Hardhat vs Google Cloud Blockchain RPC

Hardhat8.7Visit GBGoogle Cloud Blockchain RPC7.9Visit

Higher score Hardhat #2 in Blockchain Developer Platforms 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Hardhat

vs

GB Google Cloud Blockchain RPC #8 in Blockchain Developer Platforms 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Google Cloud

• Hardhat fits best

  Open-source Solidity projects using a plugin workflow

• Google Cloud Blockchain RPC fits best

  Teams seeking free Ethereum RPC in Google Cloud

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Side by side

Feature	Hardhat 8.7/10 Visit ↗	GBGoogle Cloud Blockchain RPC 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	7.9
Ranking	#2 in Blockchain Developer Platforms	#8 in Blockchain Developer Platforms
Best for	Open-source Solidity projects using a plugin workflow	Teams seeking free Ethereum RPC in Google Cloud
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	None
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Hardhat 0/2 · Google Cloud Blockchain RPC 0/2
Data indexing	Not checked yet	—
Contract deployment	Not checked yet	—
Specs
Supported chains	Not checked yet	1
Node access	Not checked yet	Rpc
Monthly request limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Supported SDKs	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Compiles Solidity and supports Solidity unit and TypeScript integration tests Includes fuzzing, transaction debugging, and local network simulation Extends tasks and tools through plugins, including deployment and verification	Managed HTTP JSON-RPC and WebSocket access without provisioning nodes Supports Ethereum mainnet, test networks, and historical data Preview plan lists 100 requests per second and 1 million per day
Cons	Requires local installation and command-line use Does not include security analysis or a visual builder Runs self-hosted, with support through documentation and community	Limited to Ethereum mainnet and test networks Does not include data indexing Does not include contract deployment
Our verdict	Hardhat is an open-source development environment for building Ethereum smart contracts and decentralized applications. Installed locally and used through the command line, it is aimed at Solidity developers and teams who want a… Read the review →	Google Cloud Blockchain RPC gives developers managed read and write access to Ethereum through standard RPC endpoints. It suits teams building Web3 applications that need network access without provisioning or syncing nodes themselves. The… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Hardhat — where it wins

  • Compiles Solidity and supports Solidity unit and TypeScript integration tests
  • Includes fuzzing, transaction debugging, and local network simulation
  • Extends tasks and tools through plugins, including deployment and verification

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires local installation and command-line use
  • Does not include security analysis or a visual builder
  • Runs self-hosted, with support through documentation and community

• Google Cloud Blockchain RPC — where it wins

  • Managed HTTP JSON-RPC and WebSocket access without provisioning nodes
  • Supports Ethereum mainnet, test networks, and historical data
  • Preview plan lists 100 requests per second and 1 million per day

  Where it doesn't

  • Limited to Ethereum mainnet and test networks
  • Does not include data indexing
  • Does not include contract deployment

• Hardhat8.7/10 · Free plan

  A command-line toolkit for compiling, testing, debugging, and deploying Solidity projects.

  Visit HardhatFull verdict →
• GBGoogle Cloud Blockchain RPC7.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, managed Ethereum RPC service in Google Cloud, focused on access rather than tooling.

  Visit Google CloudFull verdict →