Summary: Enterprises evaluating zkEVMs in 2026 face materially different stacks, lifecycles, and compliance implications. Here’s a pragmatic, citation-backed path to choose (and de-risk) between Scroll, Polygon zkEVM, and zkSync.

Enterprise (CTO, CISO, Head of Procurement). Keywords: SOC2, vendor risk, SLAs, RTO/RPO, data residency, auditability.

Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machines (zkEVM): Scroll vs. Polygon vs. zkSync

Pain — A very specific headache your engineers are likely battling

• Your Solidity code “just works” on testnets, but production requirements don’t: the three “zkEVMs” are now different animals under the hood.

  • Scroll moved from custom Halo2 EVM circuits to an OpenVM RISC‑V zkVM (Euclid upgrade), shifting the proof pipeline, latency profile, and compatibility surface. (docs.scroll.io)
  • Polygon publicly announced it will deprecate Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta in 2026; forced exits will remain, but no new EIPs or service targets. That alters long‑term ops, incident response, and budget forecasts. (forum.polygon.technology)
  • zkSync Era remains a Type‑4 zkEVM (language‑level, custom VM/compilers). It compiles Solidity/Vyper via zksolc to EraVM, enabling native account abstraction but with bytecode‑level differences that affect debugging, tooling, and some precompiles. (galaxy.com)

• Core parameters you need for business cases differ by chain:

  • Finality: zkSync publishes a clear L1‑anchored process (~hours to full finality), while editing toward faster “Fast Finality” after v29. Your exchange/treasury needs these windows in SLAs. (docs.zksync.io)
  • Fees: as of today, median L2 fees vary; e.g., zkSync Era ~$0.07 per ETH transfer vs Polygon zkEVM ~$0.19 (swap was materially higher) — changing unit economics for consumer flows. (l2fees.info)
  • EIP‑4844: post‑Dencun blobs lowered DA cost but adoption and opcode parity vary; Scroll explicitly documents missing blob opcodes (e.g., BLOBHASH) on L2 even as DA is blob‑based. This impacts gas estimation and monitoring. (docs.scroll.io)

• Security lifecycle isn’t theory:

  • Scroll executed an emergency mainnet upgrade (Apr 25, 2025) to fix an OpenVM soundness issue and an L1→L2 message spoofing bug. Your controls must assume proof-system and bridge contract changes. (forum.scroll.io)
  • zkSync Lite (the original rollup) sunsets in 2026; migrations across product lines are real and must be planned for even if the mainline stack (Era/ZK Stack) continues. (coinedition.com)

Result: Your “zkEVM” selection is not a runtime swap. It sets proof costs, compliance evidence, incident response playbooks, and the depreciation curve for your stack.

Agitation — What this costs you (missed deadlines, sunk cost, procurement friction)

• Missed delivery dates: subtle tooling gaps (e.g., missing precompiles, different opcodes, compiler forks) cascade into test failures, bridging edge cases, and stalled UAT. Each week of delay burns dev cycles and pushes revenue launches.

  • Example: on Type‑4 stacks you’ll compile with zksolc/era‑solidity, not mainline solc — CI/CD, static analysis, and bytecode‑level monitoring need adaptation before audit sign‑off. (docs.zksync.io)

• Budget variance: 4844 blob costs and proving upgrades swing your $/tx forecasts.

  • Today’s public fee snapshots show materially different swap/transfer costs across L2s. If finance modeled a $0.02 target and real‑world averages land at $0.07–$0.19, your CAC/LTV and promo economics break. (l2fees.info)
  • Prover migrations change latency and cloud footprint (GPU vs CPU, recursion stages). If you sized infra for one stack, a prover change can invalidate the plan mid‑quarter. (docs.scroll.io)

• Vendor risk + SOC2 evidence gaps:

  • Deprecation notices (e.g., Polygon zkEVM) trigger re‑platforming. Procurement needs a formal “exit runway” plan (forced exits, grants, data retention), risk acceptances, and contract amendments. (forum.polygon.technology)
  • Governance and upgradability: L2Beat analyses for zkSync note centralized operator/upgrade powers and L1 queue semantics. Your auditors will ask how you mitigate censorability and emergency upgrades in RTO/RPO. (fe-staging.l2beat.com)

• Reputational exposure: security incidents (even responsibly handled) force comms, customer notice, and sometimes trading halts. Scroll’s prompt emergency fix is the right behavior — but your runbooks and on‑chain kill‑switches must be ready before launch. (forum.scroll.io)

In short: shipping on the wrong zkEVM for your requirements means missed Q targets, re‑audits, and expensive rewrites.

Solution — 7Block Labs’ methodology to pick, ship, and harden the right zkEVM

We align engineering choices to business outcomes, then deliver with quantifiable checkpoints your CFO and Security will accept.

