Best Ethereum RPC providers in 2026

Created Jan 6, 2026 Updated Jan 6, 2026

Alex Usachev

Ethereum’s continued growth in 2026 has led to greater demand for high-performance RPC infrastructure. The network still handles ~1.7 million transactions per day, spanning smart contracts, rollups, trading bots, and stablecoin transfers. With so much on-chain activity, more providers have entered the market to power those transactions.

Each project optimizes for different priorities – some need low latency, others cost-effectiveness, or reliability. In this benchmark, we compare the best Ethereum RPC providers in 2026 across key metrics like speed, uptime, pricing, and security compliance.

We focus on two critical Ethereum use cases – stablecoin payments and enterprise applications – to see how each provider measures up.

Top providers comparison

What separates one RPC provider from another usually comes down to the same few metrics: pricing, latency, uptime, and scalability options available. Here’s how the leading Ethereum options measure up:

#	Provider	Free plan	Paid plans & pricing	Latency & uptime	Developer Experience
1	Chainstack	3M requests/mo, 25 RPS	Starting from 250 RPS and scaling beyond 600 RPS on custom Enterprise plans, with an Unlimited Node add-on for unmetered requests at a flat monthly rate	Low latency global routing with 99.99%+ uptime	Docs, dashboard metrics, testnet faucets (Sepolia/Holesky/Hoodi), archive, Access rules
2	Alchemy	30M CUs/mo; up to 25 RPS	Pay-as-you-go or monthly; higher CU throughput on paid plans	Low latency routing, uptime available on higher tiers	Transact & Notify APIs, analytics, SDK support
3	QuickNode	No free tier; 10M credits trial only	50–500 RPS; credit-based (method-weighted) monthly plans	Globally distributed, 99.99% uptime on paid tiers	Streams, Webhooks, team dashboards, multi-region setup
4	Ankr	200M credits/month, ~30 RPS	Pay-as-you-go ($10 per 100M credits), goes up to up to 15,000 RPS.	GEO-distributed network, 99.99% SLA on Enterprise tiers	Simple dashboard, multi-chain support, HTTPS & WebSocket, archive available
5	GetBlock	50k req/day (~1.5M /mo), 20 RPS	$39 for 50M (100 RPS); $399 for 600M (500 RPS); Dedicated from $1000 no cap	Regional nodes, 99% shared / 99.99% dedicated uptime	Basic dashboard, regional choice, easy setup
6	Infura	3M credits/day (~depends on method), ~500 credits/sec	$50–$225/month for higher limits	Multi-region network, ~99.9% uptime	Ethereum-first with MetaMask integration, archive, debug/trace on paid tiers

Key takeaways from the comparison:

Chainstack offers the most balanced feature set with transparent request-based pricing, highest uptime (99.99%+), and full SOC 2 Type II certification
QuickNode leads in performance with maximum RPS and globally distributed infrastructure
Alchemy provides the richest developer tooling including Notify and Transact APIs
Infura remains reliable for Ethereum-first projects with deep MetaMask integration
GetBlock is ideal for small projects and developers needing simple setup

Before diving into detailed provider reviews, let’s examine how each performs across critical Ethereum use cases:

Choose by your use case:

Stablecoin & payments infrastructure

Stablecoins have become the backbone of on-chain payments, now making up ~30% of all crypto transaction volume (over $4 trillion in 2025). Payment applications require Ethereum RPC service with consistent throughput, near-zero downtime, and predictable costs. Even minor RPC outages or high latency can disrupt thousands of stablecoin transfers.

Top providers address this with robust multi-region infrastructure that automatically fails over if any node goes down. Chainstack’s network delivered 99.99%+ availability in testing, with multi-cloud architecture that reroutes traffic instantly if a region fails. Such redundancy ensures stablecoin transactions aren’t halted by regional outages.

Explore stablecoin-ready infrastructure →

Enterprise-grade performance

Enterprise Ethereum deployments demand strong performance guarantees. Corporate and institutional users often have high-throughput workloads and strict SLA requirements.

Enterprise RPC essentials:

High throughput: Chainstack offers high-throughput plans with custom RPS configurations on Ethereum and achieves ~99.99% measured uptime via global load balancing
SLA guarantees: QuickNode handles enormous volumes (200B+ API calls/month) while maintaining 99.99% uptime SLA for enterprise clients
Low-latency across regions: Multi-region data centers and intelligent routing keep response times uniform worldwide

Request enterprise plan →

SOC 2 compliant providers

Security and compliance are paramount for enterprises integrating with Ethereum. SOC 2 certification has become a key benchmark of a provider’s security controls and operational integrity.

