RPC Node Providers

7 Best RPC Node Providers in 2026

Seven RPC providers ranked on free-tier limits, paid pricing and chain coverage. Every limit links to the provider's pricing page, checked Sep 26, 2026.

By DappAtlas EditorialUpdated Sep 26, 2026 · 4 min read

7 picks · 5 criteria · every fee linked to its source

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On this page

Alchemy's free tier gives 30M compute units a month at 25 requests per second, and dRPC's gives 210M compute units at 100 requests per second. Those numbers are not directly comparable: each provider meters in its own unit (compute units, API credits or requests), and the cost of one call differs by method. This list ranks seven providers on what their own pricing pages publish.

Quick answer

Alchemy is the best default for EVM apps: 30M free compute units a month, 100+ chains and pay as you go at $0.525 per 1M compute units. Use Helius for Solana-only apps and dRPC if you want flat per-request pricing across 130+ chains.

01Alchemy: Best overall for EVM apps
02dRPC: Best free tier
03Quicknode: best for streams and add-ons
04Chainstack: Best flat-rate throughput
05Infura: best for MetaMask stack

The 7 best RPC node providers

Alchemy

Best overall for EVM apps

Alchemy's free tier covers 30M compute units per month at 25 requests per second across 100+ blockchains, and pay as you go costs $0.525 per 1M compute units. It adds data APIs and webhooks on the same key.

Chains: Ethereum, EVM networks and Solana
Platforms: Web, API
Pricing: Pay as You Go: $0.525 per 1M compute units
Free plan: 30M compute units per month, 25 requests per second, 5 apps
Chains: 100+ blockchains

Pros

Free tier includes 30M compute units per month at 25 requests per second
Pay as You Go starts at 300 requests per second with 30 apps
Covers 100+ blockchains, with all mainnets and testnets on the free plan

Cons

Usage is billed in compute units and each method has a different cost, so bills are harder to predict
Free tier is limited to 5 apps and 5 webhooks
Signed SLAs are only on the Enterprise plan

Skip it if you need a signed SLA without an Enterprise contract: SLAs are Enterprise only.

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dRPC

Best free tier

dRPC's free plan gives 210M compute units a month at 100 requests per second, and Growth costs $6 per 1M requests with no monthly limit or expiry. It lists 130+ chains.

Chains: 130+ chains, EVM and non-EVM
Platforms: Web, API
Free plan: 210M compute units per month, public nodes only, 100 requests per second
Pricing: Growth: $6 per 1M requests, pay as you go; Enterprise custom from 300M requests/month
Chains: 130+ chains

Pros

Free plan: 210M compute units per month at 100 requests per second
Growth is pay as you go at $6 per 1M requests, with no monthly limits or expiry
Open-source RPC load balancer (NodeCore) for self-hosting

Cons

Free plan uses public nodes only
Debug and trace APIs require the paid Growth plan

Skip it if you need private nodes on the free plan: it uses public nodes only.

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Quicknode

Best for streams and add-ons

Quicknode covers 79+ chains and sells Streams, Webhooks and indexed data APIs next to RPC. The Build plan is $49 a month for 80M API credits.

Platforms: API, Web, SDK
Pricing: Build $49/mo (80M credits), Accelerate $249, Scale $499, Business from $999; billed annually $34, $212, $424 and from $849
Free plan: 1-month free trial: 10M API credits, 15 requests per second
Launched: 2017
Chains: 80+ blockchains

Pros

Covers 79+ chains
SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified
Streams and Webhooks for real-time data

Cons

Free trial lasts 1 month, then a paid plan is needed
Free trial capped at 15 requests per second
Entry Build plan is $49/month billed monthly

Skip it if you want a lasting free plan: Quicknode offers a 1-month trial capped at 15 requests per second.

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Chainstack

Best flat-rate throughput

Chainstack's Unlimited Node add-on costs $149 a month for 25 requests per second with no per-request metering inside that rate. It lists 70+ chains and also runs dedicated nodes.

Chains: Ethereum, Solana, EVM networks, TRON, Sui and others
Platforms: Web, API
Pricing: Growth $49/mo (20M requests), Pro $199/mo, Business $499/mo, Enterprise from $990/mo; Unlimited Node from $149/mo; Warp $0.15 per transaction
Chains: 70+ chains
Company: Chainstack, Singapore

Pros

Unlimited Node add-on: flat $149/mo for 25 requests per second, no per-request metering
Dedicated nodes on isolated infrastructure for production workloads
Solana Yellowstone gRPC streaming from $49/mo for 2 streams

Cons

Unlimited Node is priced per RPS tier, so higher throughput means a higher fixed bill
Warp transactions cost a fixed $0.15 each on top of the plan

Skip it if your traffic is spiky and low: a fixed RPS tier costs more than pay as you go at low volume.

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Infura

Best for MetaMask stack

Infura, run by Consensys, covers 40+ networks. The free Core plan includes 3 million credits per day at 500 credits per second; paid plans start at $50 a month.

