Provider at a glance
- Category
- Relayers
- Entity
- All 6 Circle products
- Official website
- developers.circle.com
Independent rankingchecked How it works
Details
Scored 70 out of 100 under methodology 2026.10.18, from the evidence read in August 2026.
Circle Gas Station
Gas sponsorship for Circle wallets
Relayers
#5 Overall
Ranked #5 of 7 relayers in the published ranking
70
ChainChoice Score
The ChainChoice Score, shown against 100: published scores run from 41 to 99.- High evidence confidence
Is Circle Gas Station right for you?
Right for you if these matter most
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery7/10, the category best
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back8/10; the category best is 9
Look elsewhere if these come first
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address6/10 here; OpenZeppelin Relayer scores 10
- What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices6/10 here; the category best is 10
Not yet tested for your country. Markets it lists: Global.
to test where you can use it.
The rank above is the published one, the same for every reader. Find my best relayer service shows where it lands for you.
What will Circle Gas Station cost you?
Not priced on this basis
- Usage per month
- 10
How safe is Circle Gas Station?
- Evidence: verified4 of 4 criteria rest on quoted, sourced receipts. Read August 2026.
- LicenceMiCA (EU): no register record on file here.
- On the registersMiCA: authorised, CIRCLE INTERNET FINANCIAL EUROPE SAS (FR, since 2026-04-23). Read 3 November 2026. Open the register
Alternatives to Circle Gas Station
Compare all 4- 3OpenZeppelin Relayer3 points above · stronger on relayer authority and key custody (10 against 6)73
- 4Sequence Transactions API (Relayer)3 points above · stronger on relayer authority and key custody (9 against 6)73
- 6Openfort backend wallets1 point below · stronger on relayer authority and key custody (9 against 6)69
For your setup
Find out if Circle Gas Station fits you
The rank above is the published one — the same for every visitor. Answer the category's questions and this section shows where Circle Gas Station lands for you, which criteria your answers weight up, and which stated needs the record does or does not meet. The published rank stays beside it.
- A few questions
- No account required
- Ranking-blind: no commercial input
- Personalised in under 60 seconds
Find my best relayer serviceNothing is inferred from clicks, popularity or commercial value.
Why this rank
Why Circle Gas Station ranks #5
Each strength is read from evidence on a 0–10 ladder and weighted as the published methodology states. The 32 objective points these produce (21.3 here) sit inside the score; availability, friction, trust record and measured data add the rest. Best in this ranking on 1 of 4.
4 published criteria · Σ weight 100
CriterionWeightStrength · 0–10ScoreContrib.MedianBestRankEvidence
326+6.149.010#7/7Loading evidence…
267+5.826.07#1/7Loading evidence…
226+4.226.010#3/7Loading evidence…
208+5.127.09#2/7Loading evidence…
Hairline = best in this ranking · tick = its median · a missing bar is "not scored", never zero
Margin−3behind Sequence Transactions API (Relayer), #4
RobustnessOne point from changingacross a one-point change to each of its 4 criterion scores, the re-run scores 67–72 and ranks #5–#6
Evidence4 of 4 scored4 quoted, 4 with a source link
What would move the rank
Each line is the ranking run again with one of Circle Gas Station’s criterion scores changed and every other value held: the smallest whole-point change on that criterion that moves its rank, and where the re-run puts it. Up to 4 climbs and 3 falls are listed, smallest change first. Nothing here is a forecast.
What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address 6 → 8 on its ladder · passes Sequence Transactions API (Relayer)+273#5 → #3
Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery 7 → 9 on its ladder · passes Sequence Transactions API (Relayer)+273#5 → #4
What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices 6 → 9 on its ladder · passes Sequence Transactions API (Relayer)+374#5 → #3
What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address 6 → 5 on its ladder · Openfort backend wallets passes it−167#5 → #6
Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery 7 → 6 on its ladder · Openfort backend wallets passes it−168#5 → #6
What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices 6 → 5 on its ladder · Openfort backend wallets passes it−168#5 → #6
Smallest climb: what the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address 6 → 8 passes Sequence Transactions API (Relayer), #4.
Strengths
2 from the score dataWhere it leads
Best for readers who weight
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery — 7/10, the category best
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back — 8/10, category best 9/10
Tradeoffs
2 from the score dataWhere it trails
Not for readers who put first
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address — 6/10 against a category best of 10/10
- What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices — 6/10 against a category best of 10/10
Record watch-outs
- On EVM you cannot use Gas Station without an ERC-4337 smart contract account — "the Programmable Wallet must be an ERC-4337-compliant smart contract account" — and Circle's own published account queue table gives an SCA wallet a limit of 1 transaction on Ethereum, Polygon and Avalanche, against 32/16/32 for a plain EOA. So the moment you turn gas sponsorship on, that wallet goes to one in-flight transaction at a time, and Circle's documented remedy is not a bigger queue but more sender wallets. A backend sized around EOA concurrency will hit error 155264 immediately, and every extra sender wallet it spawns is another address whose key material, per the retirement guide, "remain[s] part of your wallet set."
Competitive position
Where Circle Gas Station leads and where it trails
Rank on every objective dimension among the rows scored on it. A criterion in the top third of its pool is listed as a lead, the bottom third as a trail; the middle is neither. Popularity, size and commercial terms are not dimensions.