Security leaders:

Chainstack & QuickNode both hold SOC 2 Type II certification, reflecting rigorous audits of security, availability, and confidentiality practices
Chainstack achieved SOC 2 Type II in late 2025, underscoring enterprise-grade security and 99.99%+ uptime SLA guarantees
QuickNode maintains SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, plus ISO 27001 certifications

Note: Not all popular RPC services have completed SOC 2; Alchemy lacks Type 1 or 2 certification as of 2025

In-depth provider analysis:

Chainstack

Chainstack is a multi-chain infrastructure platform offering one of the most complete ways to connect to Ethereum without the overhead. By choosing Chainstack Ethereum RPC node, you get secure HTTP and WebSocket access to Ethereum Mainnet, Sepolia, and Holesky, backed by 99.99%+ uptime and globally distributed routing for consistently low latency.

What makes it stand out is how much is available from the same console:

Global Nodes for geo-balanced Ethereum RPC access.
Dedicated Nodes for isolated performance and full control over node configuration.
Archive nodes for deep historical reads, full historical blocks from the genesis to the latest one, debug and trace queries on the Ethereum blockchain.
Access rules to manage allowed domains and IPs directly from the dashboard.
Unlimited Node add-on for unlimited requests with flat monthly pricing, so you never have to worry about hitting plan limits.
Testnet faucets for Sepolia, Holesky, and Hoodi are available.

All of this adds up to the Ethereum setup that covers nearly every use case. Whether you’re deploying contracts, building DeFi products, or streaming on-chain data, Chainstack gives you reliable performance, clear pricing, and infrastructure to scale with.

How much does it cost?	Developer — free, 3M requests/month (~25 RPS), $20 per extra million. Growth — $49/month, 20M requests (~250 RPS), $15 per extra million. Pro — $199/month, 80M requests (~400 RPS), $12.5 per extra million. Business — $349/month, 140M requests (~600 RPS), $10 per extra million. Enterprise — from $990/month, 400M requests (custom RPS), extra from $5 per million. Unlimited Node Add-on — flat monthly fee for unmetered requests starting from $149, priced by RPS tier. Dedicated Nodes — $0.50 / hour plus storage costs for exclusive, high-performance isolated Ethereum node instances, what means ~$0.25 per million requests effectively. While others price in shifting compute units, Chainstack keeps it simple with request-based billing and clear RPS tiers, so you always know what you’ll pay. What’s more, on Chainstack, you are able to pay in crypto.
Performance	Uptime: 99.99%+ availability backed by a multi-cloud network that reroutes automatically if a region drops. Public status page is also available. Latency: Choose endpoints in the US, EU, or APAC to keep response times tight. Throughput: Plans come with enough RPS capacity to absorb traffic surges without forcing you to throttle the app. Stability: Remains steady under load, including during network-wide surges. Monitoring: Built-in console metrics plus public performance/compare dashboards and a status page.
Pros	– High throughput at price point (~250 RPS on Growth, ~600 RPS on Business) – Predictable, request-based pricing with Unlimited Node add-on for flat, unmetered traffic within your chosen RPS tier – Built-in testnet faucets for Sepolia, Holesky, and Hoodi – 99.99%+ uptime SLA, SOC 2 Type 2, globally distributed routing for low latency One provider for Ethereum plus 70+ other chains
Cons	– Fixed RPS per tier; ultra-low-latency apps may need Dedicated Nodes – Free plan (3M calls, ~25 RPS) can be tight for bots or indexers – Dedicated Nodes require at least a Pro plan

With Chainstack, you get the full stack: reliability, high RPS, global routing, and archive access, all with pricing that’s clear and consistently better than most. From testing to scaling, the setup doesn’t change, and the costs stay predictable, making it one of the most dependable ways to run Ethereum at any stage.

Alchemy

Alchemy offers Ethereum RPC through its Supernode, giving developers access to mainnet and testnets over HTTP and WebSocket, along with extras like Notify, Transact, and Mempool.

On top, Alchemy supports dozens of networks, giving access to historical blockchain data, real-time event streaming, and built-in MEV protection on some chains. Backed by global infrastructure, Alchemy suits teams looking for additional APIs and monitoring tools.

