryptographic security via STARK proofs, with a roadmap for fractal scaling (Appchains) and native account abstraction at the protocol level. This matters for enterprises and protocols building novel, compute-intensive dApps who prioritize mathematical security and want to own their stack. Starknet's architecture is built for the next decade of scaling.

Specific trade-off: Fraud-proof windows create a 7-day challenge period for trustless L1 withdrawals. While bridges offer faster exits, they introduce custodial risk. This matters for applications requiring near-instant finality (e.g., CEX integration, high-speed trading) where user experience is critical. The upcoming fault-proof upgrade (Cannon) aims to reduce this.

Specific trade-off: The Cairo programming language and new toolchain (Scarb, Dojo for gaming) require developers to learn a new paradigm. While Warp enables Solidity→Cairo transpilation, native optimization requires Cairo expertise. This matters for teams with tight timelines or large existing Solidity codebases, as it increases initial migration overhead and hiring complexity.

ZK-Rollup Architecture: Generates cryptographic proofs for thousands of transactions off-chain, enabling a theoretical TPS ceiling orders of magnitude higher than Optimistic Rollups. This matters for protocols anticipating exponential user growth (e.g., mass-market gaming, social dApps) where long-term, predictable low fees are critical. Starknet's Cairo VM is optimized for this proof generation.

Validity Proofs: State transitions are verified on Ethereum L1 before acceptance, providing Ethereum-level security from the first confirmation. This results in ~12-minute finality vs. Optimism's 7-day fraud proof window. This matters for DeFi protocols (like lending on zkLend) and institutional applications where capital efficiency and instant fund withdrawal finality are non-negotiable.

OP Stack Bedrock: Near-perfect EVM equivalence means Solidity/Vyper contracts and tooling (Hardhat, Foundry) deploy with minimal refactoring. This matters for teams with large, complex codebases (e.g., Aave, Uniswap) where a rapid, low-risk migration is the priority. The Superchain vision also offers future interoperability with Base, Mode, and other OP Chains.

Established Ecosystem: With ~$6B TVL and integrations across major bridges (Across, Hop), oracles (Chainlink), and wallets, Optimism offers a battle-tested environment. This matters for DeFi protocols where immediate access to deep liquidity pools and composability with blue-chip apps (Velodrome, Synthetix) is crucial for launch success.

Non-EVM Native: Development requires learning Cairo, a Rust-like language for STARK proofs. While Warp enables Solidity→Cairo transpilation, complex logic often requires native Cairo optimization. This matters for teams without dedicated cryptography engineers, as it increases initial development time and limits the pool of experienced developers (~5,000 Cairo devs vs. millions of Solidity devs).

7-Day Challenge Period: Users and protocols must wait ~7 days for full L1 finality when bridging assets out, requiring liquidity providers or third-party solutions (like Across) for instant exits. This matters for exchanges, payment apps, or any user experience where immediate liquidity movement is a competitive requirement. While fast bridges exist, they add complexity and cost.