Key differences

The primary differences of Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks are tied with the-underhood architectures and frameworks they implement between decentralization, ecosystem focus security, and transaction efficiency.

Decentralization and security

Both Arbitrum One and Nova operate as Optimistic Rollups, inheriting the security guarantees of the Ethereum blockchain. However, Arbitrum One sticks to the principles of a wide decentralization. This helps ensure that no single entity has control over the network. Arbitrum One’s approach offers Ethereum-level security and transparency, making the blockchain an ideal choice for applications that prioritize decentralization and censorship resistance.

As a comparison, Arbitrum Nova introduces a mild trust assumption by leveraging the AnyTrust model and a DAC committee. While this compromise enables very low transaction fees and high throughput, it also introduces a degree of centralization, as the committee plays a crucial role in data availability and transaction processing.

Transactions scalability - Speed and data

There are two things that stand out when we compare general transactions on both Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova:

• Arbitrum One publishes all transaction data on the Ethereum blockchain, ensuring full transparency and decentralization. In contrast, Arbitrum Nova posts only a data availability certificate (DACert), keeping the bulk of the data off-chain to optimize transaction efficiency;

• The high-volume applications tend to choose Arbitrum Nova over One as it supports significantly higher transactions per second metric as it can theoretically process up to 40,000 TPS;

• The transaction cost and high transaction throughput combination is one of the main differences between Arbitrum One and Nova as the latter allows for very low transaction costs without damaging the transaction throughput.

Compare Arbitrum One vs Nova

To decide whether you need to implement your solution, engage with the specific network or learn which to use for your stablecoin transactions, you can refer to the table below that compares both Arbitrum chains.

*as stated by Offchain Labs team and calculated from Arbitrum Explorers

Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova work simultaneously and support EVM, therefore they offer a lot of opportunities for the cross-chain interactions - including the bridging process of funds between the networks.

In case you need to bridge your tokens between these two networks or swap any funds to these two blockchains, the following short tutorial from Symbiosis is for you.

Bridge between Arbitrum One vs Nova

Since Symbiosis - a multi-chain decentralized exchange - supports both Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova, you can manage transactions and funds swap right at the platform.

Let’s take a look at how to swap tokens on Arbitrum One or Arbitrum Nova.

• Access Symbiosis WebApp;

• Connect your wallet and choose the blockchains for the transfers. You can choose Abritrum One and Nova networks or any other supported chains at the Symbiosis protocol;

• State the funds and their amount you wish to exchange and bridge;

• Review the terms including the price for the token, route and the final sum of funds;

• Finalize your Arbitrum One vs Nova bridge and confirm the transaction in your wallet from the appearing notifications.

What is more, Symbiosis is a cross-chain AMM DEX that pools together liquidity from different layer 1 and layer 2 networks, both EVM and non-EVM. In simple terms, you can first swap and bridge from any supported blockchain network including Ethereum, TRON, zkSync and more. The full list is available right here.

Must reads - Arbitrum One vs Nova swaps

Coming to the platform first? No worries! There are more detailed guides on how to interact with Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova networks as well as to bridge and swap your funds.