Chainstack's Growth Tier excels at providing a robust, production-ready foundation for scaling applications without the overhead of dedicated infrastructure. It offers a 99.9% SLA, shared public nodes across 20+ chains like Ethereum and Polygon, and a generous 3 million daily compute units. This tier is ideal for protocols experiencing consistent growth, such as a DeFi dApp on Arbitrum needing reliable RPC access and basic monitoring tools without a large upfront commitment.
LABS
Comparisons
Chainstack's Growth Tier vs Business Tier
A technical comparison of Chainstack's mid-scale developer offering versus its enterprise-grade solution, focusing on infrastructure access, SLAs, and cost-performance trade-offs for CTOs and engineering leads.
Chainscore © 2026
introduction
THE ANALYSIS
Introduction: Scaling Your Blockchain Infrastructure
A data-driven comparison of Chainstack's Growth and Business tiers for CTOs planning their next infrastructure phase.
The Business Tier takes a different approach by providing dedicated, isolated node infrastructure. This strategy results in superior performance and control—guaranteeing resources aren't shared—but at a higher cost. It's designed for enterprises requiring dedicated archival nodes, enhanced security for private transactions, and custom configurations. The trade-off is moving from a scalable, shared model to a premium, resource-guaranteed environment.
The key trade-off: If your priority is cost-effective scalability and high availability for public chain interactions, the Growth Tier is the optimal launchpad. Choose the Business Tier when your priorities shift to maximum performance isolation, advanced data needs (archival access), and enterprise-grade security controls for sensitive or high-volume operations.
tldr-summary
Growth Tier vs. Business Tier
TL;DR: Key Differentiators at a Glance
A data-driven breakdown of Chainstack's two core paid tiers, highlighting the specific trade-offs for scaling teams and production workloads.
01
Growth Tier: For Bootstrapped Teams
Cost-effective scaling: Starts at $199/month for 5 million requests. Ideal for startups and projects in active development or early mainnet deployment.
Key features: Includes 3 dedicated nodes, WebSockets, and access to 30+ chains (Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain). This matters for teams needing reliable infrastructure without the overhead of a custom setup.
02
Growth Tier: The Throughput Ceiling
Shared node resources: Requests are processed through shared infrastructure, which can lead to variable latency under peak load.
Limited priority: Support is standard, not dedicated. This matters for applications requiring 99.9%+ SLA guarantees or handling high-frequency transactions (e.g., DeFi arbitrage bots, real-time NFT mints).
03
Business Tier: For Enterprise-Grade SLAs
Dedicated, high-performance nodes: Guaranteed resources with <1 sec API latency and 99.9% uptime SLA. Essential for production dApps, exchanges, and institutional services.
Key features: Includes advanced analytics, team management, and priority support. This matters for protocols like Aave or Uniswap that require deterministic performance.
04
Business Tier: The Cost of Reliability
Higher entry price: Custom pricing based on chain, node type, and request volume. Typically starts in the thousands per month.
Management overhead: Requires more upfront configuration for dedicated nodes and private endpoints. This matters for teams with $500K+ infra budgets who must optimize for absolute reliability over cost.
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON
Chainstack Growth Tier vs Business Tier
Direct comparison of key infrastructure metrics and features for scaling blockchain applications.
| Metric / Feature | Growth Tier | Business Tier |
|---|---|---|
Monthly Requests | Up to 3M | Unlimited |
Dedicated Nodes | ||
Guaranteed SLA | 99.5% | 99.9% |
Archive Data Access | ||
Priority Support | ||
Custom RPC Endpoints | ||
Team Seats | Up to 5 | Unlimited |
CHAINSTACK GROWTH TIER VS BUSINESS TIER
Performance and Reliability Benchmarks
Direct comparison of key metrics, features, and guarantees for enterprise-grade blockchain infrastructure.
| Metric / Feature | Growth Tier | Business Tier |
|---|---|---|
Guaranteed Uptime SLA | 99.5% | 99.9% |
Request Rate Limit | 30 req/sec | 300 req/sec |
Archive Node Access | ||
Trace & Debug APIs | ||
Dedicated Load Balancer | ||
Priority Support | Community | 24/7 Technical |
Maximum Throughput | Standard | High-Performance |
pros-cons-a
PROS AND CONS
Chainstack Growth Tier vs. Business Tier
Key strengths and trade-offs for CTOs evaluating node infrastructure tiers.
01
Growth Tier: Cost-Effective Scaling
Specific advantage: Fixed monthly pricing starting at $399, with 3 million daily requests included. This matters for bootstrapped protocols and development teams needing predictable costs while scaling from testnet to mainnet. Ideal for projects like a new DeFi dApp or NFT marketplace managing initial user load.
02
Growth Tier: Core Chain Support
Specific advantage: Access to 30+ major chains including Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, and Avalanche. This matters for multi-chain applications that require reliable RPC endpoints for primary networks without needing niche or archival depth. Supports standard operations for wallets and explorers.
03
Business Tier: Enterprise-Grade SLA & Support
Specific advantage: 99.9% SLA with 24/7 dedicated support and <1-hour response time. This matters for institutions and high-TVL protocols (e.g., Aave, Uniswap) where downtime directly translates to financial loss and requires immediate, expert intervention.
