PancakeSwap v3 on Polygon zkEVM - Feature Comparison Tool
Feature Comparison Table
This tool compares PancakeSwap v3 on Polygon zkEVM with major DEXs in 2025.
| Feature | PancakeSwap v3 (Polygon zkEVM) | Uniswap v4 | dYdX | Jupiter (Solana) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network | Polygon zkEVM (Layer 2) | Ethereum (L1 + L2 options) | Ethereum L2 (StarkWare) | Solana |
| Gas cost (average per swap) | ≈ $0.001 | ≈ $0.005-$0.01 | ≈ $0.003 | ≈ $0.0004 |
| Liquidity concentration | v3-style custom ranges | v4-enhanced hooks | No AMM - order-book | Standard AMM |
| Cross-chain routing | Built-in via PancakeSwap router | Limited (via external bridges) | None | Native Solana only |
| Additional DeFi services | Swap + LP only on Polygon | Swap + LP + V4 hooks | Perpetuals, margin | Swap + Yield farms (via partners) |
Analysis Summary
Advantages: Cheap gas and unified cross-chain router
Disadvantages: Limited feature set, lower liquidity compared to competitors
Competitive Edge: Fast transaction confirmations (2-3 seconds)
Market Position: Underperformed against Uniswap v4, dYdX, and Jupiter
Quick Decision Guide
Based on the data:
- Choose PancakeSwap v3 (Polygon zkEVM) if you prioritize low gas fees and simple swaps
- Choose Uniswap v4 for advanced liquidity features and developer flexibility
- Choose dYdX if you're interested in derivatives trading
- Choose Jupiter (Solana) for Solana-native swaps with ultra-low fees
Note: PancakeSwap v3 on Polygon zkEVM was discontinued on September 30, 2025.
When PancakeSwap announced a version of its AMM on Polygon zkEVM, traders expected a low‑fee, high‑throughput DEX that could tap the growing Layer2 market. Three days ago the platform pulled the plug, leaving users to wonder what worked, what didn’t, and where to go next. This review walks through the original feature set, the real‑world performance, why the deployment was sunset, and practical steps for anyone still holding assets on the chain.
What the platform was
PancakeSwap v3 was the third‑generation automated market maker from PancakeSwap, deployed on Polygon’s zkEVM Layer2 scaling solution. The DEX kept the familiar PancakeSwap UI - a single‑page swap box, pool dashboard, and a ‘Connect Wallet’ button - but swapped the underlying network from Binance Smart Chain (BSC) to Polygon zkEVM. Users accessed it via any EVM‑compatible wallet (MetaMask, Trust Wallet, etc.) and selected "Polygon zkEVM" from the network dropdown.
Core technical specs
- Network: Polygon zkEVM an EVM‑compatible zero‑knowledge rollup offering sub‑second finality and gas fees roughly 1/10 of Ethereum’s.
- AMM model: concentrated liquidity (v3) with custom price ranges, similar to Uniswap v3.
- Supported actions: token swaps, liquidity provision, limit orders (no fee‑on‑transfer tokens).
- Bridge requirement: assets needed to be moved from other chains (BSC, Ethereum, etc.) via PancakeSwap’s built‑in bridge or third‑party bridges.
User experience and feature set
The interface looked almost identical to the classic PancakeSwap layout - a large swap pane, token selector, slippage tolerance slider, and a “Confirm Swap” button. Below the swap box, a list of available liquidity pools displayed TVL, APR, and recent volume. Two notable upgrades over V2 were:
- Improved slippage protection: by allowing liquidity providers to set narrower price ranges, traders saw tighter execution prices compared with the earlier version.
- Limit order support: users could set a target price and the AMM would fulfil the order automatically once the pool price hit the threshold. The order stayed open until cancelled or executed.
What the Polygon deployment didn’t bring was the full PancakeSwap ecosystem - no IFOs, no syrup pools, no lottery, and no perpetual futures. Those features stayed on BSC and other supported chains.
Performance in the wild
During its promotional "Island Campaign" on the Galxe platform (June29-August17,2025), the DEX processed an average of 1.2million swaps per day, with peak gas prices under $0.001 per transaction. A post‑mortem by a leading analytics firm recorded average confirmation times of 2‑3seconds, dwarfing Ethereum’s 15‑30second blocks at the time.
Liquidity was modest compared with BSC. Total value locked (TVL) on Polygon peaked at about $120million, roughly 9% of PancakeSwap’s BSC TVL. The narrower pool sizes contributed to occasional high slippage on low‑volume pairs, despite the v3 concentration features.