1. Chain Selection Scorecard (2 weeks)

• We score Scroll, Polygon zkEVM, and zkSync against your constraints:
  • EVM compatibility tier (Type‑2/3/4) and compiler/tooling friction.
  • Prover design and roadmap risk (e.g., Scroll’s OpenVM RISC‑V hierarchy; zkSync’s Airbender/Gateway; Polygon’s STARK→FFLONK recursion vs winding down). (docs.scroll.io)
  • Data availability (post‑4844) and opcode parity (e.g., Scroll’s documented gaps). (docs.scroll.io)
  • Finality windows vs treasury/ops SLAs; incident governance and upgrade paths (e.g., zkSync v29 fast blocks/interop; L2Beat‑flagged operator powers). (github.com)
• Deliverable: TCO model (fees, infra, audit), risk register (centralization, DA, upgrade powers), and a “go/no‑go” for each chain with exit plans.

1. Architecture Options (2–3 weeks)

• Option A — zkSync Era / ZK Stack for privacy, interop, and AA:
  • When you need native account abstraction for UX, interop messaging (v29), and a path to permissioned deployments via Prividium. (github.com)
  • We design for Fast Finality parameters and L1 settlement guarantees to satisfy treasury operations. (docs.zksync.io)
• Option B — Scroll for bytecode‑level Solidity workflows (with modern prover):
  • OpenVM three‑tier aggregation (chunk/batch/bundle→SNARK) and MPT state alignment reduce prior circuit capacity ceilings; fits teams that demand “EVM‑native” tooling plus RIP‑7212/EIP‑7702 support. (docs.scroll.io)
  • We plan for documented opcode differences (e.g., SELFDESTRUCT disabled, 4844 opcodes not yet exposed) so audits and simulations reflect reality. (docs.scroll.io)
• Option C — Polygon zkEVM migration handling:
  • For orgs currently on Polygon zkEVM, we execute a safe wind‑down: forced exits testing, asset migration plans, and options across Polygon PoS/CDK or a ZK Stack/Scroll relaunch, with business continuity runbooks per the deprecation notice. (forum.polygon.technology)
• Deliverable: Reference architectures and migration playbooks, with RTO/RPO mapped.

1. Build the POC (4–6 weeks) with audit‑first hardening

• We implement a narrowly scoped POC on the chosen stack with:
  • Solidity contracts using chain‑specific compilers/tooling (e.g., zksolc/era‑solidity where applicable) and testnets that mimic finality and blob DA behaviors your operations will see. (docs.zksync.io)
  • Security guardrails: L1 queue fallbacks, pausable bridges, and canary batches; we mirror incident patterns observed in Scroll’s emergency to validate kill‑switches and change‑control. (forum.scroll.io)
• Deliverable: Executable POC, fee + latency traces, and audit‑ready artifacts.

1. Compliance and Procurement Package (2–3 weeks)

• SOC2 alignment: map chain governance, change windows, and data retention to SOC2 CC/CCM controls; include L2Beat‑style risk narratives for upgrade authority and censorship resistance. (fe-staging.l2beat.com)
• Vendor risk: deprecation/upgrade clauses, proof pipeline change notices, and measurable SLAs (block times, proof delays, exit availability).

Where we plug in:

• End‑to‑end delivery via our web3 development services and custom blockchain development services.
• Chain and system hardening via our security audit services.
• Back‑office connectivity (ERP, KMS/HSM, payments) via blockchain integration.
• Cross‑domain liquidity and routing via cross‑chain solutions development.
• On the app layer: dapp development and smart contract development.

Practical, up‑to‑date examples (with specifics your team can act on)

• Example 1 — Consumer payouts with predictable fees

  • Requirement: under $0.05 median fee per payout, instant UX confirmation, and <4h L1‑final settlement for treasury.
  • Choice: zkSync Era with v29 “fast blocks” (200ms) and clear finality stages; current public fee snapshots show ~$0.07 transfers (optimize batches to target below). We model guardrails for fee spikes and publish “hold‑queue” logic when blob gas surges. (github.com)
  • Implementation details:
    • Use native AA for gas sponsorship on first‑time users; integrate the Era fee estimator and blob‑aware batch sizing.
    • Monitoring: alert on prover lag and publish/verify delays; failover path routes to “queued for L1” status with user comms.