How much does it cost?	Alchemy measures usage in compute units (CUs) rather than raw requests, which can make costs less predictable for teams sending large volumes of latency-sensitive calls compared to flat, request-based models. Alchemy starts with a free tier offering 30M CUs per month, roughly equal to 1.2M basic requests up to 25 RPS. Paid plans scale by total CU usage: Pay-as-you-go — $5 per 11M CUs (~$0.45 per million). Enterprise — custom pricing with lower per-unit costs at high volumes.
Performance	Uptime: Reports 99.9% historical uptime, but an uptime SLA is only guaranteed on Enterprise plans. Latency: Region-based routing helps keep response times low; however, Alchemy does not publish official Ethereum-specific latency numbers. Throughput: Begins at about 25 RPS on the free tier, with scaling up to 300 RPS on paid. Reliability: The Supernode setup helps maintain data accuracy during heavy traffic. Monitoring: You can check usage, errors, and request patterns through the dashboard in real time.
Pros	– Covers Ethereum plus 40+ chains, – Built-in MEV protection on supported networks, – Rich tooling
Cons	– CU pricing isn’t intuitive, – Hard to verify real performance without public benchmarks, – Throughput caps by plan, very high RPS needs enterprise plan

Alchemy performs reliably under heavy load, and latency stays tight across regions. Its compute-based pricing gives you flexibility in how you use the service, but it also means your bill depends on call mix, not just volume, which can make it harder to model at scale. If you’re building with features like Notify or Mempool streaming, Alchemy is fine option, but less ideal if you want predictable scaling.

QuickNode

QuickNode runs a multi-region infrastructure for Ethereum RPC, letting you connect to mainnet and testnets like Sepolia and Holesky over HTTP or WebSocket. Archive support is available for teams that need to query deep historical data.

It also supports dozens of other chains and offers add-ons such as Webhooks and Streams if you want event-based triggers or real-time blockchain feeds. It’s popular with high-traffic teams because the network scales well under pressure, but to get to that performance you would need to move to the higher-priced tiers.

How much does it cost?	Build — $49/month, 80M credits plus $0.62 per extra million, up to 50 RPS. Accelerate — $249/month, 450M credits plus $0.55 per extra million, up to 125 RPS. Scale — $499/month, 950M credits plus $0.53 per extra million, up to 250 RPS. Business — $999/month, 2B credits plus $0.50 per extra million, up to 500 RPS. Enterprise — custom terms for higher volumes and dedicated support. Credits rollover unused portions, which helps variable Ethereum loads, though the model adds a layer compared to straight request counts.
Performance	Uptime: Targets 99.9% availability on paid plans. Latency: Region-routed endpoints optimized for low latency; no official ms target published, so benchmark in your region. Throughput: Initial plans handle 15–25 RPS; advanced tiers scale well past 500 RPS. Reliability: Requests are rerouted automatically. Monitoring: The dashboard gives real-time visibility into request performance and errors.
Pros	– Scales up to 500+ RPS on higher plans, – Archive data available (by chain/plan), – Low latency from multi-region routing
Cons	Free trial caps at 15-25 RPS with only community support, – Method-weighted, credit-based billing makes costs less predictable, – No flat-rate unlimited option for heavy workloads

QuickNode gives you speed, global routing, and developer tooling, which makes it good option for Ethereum apps. The main limitation is its credit-based (method-weighted) pricing. Because different methods burn credits at different rates, long-term cost planning takes more effort, especially if your workload isn’t static.

Ankr

Ankr provides Ethereum RPC through a globally distributed network of node operators, routing traffic across regions to keep latency low and reduce reliance on any single infrastructure provider. You can connect to Ethereum mainnet and testnets like Sepolia via HTTPS or WebSocket, with more than 30 regions in rotation and archive access available for historical queries and tracing

It’s a solid option for teams that prefer a pay-as-you-go model and want to tap into a decentralized setup, though it skips some of the advanced tooling and analytics you’d find in larger, more centralized providers.

How much does it cost?	Ankr uses an API credits model where credit cost varies by method (heavier calls cost more). Pricing is pegged at $0.10 = 1M API credits (PAYG), and there’s a freemium tier. It’s enough for testing, but high-traffic apps will hit the ceiling quickly. Their paid plans use a pay-as-you-go model: Premium — $10 per 100M credits (~500K requests), with up to 1,500 RPS. Enterprise — from $1,000/month, 15,000 RPS, dedicated endpoints, and priority support.
Performance	Uptime: Claims up to 99.9%. Latency: Region-routed. Throughput: 30 RPS on free; ~1.5K–15K RPS on paid tiers. Reliability: Distributed design reduces single-point failures but outages can still occur. Monitoring: The console shows usage and request stats, with more advanced visibility once you move to a paid.
Pros	– Freemium with 200M credits/month, – Supports HTTP, WebSocket, and archive queries, – Multi-chain support
Cons	– Advanced visibility/support gated to paid, – No fixed monthly plans, – Fewer built-in analytics

If you don’t mind variable performance across regions, Ankr could be a way to go when testing or for the smaller projects. Yet, if you need need steady throughput and predictable billing, platforms with fixed RPS tiers and dedicated routing tend to offer a more stable path for production workloads.