How it stacked up against the competition
| Feature | PancakeSwap v3 (Polygon zkEVM) | Uniswap v4 | dYdX | Jupiter (Solana) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network | Polygon zkEVM (Layer2) | Ethereum (L1 + L2 options) | Ethereum L2 (StarkWare) | Solana |
| Gas cost (average per swap) | ≈$0.001 | ≈$0.005‑$0.01 | ≈$0.003 | ≈$0.0004 |
| Liquidity concentration | v3‑style custom ranges | v4‑enhanced hooks | No AMM - order‑book | Standard AMM |
| Cross‑chain routing | Built‑in via PancakeSwap router | Limited (via external bridges) | None | Native Solana only |
| Additional DeFi services | Swap+LP only on Polygon | Swap+LP+V4 hooks | Perpetuals, margin | Swap+Yield farms (via partners) |
In short, PancakeSwap’s advantage was cheap gas and a unified cross‑chain router, but it lagged on advanced features and deep liquidity. Uniswap v4 offered more developer flexibility, while dYdX dominated derivatives, and Jupiter ruled Solana‑centric swaps.
Why the Polygon zkEVM version was discontinued
On September302025, PancakeSwap announced the phase‑out of its Polygon zkEVM deployment. The official statement gave no detailed numbers, but industry analysts identified three key factors:
- Adoption shortfall: despite the island campaign, TVL never broke the $150million mark, well under the internal thresholds set for continued support.
- Operational overhead: maintaining bridges, liquidity incentives, and UI tweaks across another L2 added non‑trivial engineering costs.
- Strategic focus: PancakeSwap appears to be consolidating resources on BSC, Arbitrum, and Avalanche, where user growth remains stronger.
The sunsetting left a handful of open limit orders and idle LP tokens on the chain. PancakeSwap provided a one‑week window (Oct1‑7) for users to withdraw or migrate assets to supported networks.
What this means for traders holding CAKE or other tokens
The native CAKE token is the governance and utility token of the PancakeSwap ecosystem continues to trade on BSC and other supported chains, currently priced at about $3.33. However, any CAKE or LP tokens locked on Polygon zkEVM are now effectively "stuck" unless you move them during the migration window.
Steps to rescue assets:
- Open the PancakeSwap UI (still reachable in read‑only mode) and connect your wallet.
- Navigate to the "Liquidity" tab, locate any active positions on Polygon zkEVM, and click "Remove Liquidity".
- Confirm the transaction - gas will be charged at Polygon zkEVM rates (still cheap) because the bridge contract remains live for withdrawals.
- Once tokens are back in your wallet, use the built‑in bridge to send them to BSC, Ethereum, or any other supported network.
If you missed the window, the bridge will still allow withdrawals, but expect a higher latency as the contracts are being decommissioned.
Key takeaways (TL;DR)
- PancakeSwap v3 on Polygon zkEVM offered fast, cheap swaps with v3‑style liquidity concentration.
- TVL stayed under $120million despite a heavy promotional push.
- Limited feature set (swap+LP only) made it less attractive than full‑stack DEXes on other chains.
- The platform was sunset on Sept302025; users must withdraw or bridge assets promptly.
- CAKE remains active on BSC; future growth will focus on that ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PancakeSwap v3 still usable on Polygon zkEVM?
No. The DEX was officially discontinued on September302025. The UI remains view‑only, but swaps and liquidity provision are disabled.
How can I retrieve my LP tokens from Polygon zkEVM?
Connect your wallet, go to the Liquidity page, and click “Remove Liquidity”. The transaction will settle on Polygon zkEVM and then you can bridge the assets to another chain.
Will my open limit orders be cancelled automatically?
Open limit orders remain active until the contract is fully paused. After the sunset, they will be automatically cancelled after a 30‑day grace period.
What are the gas costs for withdrawing from Polygon zkEVM now?
Withdrawal transactions still cost around $0.001-$0.002, because the zkEVM rollup remains operational for bridge contracts.
Should I move my CAKE holdings to another chain?
CAKE is natively supported on BSC, where most liquidity and incentives exist. Moving to BSC or a supported L2 will give you access to farms, staking, and future feature updates.
While PancakeSwap v3’s Polygon experiment is now history, the lessons it left behind-fast, cheap swaps are valuable, but depth of services matters-continue to shape DeFi roadmaps. Keep an eye on PancakeSwap’s next moves on BSC and emerging rollups, and always double‑check migration windows before a platform sunsets.