04
Business Tier: Advanced Data & Archival Nodes
Specific advantage: Full archive node access, Trace API, and dedicated infrastructure. This matters for on-chain analytics platforms (e.g., Dune Analytics, The Graph) and compliance tools that require deep historical data queries and complex transaction tracing beyond simple state calls.
05
Growth Tier: Limited Customization
Specific trade-off: Shared infrastructure with standardized configurations. This matters for projects requiring specific client versions (e.g., Besu for enterprise Ethereum) or custom RPC method whitelisting, which are restricted and can bottleneck advanced development workflows.
06
Business Tier: Higher Cost Threshold
Specific trade-off: Custom pricing typically starts at $2,000+/month. This matters for early-stage startups or experimental projects where infrastructure cost must be minimized to validate product-market fit before committing to enterprise-level expenditure.
pros-cons-b
GROWTH VS. BUSINESS TIER
Chainstack Business Tier: Pros and Cons
Key strengths and trade-offs for teams scaling from development to enterprise-grade production.
01
Growth Tier: Cost-Effective Scaling
Fixed monthly pricing starting at $299/month for 5M requests. Ideal for predictable workloads and bootstrapped projects. This matters for early-stage dApps and development teams needing reliable RPC access without variable billing surprises.
02
Growth Tier: Core Feature Access
Includes dedicated nodes, archive data, and WebSockets for major chains like Ethereum and Polygon. This matters for building and testing applications that require full historical data and real-time updates without the overhead of node operations.
03
Business Tier: Enterprise SLAs & Support
99.9% uptime SLA with 24/7 priority support and a dedicated account manager. This matters for financial protocols (DeFi, CeFi) and NFT marketplaces where downtime directly translates to lost revenue and user trust.
04
Business Tier: Advanced Performance & Security
Global Anycast network for <100ms latency and DDoS protection. Includes private endpoints and IP allowlisting. This matters for high-frequency trading platforms and institutional clients requiring bank-grade security and performance guarantees.
05
Business Tier: Custom Configurations
Tailored node specs (CPU, RAM, storage) and multi-region deployment. Supports private networks and bespoke chain integrations. This matters for Layer 2 rollup operators and enterprise blockchain consortia with specific infrastructure needs.
06
Business Tier: Usage-Based Billing
Pay-per-request model after committed tiers, scaling with unpredictable traffic. This matters for rapidly scaling applications like GameFi or social dApps with viral growth, but requires careful cost monitoring versus fixed-price plans.
CHOOSE YOUR PRIORITY
Decision Framework: When to Choose Which Tier
Chainstack Growth Tier for Developers
Verdict: Ideal for prototyping, testing, and early-stage dApps. Strengths:
- Free Daily Requests: 3M daily requests allow for substantial development and testing without cost.
- Multi-Chain Access: Supports 30+ chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base) for cross-protocol development.
- Essential Tools: Includes WebSockets, archive data, and a shared node pool for rapid iteration. Limitations: Shared infrastructure means variable latency; not suitable for production-grade SLAs.
Chainstack Business Tier for Developers
Verdict: Mandatory for launching and scaling production applications. Strengths:
- Dedicated Nodes: Guaranteed resources for consistent, low-latency RPC calls and predictable performance.
- Advanced APIs: Access to the Trace API for debugging complex transactions and the Debug API for smart contract analysis.
- Priority Support & SLA: 99.9% uptime SLA and direct technical support for critical issues during mainnet deployments. Use Case: Deploying a high-volume DeFi aggregator or a gaming backend requiring sub-second block times.
verdict
THE ANALYSIS
Final Verdict and Recommendation
Choosing between Chainstack's Growth and Business tiers is a strategic decision based on scale, performance, and operational needs.
Chainstack's Growth Tier excels at providing a robust, cost-effective foundation for scaling applications from prototype to production. It offers a predictable, usage-based pricing model with up to 3 million daily requests and 99.9% SLA, making it ideal for teams that need reliable Ethereum, Polygon, or Avalanche RPC access without the overhead of dedicated infrastructure. For example, a DeFi protocol with moderate, predictable traffic can leverage its global load balancer and archive data access to serve users efficiently.
Chainstack's Business Tier takes a different approach by providing dedicated, high-performance infrastructure for mission-critical workloads. This results in superior performance and control, with guaranteed resources, 99.95% SLA, and dedicated endpoints that eliminate the "noisy neighbor" effect. The trade-off is a higher fixed cost and a commitment to a specific capacity, which is justified for protocols requiring maximum uptime, consistent sub-second latency, and the ability to handle massive query volumes or run complex indexers.
The key trade-off: If your priority is cost-optimization and flexibility for a growing application with variable traffic, choose the Growth Tier. If you prioritize absolute performance, guaranteed resources, and enterprise-grade SLAs for a high-TVL protocol or exchange, the Business Tier is the necessary investment. Ultimately, the Growth Tier is for scaling efficiently, while the Business Tier is for scaling reliably at the highest tiers of the blockchain ecosystem.
ENQUIRY
Get In Touch
today.
Our experts will offer a free quote and a 30min call to discuss your project.
NDA Protected
Confidentiality24h Response
Time to ValueDirectly to Engineering Team
No Sales Fluff10+
Protocols Shipped
$20M+
TVL Overall