Head-to-head · Comparison
Features, pricing, health score, community ratings — side-by-side from the live MadeOnSol database.
Updated June 6, 2026
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|---|---|---|
| Rating | (0) | (1) |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| Health | Healthy | Healthy |
| Chain | solana only | solana only |
| Open Source | ||
| Features | 8 features | 8 features |
| Upvotes |
Pros & cons
Analysis
Solana Playground Solana Playground (SolPG) is a browser-based integrated development environment (IDE) for writing, testing, and deploying Solana programs without any local setup required. It has become the go-to tool... Helius Helius is the premier developer platform for Solana, providing enterprise-grade RPC infrastructure, webhooks, enhanced APIs, and developer tools that power many of the ecosystem's most popular applica...
Helius is rated higher by the MadeOnSol community with 4.0/5 stars across 1 review, compared to 0.0/5 for Solana Playground (0 reviews). That said, ratings only tell part of the story — what matters most is which tool fits your specific workflow.
Solana Playground uses a free model — Completely free and open-source., while Helius is freemium — Free tier: 30 RPS, 1M credits/day. Developer: $49/mo. Business: $499/mo. Enterprise: custom pricing.. Solana Playground has the edge for users who want a no-cost solution, though Helius's paid features may justify the investment for power users.
Solana Playground offers 8 features including Browser-based Solana IDE with zero local setup required, Anchor framework and native Rust program support, One-click compile and deploy to devnet/testnet, and 5 more. Helius counters with 8 features including Enterprise-grade RPC nodes with optimized routing and low latency, Enhanced transaction API parsing raw data into human-readable formats, Digital Asset API (DAS) for comprehensive NFT and token metadata, and 5 more. The right choice depends on which specific features matter for your use case — check the individual review pages for full breakdowns.
We monitor both tools around the clock for uptime, SSL validity, and response times. Solana Playground currently has a healthy health status with 100.0% uptime over the last 30 days. Helius is rated healthy with 100.0% uptime. For tools you rely on daily — especially trading bots or wallets — uptime and speed are non-negotiable.
Solana Playground's key strengths include zero setup — start writing solana programs immediately in any browser, perfect for learning, tutorials, and workshops with no installation friction, built-in wallet and devnet sol removes test token management hassle.
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| Twitter Followers | 6 | 72,898 |
| Categories | Developer Tools | Data & Indexing, RPC Providers |
| Description | Browser-based IDE for developing and deploying Solana programs | The developer platform for building on Solana |
While Solana Playground (Developer Tools) and Helius (Data & Indexing) serve different primary purposes, users often consider both when building their Solana toolkit. Helius has the community's vote, but your mileage may vary depending on your specific needs. We recommend trying both — Solana Playground is free to start and Helius is free to start. Read user reviews on each tool's page for real-world feedback from the Solana community.