Flat-rate RPC plans compared: pricing, limits, and trade-offs (2026)

The era of “pay-as-you-go sounds cheaper than it is” has reached RPC infrastructure. In 2026, credit-based billing models have started showing their cracks for production teams: a single bad batch job, a debug trace run, or a WebSocket subscription storm can turn a predictable monthly budget into a surprise invoice. For teams building anything beyond a weekend project, the billing model is at least as important as the endpoint’s raw performance.

Three providers now offer flat-rate RPC options — and they work very differently. Chainstack’s Unlimited Node add-on is a chain-agnostic flat-rate pool starting at $149/month on Growth plans and above, covering all supported chains under one subscription. Quicknode’s Flat Rate RPS (launched March 2026) is an endpoint-level option starting at $799/month — one chain, one region per subscription. GetBlock’s Limitless Node starts at $99/month for 25 RPS with archive access included, but also locks each subscription to a single chain.

This guide compares all three flat-rate offerings directly: pricing tiers, chain coverage, archive access, and the cost scenarios where each wins.

💡 Already using Chainstack? Head to the Unlimited Node marketplace page to add flat-rate RPC to your existing plan in minutes.

Why flat-rate matters — and where credit billing breaks down

Credit-weighted billing creates a hidden variable that many teams only discover after their first production billing cycle: not all RPC calls cost the same number of credits. Methods like debug_traceTransaction or eth_getLogs with large block ranges consume 2–4× more credits than a simple eth_blockNumber. A workload that looks like 80M method calls on paper can easily exhaust a credit budget twice that size in practice, triggering overage charges — and on Quicknode’s credit-based plans, overages above $200 trigger immediate billing mid-cycle.

All three flat-rate options solve this by decoupling billing from method calls entirely: you pay for RPS capacity, not per request. The criteria that separate them:

• Chain coverage — all chains on one plan, or one chain per subscription?
• Archive access — included or requires a separate plan tier?
• Regional flexibility — multi-region on one subscription, or locked to one?
• Entry price point — minimum commitment for production-grade throughput
• Max RPS available — ceiling for high-throughput workloads

Comparison table

The table below summarizes all three flat-rate offerings as of May 2026.

Feature	Chainstack Unlimited Node	Quicknode Flat Rate RPS	GetBlock Limitless Node
Pricing model	Flat-rate (RPS-based)	Flat-rate (RPS-based)	Flat-rate (RPS-based)
Starting price	$149/month (25 RPS)	$799/month (75 RPS, EVM)	$99/month (25 RPS)
RPS options	25 / 100 / 250 / 500 / 1000	75 / 150 / 250	25 / 50 / 100 / 200
Overage behavior	HTTP 429, no charge	HTTP 429, no charge	HTTP 429, no charge
Chain coverage	All Chainstack chains	EVM (6 chains) + Solana	10 chains
Multi-chain on one plan	Yes	No — 1 chain per subscription	No — 1 chain per subscription
Regions	All Chainstack regions	1 region per subscription	EU, US, Asia
Archive access	Plan-dependent	Not included	Included
Method weighting	None	None	None
Max RPS	1000	250	200
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	Yes	Not documented
Requires base plan	Growth or higher	Any paid Quicknode plan	Standalone
Annual discount	Via base plan	Not documented	20%

Chainstack Unlimited Node

The Unlimited Node add-on attaches to any Chainstack plan on Growth or higher. Rather than consuming RUs from your monthly base allocation, requests through an Unlimited Node endpoint consume zero plan quota and draw from a dedicated flat-rate capacity pool. Every call to every method costs the same: nothing beyond the monthly subscription fee.

Chainstack offers five Unlimited Node tiers:

• 25 RPS — $149/month
• 100 RPS — $649/month
• 250 RPS — $1,649/month
• 500 RPS — $3,199/month
• 1000 RPS — contact Chainstack for pricing

The critical operational advantage is chain coverage. A single Unlimited Node subscription covers all Chainstack-supported chains — Ethereum, Solana, BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, TON, TRON, and more — with no per-chain surcharge and no regional restriction. A multi-chain pipeline hitting three networks simultaneously draws from the same RPS pool on one invoice.

The add-on pairs cleanly with Chainstack’s Dedicated Nodes for teams that need private archive infrastructure alongside flat-rate shared throughput. The underlying infrastructure is SOC 2 Type II certified.

Limitations: Archive node access is governed by the underlying Chainstack plan, not the Unlimited Node add-on itself. Teams requiring debug_traceTransaction or historical state queries should pair this with a plan that includes archive access, or use Dedicated Nodes.

Quicknode Flat Rate RPS

Quicknode Flat Rate RPS is an endpoint-level billing option launched in March 2026, available on any paid Quicknode plan. It replaces credit metering for a specific endpoint with a fixed monthly fee. Requests are not counted — exceeding the RPS cap returns HTTP 429 with no overage charge.

Pricing breaks down by chain family:

• EVM chains (Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, BSC, Polygon): 75 RPS at $799/month | 150 RPS at $1,499/month | 250 RPS at $1,949/month
• Solana: 75 RPS at $1,199/month | 150 RPS at $2,299/month | 250 RPS at $2,925/month

Each subscription covers exactly one endpoint on one blockchain in one region. Chains outside the six supported EVM networks and Solana — including TON, TRON, Sui, and most newer L2s — are not available under Flat Rate RPS and remain credit-billed.

Limitations: The entry price of $799/month for 75 RPS is the steepest of the three providers. Multi-chain coverage requires separate subscriptions per chain. Archive access is not included.

