Layer3 Review
Quest campaigns with on-chain rewards
of 10
Layer3 runs a quest platform that chains and protocols use to set up on-chain tasks, which it calls activations, and to pay rewards to the users who complete them. Each completion is recorded on-chain as a CUBE, an ERC-721 credential. Its homepage cites more than 3 million users across 40-plus chains.
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By Dan Reyes · Updated Sep 22, 2026
Role
Reward distribution
Website
layer3.xyz
Criteria with nothing published
2 of 6
Sources last read
2026-09-22
Scores
Each criterion carries equal weight. The overall score is the average of these 6 scores — (8.0 + 5.0 + 5.0 + 5.0 + 0.0 + 0.0) ÷ 6 = 3.8.
Pros
- Names chain programs it ran in 2024 for Arbitrum, Optimism, Base and Linea, with token amounts for the Arbitrum and Optimism allocations
- Publishes a client case study with retention figures (Ondo: 14,769 users, 33.4% retention)
- Reward credentials are recorded on-chain and the CUBE contracts are published on GitHub
Cons
- Reward amounts are missing for the Linea, Base and Polygon programs
- Anti-sybil measures are described only as targeting filters, not as a detection mechanism
- No first-party dashboard and no disclosure of ties to the chains that fund its rewards
What does Layer3 do?
Layer3 runs a quest platform that chains and protocols use to set up on-chain tasks, which it calls activations, and to pay rewards to the users who complete them. Each completion is recorded on-chain as a CUBE, an ERC-721 credential. Its homepage cites more than 3 million users across 40-plus chains.
In this ranking it is listed under reward distribution.
How Layer3 scores, criterion by criterion
Each mark comes from a fixed scale published on our methodology page, and each links to the page it was read from.
| Criterion | Mark | What we found | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named programs | 8 | Names 2024 programs for Arbitrum (the 12-week Long Term Incentives Pilot Program), Linea (gaming ecosystem), Base (Onchain Daily and Onchain Summer) and Optimism (Superchain adoption); Polygon is named without a period. | app.layer3.xyz, read 2026-09-22 |
| Disclosed volume | 5 | Amounts are given for some programs (400,000 ARB under the Arbitrum program; 75,000 OP and 35,000 OP for Superchain programs) and not for the Linea, Base or Polygon programs. | app.layer3.xyz, read 2026-09-22 |
| Impact report | 5 | The Ondo case study reports new and retained TVL, 14,769 users and 33.4% retention, but gives no network, dates, reward budget or measurement method. | app.layer3.xyz, read 2026-09-22 |
| Abuse protection | 5 | Its Arbitrum application says users are filtered by Farcaster social graph, NFT and POAP holdings and past on-chain activity, with CUBEs as attestations; no sybil-detection mechanism is described. | forum.arbitrum.foundation, read 2026-09-22 |
| Open data | 0 | Not published. No Layer3 dashboard or export was found; the public dashboards referenced in its application are run by third parties. | forum.arbitrum.foundation, read 2026-09-22 |
| Independence | 0 | Not published. There is no statement about ties to the chains or protocols whose rewards it distributes. | forum.arbitrum.foundation, read 2026-09-22 |
Layer3 publishes nothing we could find on open data or independence, so those criteria score 0. That is a record of what is published, not a finding about what the firm does privately.
Who it suits
Chains and protocols that want quest-style user acquisition with rewards paid on-chain, and that will do their own measurement of what the users do afterwards.
Who is behind Layer3?
Layer3's own Arbitrum incentive-program application names its co-founders as Brandon Kumar and Dariya Khojasteh, and its GitHub organisation gives its location as the United States.
How it compares
Castle Labs
Program assessments and retention analysis
Gitcoin
Public-goods funding rounds
Metrom
KPI-linked liquidity campaigns with open data
Merkl
On-chain incentive distribution at scale
Questbook
Milestone-based DAO grant programs
Thrive Protocol
Milestone-based ecosystem grants
Blockworks Advisory
Statistical program retrospectives
OpenBlock Labs
Incentive efficacy and sybil analysis
Galxe
Quest campaigns and airdrops with identity checks
Turtle
Liquidity campaigns through a vetted LP network
Karma
On-chain grantee accountability
Boost
Self-serve on-chain reward campaigns
Sources
Scored from published primary sources rather than hands-on use. Every figure above comes from one of the pages below, on the date shown. Manufacturers change prices and specifications without notice — if something here no longer matches the source, tell us and we will correct it.
- 1.Layer3: Named programs, Disclosed volume — checked
- 2.Layer3: Impact report — checked
- 3.Layer3: Abuse protection, Open data, Independence, Company details — checked
Frequently asked questions
What does Layer3 do for chains and DAOs?
Layer3 runs a quest platform that chains and protocols use to set up on-chain tasks, which it calls activations, and to pay rewards to the users who complete them. Each completion is recorded on-chain as a CUBE, an ERC-721 credential. Its homepage cites more than 3 million users across 40-plus chains.
How is Layer3's score of 3.8 calculated?
It is the plain average of six marks, each from a fixed published scale: named programs 8, disclosed volume 5, impact report 5, abuse protection 5, open data 0, independence 0. (8 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 0 + 0) ÷ 6 = 3.8.
Nothing here is financial advice. Editorial policy · How we score · How we're funded.