The PancakeSwap v3 launch on Polygon zkEVM showed that low gas fees are possible on a modern rollup.
It gave traders a cheap way to swap tokens without waiting long for confirmations.
The concentration liquidity model helped some pools reduce slippage compared to the older version.
However the total value locked never grew past a modest level, which limited depth.
Users who needed more advanced features had to look at Uniswap v4 or dYdX.
The built‑in cross‑chain router was a nice touch, but it did not replace dedicated bridges.
When the platform was shut down, the team gave a short window to move funds.
That window was useful for people who kept liquid positions on Polygon.
The withdrawal gas cost stayed low, around a tenth of a cent, which kept the process cheap.
For anyone still holding CAKE on Polygon, moving it back to BSC is the safest move.
The PancakeSwap UI remained familiar, which helped users transition quickly.
The lack of IFOs and syrup pools on this version made it feel like a stripped‑down product.
In the end the experiment taught us that cheap swaps are not enough without a full ecosystem.
Future rollups should consider offering more services if they want to attract liquidity.
Overall the project was a good learning step, even if it did not survive long.
Sure, cheap gas is cute, but the real metric is volume velocity and TVL growth.
While the endeavour was modest in scale, it nonetheless demonstrated commendable engineering acumen. The application of zero‑knowledge technology to a familiar interface was a noteworthy stride. Moreover, the rapid finality reinforced confidence among users seeking efficient execution. One hopes that future iterations will integrate a broader suite of DeFi primitives, thereby enriching the ecosystem. In any case, the initiative deserves recognition for its ambition.
Great points raised! If you’re still holding assets on the old Polygon zkEVM contracts, I’d recommend withdrawing them sooner rather than later. The bridge is still live, so you can pull out your LP tokens with minimal fees. Once you have them back in your wallet, consider moving to BSC where PancakeSwap offers full features like farms and staking. Also, keep an eye on community announcements – they often roll out migration incentives that can save you a bit more on gas.
Wow-what a roller‑coaster!; the launch sounded promising, yet the shutdown came so abruptly; users were left scrambling, but at least the bridge stayed functional; gas fees remained minuscule, which is a relief; however, the loss of liquidity pools felt like a punch to the gut; the UI still looks sleek, but without the full ecosystem it’s just a shell; the team’s communication was brief, almost cryptic; still, kudos for the engineering feat of sub‑second finality; this case study will surely inform future L2 deployments; keep your wallets ready, and don’t forget to check the withdrawal window; otherwise you might miss out; the lesson? cheap swaps alone don’t guarantee longevity; depth matters more.
The transience of this deployment underscores the impermanent nature of many blockchain experiments. One can reflect on how quickly capital reallocates in pursuit of greater utility, reminding us that value is often fleeting. While the technical achievements are commendable, the broader philosophical lesson is that ecosystems evolve, and participants must remain adaptable.
Honestly, i dont see why anyone even cared abt this; it was just another cheap swap platform with no real funtionality to speak of. The whole thing felt like a gimmick to push more CAKE onto users, and the shutdown was inevitable. Bet the devs made more than enough off the bridge fees before they pulled the plug.
I get where you're coming from, but consider that the low‑fee environment did attract a niche set of traders who value speed over depth. The bridge fees were minimal, so even a short‑term arbitrage could be profitable. Still, the lack of advanced features made it hard to retain users long‑term. In short, it served a purpose, albeit a limited one.
The data clearly shows that PancakeSwap's Polygon experiment lagged behind its competitors in both TVL and feature set. While the gas savings were notable, they couldn't compensate for the shallow liquidity pools and missing DeFi services. Investors looking for robust ecosystems should prioritize platforms with comprehensive offerings.
One must wonder whether the orchestrators of this venture were merely puppets in a grander design, steering capital towards opaque corridors while masquerading as innovators. The veil of “cheap gas” obscures a deeper agenda: consolidating control over token flow and siphoning subtle fees under the guise of technological progress.
The whole thing feels like a generic roll‑up deployment with the usual hype‑driven marketing jargon, yet delivers nothing beyond marginally lower transaction costs.
Sounds like a missed opportunity.
Everyone talks about the tech, but no one mentions the hidden layers of governance that subtly guide which chains get support. It's not just about speed; it's about who controls the narrative and the flow of funds behind the scenes.