Platforms: API, Web
Pricing: Core free; Developer $50/month; Team $225/month; Enterprise custom
Free plan: 3 million credits per day, 500 credits/second, 1 API key
Chains: 40+ networks
Company: Consensys

Pros

Free Core plan with 3 million daily credits and archive data
Access to 40+ networks from one API key
Integrated with the MetaMask SDK and Linea

Cons

Debug and Trace APIs need the $50/month Developer plan or higher
Free plan allows only 1 API key
IPFS service limited to pre-approved customers

Skip it if you need debug and trace APIs for free: they start on the $50 Developer plan.

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Ankr

Best pay-as-you-go entry

Ankr's Premium tier is pay as you go at $0.10 per 1M API credits from a $10 deposit, with 80+ chains. Freemium includes 200M API credits a month.

Chains: EVM networks, Solana and other chains
Platforms: Web, API
Pricing: Premium pay as you go: $0.10 per 1M API credits, $10 minimum deposit; Deal subscriptions $500 to $3,000/mo
Free plan: Freemium: 200M API credits per month, about 1,800 requests per minute
Chains: 80+ chains on Premium; 45+ on Freemium

Pros

Pay as you go from a $10 deposit at $0.10 per 1M API credits
Freemium includes 200M API credits per month
Premium rate limits up to about 1,500 requests per second on EVM and 4,000 on Solana

Cons

Trace and debug APIs and WebSockets are Premium only
Free Public tier supports HTTPS only and 30+ chains, fewer than Premium's 80+

Skip it if you need WebSockets or trace APIs for free: both are Premium only.

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Helius

Best for Solana

Helius is built for Solana, with gRPC streaming, webhooks and token APIs. Its free tier gives 1M credits a month at 10 requests per second; Developer costs $49 a month for 10M credits.

Chains: Solana
Platforms: Web, API, SDK
Pricing: Developer $49/mo (10M credits), Business $499/mo (100M), Professional $999/mo (200M); extra credits $5 per million
Free plan: 1M credits per month, 10 requests per second, 1 sendTransaction per second
Chains: Solana

Pros

Free plan includes 1M credits per month at 10 requests per second
Extra credits cost $5 per million on paid plans
Runs its own validator with 0% fees, per its site

Cons

Solana only, no EVM chain support
LaserStream gRPC on mainnet starts with the $499 Business plan
Free plan allows only 1 sendTransaction per second

Skip it if you build on EVM chains: Helius covers Solana only.

Visit site ↗Full profile

Not on this list

Tenderly: Tenderly sells Node RPC only on paid plans through its sales team; it is listed under smart contract tools instead.

RPC Node Providers compared

Select a name to jump to its review.

Name	Best for	US availability	Fees	Pricing	Free plan
Alchemy	EVM apps from free to scale	Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions	Billed in compute units per method: eth_blockNumber 10 CU, eth_call 26 CU, eth_getLogs 60 CU	Pay as You Go: $0.525 per 1M compute units	30M compute units per month, 25 requests per second, 5 apps
dRPC	Many chains, per-request fees	Available: terms name no country restrictions	Flat 20 CU per method; $0.30 per 1M CU; archive calls cost the same	Growth: $6 per 1M requests, pay as you go; Enterprise custom from 300M requests/month	210M compute units per month, public nodes only, 100 requests per second
Quicknode	Production apps with Streams	Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions	Extra credits $0.62 per 1M on Build, down to $0.50 on Business; US sales tax in NY, TX, WA (PA, MA, Chicago from Aug 1, 2026)	Build $49/mo (80M credits), Accelerate $249, Scale $499, Business from $999; billed annually $34, $212, $424 and from $849	1-month free trial: 10M API credits, 15 requests per second
Chainstack	Fixed monthly RPC bills	Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions	Billed in request units: full request 1 RU, archive, debug and trace 2 RUs; extra usage billed past quota	Growth $49/mo (20M requests), Pro $199/mo, Business $499/mo, Enterprise from $990/mo; Unlimited Node from $149/mo; Warp $0.15 per transaction	Developer plan: 3M requests per month, 25 requests per second, no credit card
Infura	Ethereum apps on Consensys	Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions	Credits per method: eth_call 80, eth_getLogs 255; extra 55M credits for $200/month	Core free; Developer $50/month; Team $225/month; Enterprise custom	3 million credits per day, 500 credits/second, 1 API key
Ankr	Small deposits, many chains	Available in the US	Per request in API credits: EVM 200 ($0.00002), Solana 500 ($0.00005), Beacon chains 700 ($0.00007)	Premium pay as you go: $0.10 per 1M API credits, $10 minimum deposit; Deal subscriptions $500 to $3,000/mo	Freemium: 200M API credits per month, about 1,800 requests per minute
Helius	Solana-only apps	Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions	1 credit per standard RPC call; 10 for DAS and getProgramAccounts; 100 per Enhanced Transaction; Sender uses a SOL tip, no credits	Developer $49/mo (10M credits), Business $499/mo (100M), Professional $999/mo (200M); extra credits $5 per million	1M credits per month, 10 requests per second, 1 sendTransaction per second

“Not verified” means we could not confirm the value on the project’s own pages.

