Abstract vs Arbitrum Nova

Abstract is a Layer 2 (L2) network built on top of Ethereum, designed to securely power consumer-facing blockchain applications at scale with low fees and fast transaction speeds.

Built on top of the ZK Stack, Abstract is a zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup built to be a more scalable alternative to Ethereum; it achieves this scalability by executing transactions off-chain, batching them together, and verifying batches of transactions on Ethereum using (ZK) proofs.

Abstract is EVM compatible, meaning it looks and feels like Ethereum, but with lower gas fees and higher transaction throughput. Existing smart contracts built for Ethereum will work out of the box on Abstract (with some differences), meaning developers can easily port applications to Abstract with no or minimal changes.

Arbitrum Nova is a high-performance alternative to Arbitrum One's chain. While Arbitrum One implements the purely trustless Rollup protocol, Arbitrum Nova implements the mostly trustless AnyTrust protocol. The key difference between Rollup and AnyTrust is that the AnyTrust protocol introduces an additional trust assumption in the form of a Data Availability Committee (DAC). This committee (detailed below) is responsible for expediting the process of storing, batching, and posting child chain transaction data to Ethereum's parent chain. This lets you use Arbitrum in scenarios that demand performance and affordability, while Arbitrum One is optimal for scenarios that demand Ethereum's pure trustlessness.