Ethereum gas fees too expensive? How to choose Arbitrum / Optimism / Base (2026)
A single transaction on Ethereum mainnet can cost tens of dollars in gas, while Layer 2 brings it down to a few cents. This article compares fees, ecosystem maturity, withdrawal speed and security across the three major L2s — Arbitrum, Optimism and Base — and gives beginners a decision framework for choosing an L2, plus the full flow for withdrawing from an exchange directly to an L2, cross-chain bridge pitfalls and withdrawal wait times back to mainnet, so you can cut costs without stepping on extra traps.