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Free Alchemy alternative — heavy methods included
NodeFlare is a free EVM RPC provider that includes eth_getLogs, trace_* and debug_* on the free tier — no credit card, no upgrade required. It runs on own bare-metal nodes across 5 regions and covers 23 EVM chains, including young chains like Robinhood Chain, Plasma and Ink that the large providers don't serve. The endpoint is standard JSON-RPC: swapping from Alchemy is a single URL change.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alchemy free | NodeFlare free |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier CU/month | varies by plan | 2,000,000 — no credit card |
| eth_getLogs | ✓ | ✓ |
| trace_* methods | gated on most free plans | ✓ included — free tier |
| debug_* methods | gated on most free plans | ✓ included — free tier |
| WebSocket (eth_subscribe) | ✓ on major chains | ✓ on major chains |
| Robinhood Chain (4663) | not supported | ✓ own node |
| Plasma / Ink / Zircuit | not supported | ✓ own nodes |
| x402 pay-per-call (no account) | not available | ✓ pay in USDC, no signup |
| Own bare-metal nodes | aggregated infrastructure | ✓ — not a reseller |
Alchemy plan limits change — verify at alchemy.com. NodeFlare free tier: 2M CU/month, no card, all methods unlocked.
One URL swap
NodeFlare speaks standard JSON-RPC. Your request body doesn't change — only the base URL.
# Before: Alchemy (eth mainnet)
curl https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_ALCHEMY_KEY \
-X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'
# After: NodeFlare — one URL swap, same JSON-RPC body
curl https://rpc.nodeflare.app/eth/v1/YOUR_NODEFLARE_KEY \
-X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'
# Or test now with no key:
curl https://rpc.nodeflare.app/eth/public \
-X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_blockNumber","params":[],"id":1}'Chain slugs: eth, base, arb, op, bnb, polygon, avax — same pattern for all 23 chains.
Chains the big providers skip
NodeFlare runs its own nodes for the young EVM chains that most providers don't index — alongside every major chain.
All 23 chains share the same endpoint pattern and API key — swap the chain slug, nothing else.
Why developers switch
Heavy methods, free
eth_getLogs, trace_block, trace_transaction, debug_traceTransaction — unlocked on the free tier with no upgrade and no surcharge per call.
Young chains, own nodes
Robinhood Chain, Plasma, Ink, Zircuit, Soneium, BOB and Mode on bare-metal nodes — not a pass-through to a third-party API that doesn't support them.
x402 for agents
Call RPC or data endpoints and pay per request in USDC with no account. Designed for AI agents that need on-chain access without human onboarding.
FAQ
Is NodeFlare really free?
Yes. Sign up at nodeflare.app — no credit card required. You get 2,000,000 compute units per month on the free tier. That covers development, indexing scripts, and light production workloads. eth_getLogs, trace_* and debug_* are all included without an upgrade.
Which methods are included on the free tier?
Everything: eth_getLogs, trace_block, trace_transaction, debug_traceTransaction, debug_traceBlockByNumber, and all standard eth_* methods. Heavy methods are not gated behind a paid plan — they're part of the free tier. On other providers these are often the first thing restricted.
How do I swap from Alchemy to NodeFlare?
It's a single URL change. NodeFlare speaks standard JSON-RPC — the same wire format as Alchemy and every other EVM provider. Replace your Alchemy URL with https://rpc.nodeflare.app/{chain}/v1/YOUR_KEY and keep the request body exactly as-is. The public endpoint (/{chain}/public) lets you test before you sign up.
Which chains does NodeFlare cover that Alchemy doesn't?
NodeFlare runs its own nodes for the young chains the large providers skip: Robinhood Chain (4663), Plasma (9745), Ink (57073), Zircuit (48900), Soneium (1868), BOB (60808), Mode (34443) and HyperEVM (999) — alongside Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Avalanche, Linea, Mantle, Unichain, Sonic, Cronos, Sei, and X Layer. One key, one endpoint pattern, all 23 chains.
What is x402 pay-per-call?
x402 lets you call NodeFlare RPC or data endpoints and pay per request in USDC — no account, no API key, no dashboard. Your agent or script attaches a payment to the HTTP request using the x402 protocol; NodeFlare verifies it and processes the call. It's designed for AI agents that need on-chain access without a human setting up an account first.
Is NodeFlare built on Alchemy's or Infura's infrastructure?
No. NodeFlare operates its own bare-metal nodes across US-East, US-West, EU and Asia. It is not a reseller or aggregator of third-party node infrastructure. Requests are geo-routed to the nearest healthy node with automatic failover — Base and Arbitrum in 5 regions, BNB in 4.
Free key in under a minute
2M compute units/month, no credit card. Every chain, every method, one endpoint pattern — swap your Alchemy URL and you're live.