Helius vs Alchemy (2026)

What sets it apart The Digital Asset Standard (DAS) API: one interface that queries SPL tokens, compressed NFTs, and Token-2022 assets, including every account holding a token by mint address, which standard Solana RPC methods do not return directly

Best for Solana developers who want RPC nodes, data APIs, event webhooks, and transaction streaming from a single vendor, ranging from solo prototypes to enterprise-scale applications · Pricing model Freemium, credit-based. Free tier ($0/mo, 1M credits, 10 req/s), Developer ($49/mo, 10M credits, 50 req/s), Business ($499/mo, 100M credits, 200 req/s), Professional ($999/mo, 200M credits, 500 req/s), and custom Enterprise. Billed monthly on request credits and rate limits.

Helius operates developer infrastructure for the Solana blockchain, bundling RPC nodes, APIs, gRPC data streaming (LaserStream), webhooks, and a transaction-sending service under one account. Its Digital Asset Standard (DAS) API is what separates it from a plain RPC endpoint: a single interface returns balances, metadata, and USD prices for SPL tokens, compressed NFTs, and Token-2022 assets, and can list every account holding a token from just a mint address. Access begins on a free tier of 1M monthly credits, with a $49/month Developer plan and higher Business and Professional tiers priced by credits and request rate. The stack fits solo builders prototyping wallets or trading apps as well as larger teams running dedicated nodes and real-time data feeds.

Sources Helius homepage (products, tagline, audience) · Helius pricing page · Helius DAS API docs

What sets it apart It goes beyond node RPC by bundling data/token APIs, event webhooks, and account-abstraction smart wallets, and meters all of it in a single compute-unit currency rather than charging per node or per request

Best for Developers and fintech teams that need multi-chain RPC access plus on-chain data and wallet tooling without operating their own node infrastructure, from solo prototypes to production consumer apps · Pricing model Freemium, metered by compute units (CUs). Free tier: 30M CUs/month (25 req/s, 5 apps, 5 webhooks). Pay As You Go: $0.45 per 1M CUs for the first 300M CUs/month, then $0.40 per 1M CUs above that, with no upfront commitment. Enterprise: custom pricing with signed SLAs, volume discounts, and premium support.

Alchemy is hosted blockchain infrastructure that gives developers JSON-RPC access to more than 100 networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and Arbitrum, so they can read and write on-chain data without running their own nodes. What separates it from a plain RPC provider is the stack layered on top: data APIs for transaction history and token prices, webhooks for on-chain events, and account-abstraction tooling for embedded smart wallets that support gasless transactions. Usage is billed in compute units, with a free tier of 30 million per month and pay-as-you-go pricing of $0.45 per million CUs for the first 300 million and $0.40 beyond that. The range fits solo developers prototyping as well as fintech teams shipping consumer crypto features.

Sources Alchemy homepage - products, supported chains, and audience · Alchemy pricing page - tiers and rates · Chainstack - Alchemy RPC provider overview (2026)