Ankr vs Infura: which should you pick in 2026?
Head-to-head on the facts that decide the purchase: real prices in the provider's own unit, minimum, KYC, proof, payment and terms - every number sourced in the linked reviews.
Short answer: Infura wins overall (7.1/10 vs 6.2/10). Facts checked 2026-09-24.
| Ankr | Infura | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 6.2 | 7.1 |
| Vertical | RPC / nodes | RPC / nodes |
| Type | RPC provider | RPC provider |
| Price from | $83 | $0 per month |
| Minimum | unknown | unknown |
| KYC | none | not documented |
| Proof | partial | partial |
| Payment | ANKR, USDT, USDC · fiat | fiat |
| Contract term | unknown | unknown |
| Maintenance / fee | unknown | unknown |
| Operator | Ankr | Infura |
| Facts checked | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 |
// Score breakdown
Infura leads on economics (+2), transparency (+1.5), ease of use (+1).
why 6.2/10?
why 7.1/10?
// Ankr at a glance
An established multi-chain RPC/staking operator with a real free lane and a named US entity, but paid pricing is effectively unpublished to outside verifiers and the credit terms are non-refundable with expiring credits.
++ What works
- Named US entity (Ankr Inc.) and public Terms of Use
- Free public RPC lane plus 70+/80+ supported chains
- Broad stack: RPC, Advanced API, AppChains, staking, Agentic and Verifiable RPC
- Crypto payments accepted (ANKR/USDT/USDC) alongside USD
- Long operating history and a listed ANKR token
-- What to watch
- Official pricing page inaccessible (403) and no 2026 archive; paid prices unverifiable
- API Credit value/overage not published
- No refunds; unused subscription credits expire after 30 days
- Upgrading creates overlapping active subscriptions with no credit for the old one
- Community subreddit is dominated by operator marketing, limiting independent signals
// Infura at a glance
A mature, easy-to-adopt multi-chain RPC with competitive published tiers and the MetaMask default channel, but priced in vendor-specific credits, gated IPFS, no published SLA below Enterprise and a US arbitration contract.
++ What works
- Transparent published plan table and credit docs (free 3M/day, $50, $225)
- Huge distribution as the default MetaMask RPC
- 40+ supported networks plus archive data, Gas API and Debug/Trace
- Public status page with incident subscriptions
- Named legal entity and public Terms of Use
-- What to watch
- Credits are a vendor-specific unit; not comparable to CUs/requests elsewhere
- Archive access is only 'currently' free of extra credits and may change
- IPFS service now limited to pre-qualified customers; general IPFS apparently shut down Aug 2026
- Free-plan credit quota is stated inconsistently (3M vs 6M/day)
- US arbitration + class-action waiver; broad unilateral suspension rights
// FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ankr or Infura?
Ankr publishes a price (from $83); Infura does not publish a comparable figure - and unknown is not free. Compare only the same unit before concluding anything.
Which is more verifiable, Ankr or Infura?
Tie - both publish partial or full proof (partial).
Which needs less KYC, Ankr or Infura?
At least one provider does not document its KYC policy - treat it as unknown, not as "no KYC".
Which has the longer track record?
Infura has the longer track record (since 2016).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Ankr · Infura. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared.