Private Relays vs. Jito vs. Public RPC: Which Lands Faster?
In Solana trading, "landing" is everything. But not all landing methods are created equal.
Today, we compare the three main ways to get a transaction onto the blockchain: Public RPC, Jito Bundles, and Private Relays (AllenHark).
We analyze them based on Speed, Reliability, and Use Case.
1. Public RPC (Standard sendTransaction)
This is the default method used by wallets like Phantom and Solflare.
- Mechanism: You send to an RPC node -> RPC node checks it -> RPC node gossips it to peers -> Leader eventually sees it.
- Speed: Slow (500ms - 3s). The gossip protocol is designed for redundancy, not speed.
- Reliability: Low. During congestion, RPC nodes drop spam, and leaders drop gossip packets.
- Use Case: Casual transfers, NFT mints, slow swing trades.
2. Jito Bundles (The Auctioneer)
Jito is the dominant solution for MEV, offering a sidecar to the standard validator client.
- Mechanism: You send a bundle to a Jito Block Engine -> Engine simulates it -> Engine runs an auction -> Engine forwards winning bundles to the Jito-Solana validator.
- Speed: Medium (100ms - 600ms). While faster than gossip, the simulation and auction process adds overhead. During high traffic, the Block Engine itself becomes a bottleneck.
- Reliability: High. If you pay the highest tip, you get in. Atomic inclusion guarantees no failed landing fees.
- Use Case: Atomic arbitrage, sandwich attacks, complex MEV where reversion safety is key.
3. Private Relays (AllenHark 0-Slot)
Private relays are direct pipelines to validators, bypassing both gossip and auctions.
- Mechanism: You send to AllenHark Relay -> Relay routes directly to the current Leader's TPU port via staked connections.
- Speed: Instant (0.1ms). No simulation, no auction, no gossip. Just raw packet forwarding.
- Reliability: Medium-High. We use stake-weighted QoS to punch through congestion. While we don't offer the "atomic" guarantee of Jito, we offer superior speed.
- Use Case: 0-Slot Sniping, High-Frequency Trading (HFT), Stat-Arb, CEX-DEX Arbitrage.
The Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Public RPC | Jito Bundles | AllenHark Relay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latency | High (>500ms) | Medium (200ms) | Ultra-Low (0.1ms) |
| Throughput | Low | Medium | High |
| Cost | Base Fee | Tip + Base Fee | Subscription / Usage |
| Revert Protection | No | Yes | No |
| Best For | Casual Users | Atomic MEV | Speed / HFT |
Why Speed Matters More Than Safety for HFT
For certain strategies (like sniping a new liquidity pool or CEX-DEX arbitrage), being first is the only thing that matters.
If you use Jito, you might be "safe" from reverts, but you will arrive 200ms later than the AllenHark user. The AllenHark user takes the trade, and your Jito bundle lands... and fails because the opportunity is gone.
In HFT, speed is safety.
Conclusion
- Use Public RPC for testing.
- Use Jito for complex, atomic MEV where you need revert protection.
- Use AllenHark Relay when you need to be first.