• Example 2 — On‑chain rewards with EVM‑native tooling and low latency proofs

  • Requirement: reuse Foundry/Hardhat pipelines and avoid bytecode‑level surprises; attestation‑based rewards with P‑256 (WebAuthn) signatures.
  • Choice: Scroll post‑Euclid: OpenVM reduces circuit capacity constraints; Stage‑1 readiness with EIP‑7702/RIP‑7212 support. We explicitly adapt to opcode differences (SELFDESTRUCT disabled; blob opcodes not exposed) and simulate L1 queue scenarios. (docs.scroll.io)
  • Implementation details:
    • Contracts avoid SELFDESTRUCT paths; we integrate RIP‑7212 for passkeys and prove message integrity end‑to‑end.
    • Proving profile: chunk→batch→bundle aggregation and SNARK wrapping; we size hardware to your latency SLOs. (docs.scroll.io)

• Example 3 — Migration off Polygon zkEVM without user attrition

  • Requirement: minimize liquidity fragmentation and legal exposure during wind‑down.
  • Action: we orchestrate forced‑exit testing, publish cutover dates, snapshot LP positions, and incentivize migration to an alternate chain with temporary fee rebates; all aligned to the official deprecation/forced exit guarantees. (forum.polygon.technology)

Best emerging practices we recommend in 2026

• Treat “zkEVM” as three choices of proof engines and governance — not just “EVM on ZK.”

  • Polygon’s zkEVM prover pipeline is STARK recursion with a final SNARK (FFLONK) for on‑chain verification — helpful for internal reviews and capability mapping. (docs.polygon.technology)
  • Scroll’s OpenVM RISC‑V zkVM fundamentally changes how you audit and test (Rust programs verified by the zkVM vs opcode‑specific circuits). (docs.scroll.io)
  • zkSync’s ZK Stack emphasizes interop messaging and a new prover line (Airbender) for faster proofs, influencing finality and infra cost. (github.com)

• Engineer for 4844 explicitly:

  • Use blob‑aware fee policies and telemetry; model 6‑blob capacity and variable pricing. Confirm whether target chains expose blob opcodes in the EVM for your monitoring hooks (Scroll: not yet). (docs.scroll.io)
  • Keep calldata fallbacks in contracts (zkSync publishes post‑4844 pubdata handling guidance); validate both pathways in QA. (docs.zksync.io)

• Build “governance‑proof” runbooks:

  • Codify emergency upgrade windows, pause authorities, and user‑initiated exits (L1 queue usage). L2Beat‑style risk notes belong in the SOC2 evidence binder. (fe-staging.l2beat.com)

• Quantify finality in SLAs, not anecdotes:

  • zkSync documents full finality stages; v29 accelerates confirmations but your treasury reconciles on L1‑final. Bake that into funds‑release policies to avoid disputes. (docs.zksync.io)

What to choose — concise guidance for Enterprise buyers

• Pick Scroll when:

  • Your teams demand EVM‑native workflows and bytecode‑level behavior with modern ZK performance, and you’re comfortable with OpenVM’s zkVM approach and documented opcode differences today. Include emergency‑upgrade drills in your readiness plan. (docs.scroll.io)

• Pick zkSync Era (ZK Stack) when:

  • You need native account abstraction, interop messaging, and a path to private/permissioned deployments (Prividium) while maintaining Ethereum L1 security. Prepare for Type‑4 compiler/tooling specifics and align finance on current fee realities. (github.com)

• Avoid net‑new builds on Polygon zkEVM Mainnet Beta:

  • The sunset plan is public. If you’re already there, prioritize orderly exits and migration — we’ll execute with user‑safe liquidity moves and contract cutovers. (forum.polygon.technology)

How 7Block Labs ties this to ROI, not rhetoric

• We ship a 90‑day pilot with measurable KPIs your CFO accepts:
  • Fee delta vs L1 and prior L2 (target 80–95% savings under normal blob markets; we publish daily variance bands).
  • Finality SLOs (p95 commit/prove/settle), exit availability, and operator‑queue drills.
  • Incident drills (pause/upgrade/rollback) that generate SOC2‑ready evidence.
• We de‑risk procurement:
  • Chain deprecation clause coverage (e.g., Polygon zkEVM) with exit timelines and customer notice templates. (forum.polygon.technology)
  • Governance mapping and L2Beat‑style risk narratives included in vendor assessments. (fe-staging.l2beat.com)

Where to start today:

• If you’re green‑field: begin with a two‑week scorecard and fee/finality trace across Scroll and zkSync using our reference harnesses.
• If you’re mid‑migration (Polygon zkEVM): schedule the forced‑exit test and liquidity snapshot; we stage the bridge/mapping cutover on a weekend maintenance window.

Relevant capabilities:

• Build: web3 development services, custom blockchain development services
• Harden: security audit services
• Connect: blockchain integration, cross‑chain solutions development
• App layer: dapp development, smart contract development

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CTA: Book a 90-Day Pilot Strategy Call

References

• Scroll Euclid/OpenVM, features and timelines; opcode differences and fee oracles. (docs.scroll.io)
• Scroll emergency upgrade (Apr 25, 2025) and Security/Bounty programs. (forum.scroll.io)
• Polygon zkEVM deprecation (2026) and zkEVM prover architecture (STARK recursion → FFLONK). (forum.polygon.technology)
• zkSync v29 interop/fast blocks; finality; open‑source licenses; Airbender. (github.com)
• Current public L2 fee snapshots (transfer/swap). (l2fees.info)