© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.
Okay, look. Every other "top projects" list just spits out a bunch of names with hype screenshots and zero how to use it steps. You read 'em, get excited, then stare at your wallet like "now what?" That's useless. I'm fixing that here. We're talking zkSync native projects - stuff built from the ground up on Era, not some Ethereum port. And since it's 2026, zkSync Lite's basically ghosted - everything's on Era now, with its EVM vibes, 15,000 TPS, and fees that won't make you cry. You'll get real steps to jump in, swap, stake, whatever. Sound good?
But first, quick reality check. zkSync Era's the star - full EVM compatible, so your Solidity code mostly just works. No more Lite headaches; it's deprecated this year, Etherscan support's gone, and all the action's here. Fees? Like 0.01-0.1 cents per tx on average, way under Ethereum's gas wars. Throughput hits 15k TPS with Atlas upgrades. I usually bridge ETH over, deploy a quick contract, and forget mainnet exists.
The thing is, native projects mean dApps optimized for zkSync's account abstraction and paymasters - you can pay fees in USDC or whatever, no ETH needed sometimes. Why does this matter? Cheaper DeFi, gaming that doesn't lag, NFTs without the rage quit gas. In my experience, once you bridge once, you're hooked.
Potential issue? Bridge congestion. Wait it out or use LayerZero bridges for faster hops. Happened to me last month - annoying but fixed in an hour.
So SyncSwap's basically Uniswap but zkSync native, with concentrated liquidity pools that crush it on fees. I use it daily for USDC ETH swaps. Fees? 0.05% maker, 0.3% taker usually. Here's how you dive in.
First, connect your wallet at app.syncswap.xyz. Switch to zkSync Era if it doesn't auto. Pick a pool - say USDC/USDT for boring stable swaps. Enter amount, slippage at 0.5%, hit swap. Gas? Pennies. Done.
Now, farming. Go to Farms tab, approve tokens, stake LP. Yields hover 10-30% APR on hot pairs, paid in SYNC. Claim weekly. What's next? Impermanent loss? Yeah, it bites - stick to correlated assets like stables.
Look, traditional AMMs suck for dynamic markets. Maverick's different - it's a dynamic leverage AMM native to zkSync. Users set their own risk/reward, like 2x leverage on ETH for fat yields. TVL's exploding past $100M.
In my experience, it's killer for volatile plays. Head to app.maverick protocol.com, connect, browse vaults. Pick one, say BTC perp with 5x. Deposit USDC, it auto leverages. Fees around 0.2%, real yields 20-50% depending on vol.
Pro move: Use their dashboard to sim APYs before jumping. Issue? Liquidation risk. Set stops or go low leverage if you're new. Pulled 35% last quarter, no sweat.
| Project | Best For | Avg Fee | TVL Est 2026 | Yield Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SyncSwap | Swaps & Farms | 0.05-0.3% | $500M+ | 10-30% APR |
| Maverick | Levered Yields | 0.2% | $150M | 20-60% |
| Ironside | Perps Trading | 0.1% taker | $200M | Funding rates vary |
| zkLend | Lending/Borrow | 0.5% borrow | $300M | 5-15% supply |
Okay, table time 'cause numbers don't lie. Ironside's your perps spot - infinite leverage, low funding rates. zkLend for borrowing against ETH at 3-10% rates. All native, all gas sipping.
Trading futures without CEX KYC? Ironside. zkSync's top perps DEX, up to 50x leverage on BTC/ETH. Fees 0.1% taker, rebates for makers. I usually scalp 5x ETH longs here.
Why does this matter? Funding pays you to hold longs in bull markets. Caught 12% last week. Risk? Volatility wipes. Use 20% max position size. Fixed my over leverage mistake early on.
Need to lever up without selling? zkLend's the lending hub. Supply ETH, borrow USDC at ~4% APR. Native, with flash loans for arbs.
Steps: app.zklend.xyz, connect, supply asset. Health factor stays above 1.5. Borrow, repay anytime. In my experience, loop it - supply ETH, borrow more ETH, lever to 3x. Yields compound to 15%.
Trouble? Oracle fails during dumps. Monitor health, add collateral quick. Saved my position twice that way.
Want native action? Deploy stuff yourself. Noob friendly with Remix or CLI.
Test on Sepolia testnet. Fees ~0.0001 ETH equiv. I built a simple crowdfund campaign last week - took 20 mins. Docs at docs.zksync.io have templates.
Gaming's heating up. zkBastion's a native RPG with onchain assets, zero gas mints. Pair it with Rabby Wallet for swaps mid game.
Download Rabby, add zkSync Era (chain ID 324). Mint NFT at zkbastion.io - free. Trade on SpaceFi marketplace, another native gem. Fees negligible. Pro tip: Stake game tokens for 50% APR boosts.
Issue? Mobile verification sucks sometimes. Use desktop first. Pretty much fixed zkSync's UX gap.
Here's the zkSync secret sauce. Native paymasters let apps cover your fees. SyncSwap does it for first swaps sometimes.
I usually enable on Argent. Makes onboarding friends dead simple. "Just swap, dude."
Honest rank based on TVL growth and my usage. Mute's for anon swaps if you're paranoid. All hit 100k+ users monthly now.
Stuck? Common crap:
Wallet not switching? Clear cache, re add network: RPC https://mainnet.era.zksync.io, Chain ID 324.
Tx failed? Nonce error - reset account nonce in advanced settings.
Low liquidity? Trade majors first, wait for pools to fill.
Bridge slow? Use Ambire or Socket for alternatives. In my experience, official's safest.
Era migration from Lite? If you got old funds, manual bridge via multisig tool before Etherscan dies. Do it now.
Morning: Check SyncSwap farms, claim yields.
Afternoon: Ironside perps for quick flips.
Evening: zkLend loops, zkBastion quests.
Weekly: Deploy a test contract, play with paymasters.
© 2026 Della Group. All Rights Reserved.