I disagree.  I don’t think the Base app is better to onboard non-crypto people than the Farcaster app.  Farcaster is a better “everything app” (eApp) as well.  The reasons why are subtle.

First, the best eApps base their experience around a familiar/flexible mechanic: chat or feed.  This is important.  The cognitive load of learning a new app/function is high for new users.  Having a familiar mechanic be the UI for the “everything” makes it easier for new users to pick up and use.

FC is feed-first, while Base’s Home Screen is mini app heavy with multiple types of UI/concepts.  This makes it more difficult for new users to adopt.

Second, FC features show more understanding of non-crypto natives than Base.  One example: “coin every post” is supposed to be for creators, but creators must first go viral and then know when to sell to make any money from this.  The feature is asking creators to be social-savvy AND trade-savvy.  Meanwhile FC’s weekly tip and new creator feature gets creators paid if they can make a single 1-to-1 connection.  FC’s offering aligns much better with non-crypto creator mindsets while Base’s aligns with crypto-native mentality.

Third, FC has built a user journey which onboards non-crypto people gradually instead of all-at-once.  Creator rewards/tips/etc funneling into an embedded wallet for use in mini apps all provide an intuitive way for people to earn/use crypto step-by-step.  Base, on the other hand, forces you to create a passkey smart wallet and starts the user with mini apps , many of which may not be usable without existing funds. 

Using the Base app, it feels like it’s built for existing CB Wallet users and maybe CB Retail users.  The decisions are so consistent that it feels like that was the intention.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  I just don’t think it’s an industry game-changer or anything.

base app opening to their home screen is like surfing the web via yahoo in 1995