GetBlock

GetBlock provides Ethereum RPC access on mainnet and testnets like Sepolia over HTTP and WebSocket, with the option to choose regions such as New York, Frankfurt, or Singapore to improve latency. Developers can use shared endpoints to get started quickly or switch to dedicated nodes when they need higher uptime guarantees, archive access, or more consistent performance under load.

While it skips the advanced APIs and deep analytics of bigger platforms, GetBlock remains a good option for teams that prioritize simplicity, regional control, and predictable access to Ethereum infrastructure.

How much does it cost?	Free Tier — 50k CU per day, 20 RPS. Start (Shared) — $39/month, 50M CU/month, 100 RPS. Advanced (Shared) — $159/month, 220M CU/month, 300 RPS. Pro (Shared) — $399/month, 600M CU/month, 500 RPS. Enterprise (Shared) — from $799/month, custom CU/RPS and features.
Performance	Uptime: 99% on shared plans, 99.99% on dedicated. Latency: Region-pinned routing for lower RTT. Throughput: 20 RPS on free, 100 RPS on Start, 500 RPS on Pro, unlimited on Dedicated. Reliability: Shared nodes work well for low-volume usage, but performance can vary when load increases. Monitoring: Basic dashboard is available but deeper analytics are only unlocked on higher tiers.
Pros	– Dedicated nodes offer unlimited requests and 99.9% uptime, – Low-latency via regional nodes, – Setup is quick
Cons	– Free tier is capped at 20 RPS, – Strict RPS ceilings on shared plans, – Monitoring features are limited compared to other infra providers

GetBlock works well for early-stage testing or smaller workloads. However, as demand increases, throughput caps can limit you, and basic options for monitoring will make it harder to manage growth or troubleshoot performance issues at scale.

Infura

Infura provides Ethereum RPC access through infrastructure operated by ConsenSys, with direct integration into MetaMask for wallet connections. You get Ethereum mainnet and testnets like Sepolia via HTTPS and WebSocket, including archive data for historical queries. The service focuses on Ethereum-first support, with add-ons for Layer 2s (L2s) such as Polygon and Optimism.

How much does it cost?	Infura uses a credit-based model where each request consumes credits based on method complexity. This structure works for Ethereum-focused apps but demands monitoring to avoid caps on high-volume days. Core (Free) — 3M credits/day, 500 credits/sec. Developer — $50/month, 15M requests/day, 4K credits/sec. Team — $225/month, 75M requests/day, 40K credits/sec. Enterprise — custom.
Performance	Uptime: Minimum 99.9% uptime guarantee. Latency: No official ms target published. Throughput: Credit-per-second caps by plan, Effective RPS depends on method credit cost (see examples above). Reliability: Maintains performance during spikes. Monitoring: Dashboard with usage analytics and request visibility (24h on Free; up to 30 days on paid).
Pros	– Built-in MetaMask integration, – Broad L2 coverage, – Archive support and Debug/Trace on eligible plans
Cons	– IPFS API/Gateway access requires pre-approval, not open for all users, – Cost depends on method mix, – No public Ethereum-specific latency metrics

Infura is a good choice for Ethereum-focused projects, especially those that rely on MetaMask and is consistent and easy to integrate. The main drawback is its credit-based structure (and IPFS access gating), which introduces limits and variable costs as usage grows. For teams that are comfortable with those trade-offs, it would be a good pick.

Top 5 Ethereum RPC providers 2026

🥇 1. Chainstack

Best all-around provider excelling across performance, reliability, security, and cost. Supports 70+ networks with Ethereum-first focus.

Key strengths:

Custom RPS on enterprise plans (400M+ requests/month), 99.99% uptime
SOC 2 Type II certified with 99.99%+ SLA
Transparent request-based pricing, crypto payments
Global Nodes for low-latency dApps. Dedicated Nodes for isolated workloads and enterprise-grade reliability.

🥈 2. QuickNode

Global speed optimization with region-routed endpoints delivering consistently low-latency responses.

