Polygon vs Arbitrum Nova

Polygon, formerly Matic Network, is a blockchain platform designed to establish a multi-chain system compatible with Ethereum. It employs a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism similar to Ethereum for on-chain transactions, with its native token being POL. Functioning as a "layer two" or "sidechain" scaling solution alongside Ethereum, Polygon facilitates quicker transactions and lower fees. Its inception aimed to tackle Ethereum's major challenges, including high fees, subpar user experience, and limited transaction throughput, aspiring to create an "Ethereum's internet of blockchains" or a multi-chain ecosystem of Ethereum-compatible blockchains.

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.