QuickNode vs Validation Cloud: free tiers and history
QuickNode and Validation Cloud are hosted RPC providers whose own docs name Stellar Mainnet and Testnet with both Horizon REST and Stellar RPC, plus the XRP Ledger and Hedera. The main differences are how you start for free and how much Stellar history each keeps.
| QuickNode | Validation Cloud Node API | |
|---|---|---|
| Chains |  Ethereum  Base  Arbitrum  Polygon  Solana  BNB  Avalanche  Stellar  Sui  Aptos  XRPL  Hedera  TON  NEAR  STX | Ethereum Base Arbitrum Polygon Solana BNB Avalanche Stellar Aptos XRPL Hedera |
| Best for | Managed RPC across the major chains plus XRPL, Stellar and Hedera | Hosted RPC with a free tier, including Hedera, XRPL and Stellar mainnet |
| Confirmed features | JSON-RPC over HTTPS · WebSocket subscriptions · Archive or full-history data · Trace or debug APIs · Dedicated nodes · Testnet endpoints · Webhooks or event streams | JSON-RPC over HTTPS · WebSocket subscriptions · Archive or full-history data · Trace or debug APIs · Testnet endpoints · Free tier with no card |
| Free option | 1-month free trial with 10M API credits and 15 requests/sec; no card required. Paid from $49/mo (Build, $34/mo billed yearly). Source: QuickNode free option | Free plan with 50M compute units a month and up to 120 requests/sec; no card required. Then pay as you go from $0.50 per 1M CU (Scale). Source: Validation Cloud Node API free option |
| Price | Free trial (1 month, 10M credits, no card); paid from $49/mo (Build, $34/mo billed yearly) | Free plan: 50M compute units/month, 120 requests/second, no card; Scale: pay as you go, $0.50 per 1M CU above 50M (down to $0.35 above 1B); Private: custom |
| Maker | QuickNode | Validation Cloud |
| Last checked | Oct 24, 2026 (source: QuickNode listing) | Oct 21, 2026 (source: Validation Cloud Node API listing) |
| Try it | Visit QuickNode | Visit Validation Cloud Node API |
Pick QuickNode if…
You want Streams and Webhooks next to your RPC (its network list names them for Stellar and the XRP Ledger), or one provider for many chains. On Stellar Mainnet its docs list about 90 days of Horizon history and about 7 days of Stellar RPC, with no archive. The free access is a one-month trial.
Pick Validation Cloud Node API if…
You want a free plan that does not expire, or longer Stellar history: its docs list a 60-day Stellar RPC window on Mainnet, a Horizon archive endpoint with about 12 months, and an RPC v2 beta endpoint with full history from 2015. Its Hedera endpoints include Mirror Node REST next to the EVM relay.
Our verdicts
QuickNode
A managed RPC and streams provider whose network list names all seven major chains we track plus the XRP Ledger and Stellar. Hedera support is through the EVM JSON-RPC relay, not Hedera's native API. No Algorand or Xahau. A one-month trial, then paid plans. Its network list also names Sui, Aptos, TON and NEAR.
Validation Cloud Node API
Hosted node API from a staking and node operator. The Free plan gives 50M compute units a month at up to 120 requests per second with no card; Scale is pay-as-you-go from $0.50 per 1M CU and drops with volume; Private is custom. Its self-serve chains include a Hedera mainnet endpoint (JSON-RPC relay plus Mirror Node REST), XRPL and Stellar alongside the big EVM chains, Solana and Aptos. History depth varies by chain (Stellar Horizon keeps 90 days, Aptos about 6 days). Sui and TON are only on the Private plan, and there's no Algorand or Xahau.
See every pick in Infrastructure & RPC. Prices change often, so confirm on each maker's site before you buy.
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