GetBlock Limitless Node

GetBlock Limitless Node is a standalone flat-rate offering with the lowest entry price of the three: $99/month for 25 RPS. Like Quicknode, each subscription covers a single chain — but GetBlock’s supported chain list is broader (10 networks) and includes non-EVM chains that Quicknode Flat Rate RPS doesn’t cover.

Pricing tiers (20% discount on annual):

• 25 RPS — $99/month
• 50 RPS — $249/month
• 100 RPS — $499/month
• 200 RPS — $999/month

Supported chains: Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, Base, Polygon, Sui, TRON, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism.

A notable inclusion is archive access — GetBlock Limitless Node includes full and archive data access at all tiers, unlike Chainstack (plan-dependent) or Quicknode (not included). Multi-region routing across EU, US, and Asia is also included per subscription. GetBlock advertises 24/7 support with under 5-minute response time.

Limitations: The 200 RPS ceiling is the lowest of the three providers — teams with high-throughput workloads above 200 RPS have no upgrade path within this product. GetBlock does not publish SOC 2 certification. The single-chain-per-subscription model means multi-chain teams pay per chain, just as with Quicknode.

Where each flat-rate option wins

Use case	Chainstack Unlimited Node	Quicknode Flat Rate RPS	GetBlock Limitless Node
Multi-chain indexer (3+ chains)	✅ One subscription covers all	❌ Separate sub per chain	❌ Separate sub per chain
Single-chain EVM, budget-sensitive	⚠️ $149/mo (25 RPS)	❌ $799/mo minimum	✅ $99/mo (25 RPS)
Single-chain EVM, 100 RPS	✅ $649/mo	❌ $1,499/mo	✅ $499/mo
Solana-only workload (75 RPS)	✅ $649/mo (100 RPS)	⚠️ $1,199/mo (75 RPS)	✅ $499/mo (100 RPS)
Archive access needed	⚠️ Requires paid base plan	❌ Not included	✅ Included at all tiers
Non-EVM chains (TON, TRON)	✅ Covered	❌ Not on flat-rate	⚠️ TRON yes, TON no
Bitcoin RPC flat-rate	❌ Not supported	❌ Not supported	✅ Supported
Above 200 RPS	✅ Up to 1000 RPS	✅ Up to 250 RPS	❌ 200 RPS ceiling
Multi-region on one plan	✅ All regions	❌ 1 region per sub	✅ EU, US, Asia included
Enterprise / SOC 2 compliance	✅ SOC 2 Type II	✅ SOC 2 Type II + ISO 27001	❌ Not documented
Already on Quicknode	⚠️ Requires migration	✅ Add to existing plan	⚠️ Requires migration

Cost scenarios: the math side by side

All figures use published list pricing as of May 2026.

Scenario	Quicknode Flat Rate RPS	GetBlock Limitless Node	Chainstack Unlimited Node
1 EVM chain, 25 RPS	$799/mo (75 RPS min)	$99/mo ✅	$149/mo
1 EVM chain, 100 RPS	$1,499/mo (150 RPS)	$499/mo ✅	$649/mo
3 EVM chains, 100 RPS each	$4,497/mo (3×$1,499)	$1,497/mo (3×$499)	$649/mo ✅
3 EVM + Solana, 100 RPS each	$5,496/mo	$1,996/mo (3×$499 + $499)	$649/mo ✅
5 chains, 250 RPS	Not viable (6+ subs needed)	Not viable (200 RPS ceiling)	$1,649/mo ✅
Single chain, need archive	Not included → extra cost	$499/mo (archive included) ✅	$649/mo + archive plan

Getting started with Chainstack Unlimited Node

The Unlimited Node add-on requires a Chainstack Growth plan or higher:

1. Log in to Chainstack or create an account and upgrade to Growth
2. Navigate to the Marketplace and select Unlimited Node
3. Choose your RPS tier (25, 100, 250, 500, or 1000 RPS)
4. Create a project and deploy a node on any supported chain
5. Copy your HTTP or WebSocket endpoint

Once live, all requests draw from the flat-rate pool — no per-chain accounting, no method multipliers, zero impact on your base plan quota:

# Ethereum — latest block
curl -s -X POST https://your-ethereum-endpoint.chainstack.com 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

# BNB Smart Chain — same subscription, same RPS pool, no separate charge
curl -s -X POST https://your-bnb-endpoint.chainstack.com 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'

🤖 You can also access Chainstack RPC directly from Claude, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, or Windsurf using Chainstack MCP. Learn more about Chainstack MCP.

Conclusion

All three flat-rate options eliminate credit billing — the decision comes down to chain breadth, archive needs, and throughput ceiling.

• Single-chain, budget-sensitive, need archive → GetBlock Limitless Node wins on price ($99/mo entry, archive included)
• Single-chain EVM or Solana at 100 RPS, already on Quicknode → Quicknode Flat Rate RPS is the path of least resistance, but GetBlock is cheaper for the same RPS
• Multi-chain workloads at any scale → Chainstack Unlimited Node wins — one subscription covers all chains; cost advantage compounds with each additional chain
• Above 200 RPS → Chainstack Unlimited Node or Quicknode Flat Rate RPS; GetBlock has no path beyond 200 RPS
• Enterprise and compliance-required deployments → Chainstack Unlimited Node (SOC 2 Type II, contractual SLA) or Quicknode (SOC 2 Type II + ISO 27001); GetBlock has no published certification

FAQ

Additional resources

• Chainstack Unlimited Node — marketplace page
• Chainstack Unlimited Node — docs
• Chainstack pricing plans
• Chainstack Dedicated Nodes
• Quicknode Flat Rate RPS documentation
• GetBlock Limitless Node
• Tutorials and guides on Chainstack Docs
• Chainstack SOC 2 Type II certification