Highlights:

500+ RPS, 99.99% uptime SLA, 200B+ monthly calls
SOC 2 Type II + ISO 27001 certified
Advanced APIs, Webhooks, NFT/token data
Credit-based pricing requires usage monitoring

🥉 3. Alchemy

Developer favorite with rich tooling beyond raw RPC.

Strengths:

Notify, Transact APIs, analytics dashboards
30M CU free tier (~1.2M requests), $0.45/M basic calls
40+ chain support, MEV protection
~99.9% uptime, no SOC 2 certification

🏅 4. GetBlock

Entry-level option for developers testing apps or running smaller workloads. Works well for early-stage projects, but may require upgrades as demand grows.

Advantages:

Daily free tier with rollover unused requests
Regional endpoint selection for latency optimization
Fast setup, simple monthly quotas, dedicated nodes available
Great for testing/hackathons; strict RPS limits on shared plans

🏅 5. Ankr

Multi-chain enabler with broad support and flexible infrastructure.

Highlights:

40+ supported networks, EVM + non-EVM
Flat pricing model, unlimited plans available
Dedicated and public endpoints
Tools for gaming, DeFi, and staking platforms
No SOC 2 certification, fewer enterprise features than top picks

🏅 6. Infura

Ethereum veteran with deep MetaMask integration.

Key features:

~100k daily free requests, credit-based system
Multi-region Ethereum API + IPFS support
Enterprise SLAs via ConsenSys
Proven stability for wallet/dApp integrations

Conclusion

The 2026 Ethereum RPC landscape is more competitive and mature than ever. Chainstack leads as the top all-around provider, combining enterprise-grade performance and 99.99% uptime via multi-cloud routing, transparent request-based pricing ($0.25-$2.50/M with unlimited options), and full SOC 2 Type II compliance. It perfectly serves stablecoin payments, enterprise dApps, and traders with Trader Nodes, which include 70+ chain support.

QuickNode excels in speed (2-3× faster responses, 500+ RPS) for latency-critical apps, with dual SOC 2/ISO certifications. Alchemy dominates developer tooling (Notify/Transact APIs, generous free tier). Infura remains Ethereum’s trusted veteran with MetaMask integration. GetBlock suits budget-conscious devs with simple regional endpoints.

Developers now have mission-critical infrastructure options that deliver unprecedented reliability and performance.

FAQ

What is Ethereum RPC and why do I need it?

Ethereum RPC is the standard interface that lets applications communicate with the Ethereum blockchain. Through an RPC provider, you can read blockchain data (balances, transactions), send transactions, deploy smart contracts, and interact with dApps using JSON-RPC API calls. Without reliable RPC, your app can’t connect to Ethereum.

Which is the top Ethereum RPC provider in 2026?

Chainstack leads for production use, combining predictable request-based pricing and scalable performance for enterprise workloads, 99.99% uptime, global low-latency routing, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and both free/enterprise tiers. It covers payments, enterprise, and DeFi needs better than competitors.

Are there free Ethereum RPC options suitable for real development?

Yes. Chainstack offers 3M requests/month (~25 RPS) free with full mainnet/testnet access, archive data, and testnet faucets. Alchemy gives 30M CUs (~1.2M requests), Infura ~100k daily requests, and GetBlock 50k daily. Chainstack’s free tier is most generous for actual development.

How do I connect to an Ethereum RPC node?

When you start building on Ethereum, the provider you choose shapes your baseline for speed, reliability, and how easily you can scale over time. While different platforms cater to different use cases, Chainstack bundles the full stack into a setup that takes minutes to deploy:

Log in to your Chainstack account (or create one if you don’t have it yet).
Create a new project or select an existing one.
Choose Ethereum, then pick mainnet or a testnet like Sepolia or Hoodi.
Deploy a node with RPC access and copy the HTTP or WebSocket endpoint into your app.

Not only do you get the option to choose between Global Nodes for shared, geo-balanced access or Dedicated Nodes for isolated performance and full control, but every deployment comes production-ready. Both options include Bolt fast sync for same-day readiness and GraphQL support.

You also get built-in security through Access rules, plus testnet faucets and MEV protection enabled by default. Everything required to connect, build, and ship on Ethereum is available in one place.

Reliable Ethereum RPC infrastructure

Getting started with Ethereum on Chainstack is fast and straightforward — deploy a reliable node in seconds through an intuitive console, no hardware or complex setup required.

With 99.99% uptime, 24/7 SLA-backed operations and low-latency global endpoints, Chainstack ensures seamless RPC access for building and scaling DeFi, analytics, and trading applications.

Start building with Chainstack →

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