How we rank RPC node providers

01Free tier: published monthly or daily allowance and rate limit on the free plan.
02Paid pricing: entry price or pay-as-you-go rate from the pricing page. Units differ, so we do not rank on unit price alone.
03Chains: the number of chains the provider lists.
04Extras: streaming, webhooks, trace APIs and dedicated nodes.
05Lock-in: whether you can start without a contract or a trial clock.

No project paid to be listed or ranked. Full rules: methodology.

What we did not test

We did not open accounts, deposit money or place trades with these services.
We did not audit smart contracts, reserves or security claims ourselves; we report what the project and its auditors publish.
Fees, limits and availability change; the list date shows when we last checked them.

Rubric last updated Sep 26, 2026. Crypto assets are not insured by the FDIC or SIPC, and you can lose all the money you put in. This page is educational content, not financial advice.

How to choose

Compare units before prices

Alchemy and dRPC bill in compute units, Ankr and Quicknode in API credits, Infura in daily credits. A cheap-looking rate can cost more if heavy methods such as eth_getLogs use many units.

Match the provider to your chain

Helius covers only Solana. dRPC lists 130+ chains, Alchemy 100+, Quicknode 79+, Chainstack 70+ and Infura 40+.

Plan for trace and debug calls

Debug and trace APIs sit on paid tiers at Infura ($50 Developer plan), Ankr (Premium) and dRPC (Growth). Check this before you build indexers on the free plan.

Keep a fallback endpoint

Configure a second provider in your client so a single outage does not stop your app. A free tier from another provider covers this at no cost.

Who should skip all of these

Teams that must run their own nodes for compliance: use a self-hosted client or Chainstack's dedicated nodes, not a shared endpoint.
Apps that only read one contract occasionally: a chain's public RPC may be enough.

Which one fits you?

EVM app from prototype to launchAlchemy: 30M free compute units a month and 100+ chains.Jump ↓Many chains on a small budgetdRPC: 210M free compute units and $6 per 1M requests.Jump ↓Solana trading or indexingHelius: Solana-native gRPC streams and webhooks.Jump ↓Predictable monthly billChainstack: $149 a month flat for 25 requests per second.Jump ↓

Bottom line

Start on Alchemy or dRPC's free tier, and add a second provider as a fallback before launch.

On Solana, use Helius. For fixed budgets, Chainstack's flat RPS pricing is easier to forecast than metered units.

Educational content, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research.

FAQ

Which RPC provider has the largest free tier?

By published numbers, dRPC gives 210M compute units a month and Ankr Freemium 200M API credits. Alchemy gives 30M compute units and Infura 3 million credits per day. Units differ, so compare with your own call mix.

Is a free RPC endpoint enough for production?

For low traffic, often yes. Free plans cap throughput (25 requests per second on Alchemy, 100 on dRPC) and some lack trace APIs or private nodes.

What is the best RPC provider for Solana?

Helius, which builds only for Solana and offers gRPC streaming and webhooks. Its free tier gives 1M credits a month.

Why do RPC providers use compute units or credits?

Methods cost different amounts of server work, so providers weight each call. A simple balance read costs less than a log query.

Can I use several RPC providers at once?

Yes. Most client libraries accept a list of endpoints and fail over when one stops responding.

Sources

What changed in this list

2026-09-26First version: 7 RPC providers, free tiers and pricing checked on each provider's pricing page.

Who made this page

Written by

DappAtlas Editorial

Editorial team

Compiles and updates the lists on DappAtlas. Facts come from primary sources: each project’s own pages, protocol docs and standards. No project pays to be mentioned.

Lists from DappAtlas Editorial

Fact check

Checked against 10 sources

Last check: Sep 26, 2026

A value we could not confirm on the project’s own pages is marked “Not verified” instead of estimated.

How we review

How this page works

Sources: Alchemy: Pricing, dRPC: Pricing, Quicknode: Pricing. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.

How we review

Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.

7 Best RPC Node Providers in 2026

Quick answer

The 7 best RPC node providers

Alchemy

dRPC

Quicknode

Chainstack

Infura

Ankr

Helius

RPC Node Providers compared

How we rank RPC node providers

How to choose

Compare units before prices

Match the provider to your chain

Plan for trace and debug calls

Keep a fallback endpoint

Who should skip all of these

Which one fits you?

Bottom line

FAQ

Which RPC provider has the largest free tier?

Is a free RPC endpoint enough for production?

What is the best RPC provider for Solana?

Why do RPC providers use compute units or credits?

Can I use several RPC providers at once?

Further reading

Related reading

Sources

What changed in this list

Who made this page

How this page works