Availability#1 / 714.0 of 20 · constant here
Published criteria#5 / 716.0 of 30 · best 20.4
Friction#1 / 72.7 of 10 · constant here
Trust record#1 / 73.2 of 8 · constant here
Measured data#1 / 78.3 of 18 · constant here
Where Circle Gas Station leads
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery#1 / 7
- What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices#3 / 7
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back#2 / 7
Where it trails
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address#7 / 7
Closest alternatives
The 3 nearest rows by score
Nearest by published score in either direction. Each card states the criteria on which the two rows differ and the cost difference under the same scenario inputs; the compare arithmetic below shows why the higher one ranks higher.
Openfort backend wallets#6 of 7 · score 69 · 1.0 point behind
Circle Gas Station leads on
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery7 vs 4
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back8 vs 7
Openfort backend wallets leads on
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address9 vs 6
Largest single reason Circle Gas Station is ahead: published criteria (+0.3 display points).Scenario cost: Openfort backend wallets has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Sequence Transactions API (Relayer)#4 of 7 · score 73 · 3.0 points ahead
Circle Gas Station leads on
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery7 vs 6
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back8 vs 7
Sequence Transactions API (Relayer) leads on
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address9 vs 6
Largest single reason Sequence Transactions API (Relayer) is ahead: published criteria (+3.1 display points).Scenario cost: Sequence Transactions API (Relayer) has no verified pricing for this scenario.
OpenZeppelin Relayer#3 of 7 · score 73 · 3.0 points ahead
Circle Gas Station leads on
- Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery7 vs 6
- What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices6 vs 3
OpenZeppelin Relayer leads on
- What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address10 vs 6
- Where the gas float sits and how you get it back9 vs 8
Largest single reason OpenZeppelin Relayer is ahead: published criteria (+3.4 display points).Scenario cost: OpenZeppelin Relayer has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Against the leader
81 vs 70 · gap 11.0Why Coinbase CDP Server Wallets (API-key wallets) ranks above Circle Gas Station
The compare workspace's arithmetic applied to these two rows. Each dimension's share of the gap is its weight × the difference, on the displayed scale — it reproduces the displayed gap of 11.0 to within rounding.
DimensionThisCoinbase CDP Server Wallets (API-key wallets)Gap share
Availability · 23% weight · constant here14.014.0same
Published criteria · 35% weight16.020.4−11.4, worse
Friction · 12% weight · constant here2.72.7same
Trust record · 9% weight · constant here3.23.2same
Measured data · 21% weight · constant here8.38.3same
Published criterionThisCoinbase CDP Server Wallets (API-key wallets)Points
What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address · w3269−3.07, worse
What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices · w22610−2.82, worse
Net7081−11.0
Your scenario
Circle Gas Station is not priced for this scenario
Metered usage beyond whatever the plan includes, for a year. Excludes egress, support tiers and enterprise minimums. Change an input and every figure recomputes from the published rate; the published rank does not move.
your cost/yr · default scenario — set your own
Usage per month · your input10
Rate read from the provider’s published pricing ↗ on 28 October 2026.
your cost/yrCost is stated as your cost/yr in USD; it is never a yield, never annualised, and it does not enter the score.
Not priced on this basis
Under the default inputs · USDCategory medianNot priced0 of 7 rows priced
Cheapest pricedNone pricedDifference not stated · availability not applied — set your country to filter
7 of 7 rows in this ranking have no verified rate for this scenario and are absent from the median, not counted as free.
Evidence
Evidence read 11 August 2026
One row per published criterion: the page each strength was read from, its source type by domain, the reading date and whether the file and the published table agree. Open a row for the quote and the receipt.
4 of 4 cells scored
Score evidenceVerified4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from receipts
4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from a quoted, sourced receipt equal to the published strength.Public receiptsReading…4 quoted with a source URL
The receipt file has not been read yet.Evidence confidenceHighcoverage and corroboration, never freshness
4/4 criteria scored, with 4 dated sources quoted.RobustnessOne point from changingrank #5 to #6 across one-point re-runs
Whether the position holds when one criterion score is changed by one point and the ranking is run again. It is always a re-run of the ranking, never an estimate.The newest evidence read on the platform is 3 November 2026; this category's reading is older. The scores stand as read on 11 August 2026.
Reading the evidence ledger…
CriterionSourceTypeReadFreshnessStatusReceipt
What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the addressstrength 6 · weight 32Report an error—11 August 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recoverystrength 7 · weight 26Report an error—11 August 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.What a stolen API credential can do before anyone noticesstrength 6 · weight 22Report an error—11 August 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Where the gas float sits and how you get it backstrength 8 · weight 20Report an error—11 August 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
- Liveness failure (Circle Gas Station 7/10): the operator stops, censors you or loses data.Scored by Exactly-once execution and stuck-queue recovery · 26%
- Custody failure: whoever holds the assets loses or withholds them.Scored by What the relayer is authorised to do, and whether you can keep the address · 32% (Circle Gas Station 6/10)Scored by What a stolen API credential can do before anyone notices · 22% (Circle Gas Station 6/10)Scored by Where the gas float sits and how you get it back · 20% (Circle Gas Station 8/10)
Not assessed by this ranking: Exit failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means.
Facts
facts, not scoresWhat the record publishes
- Pricing
- RECORDED, NOT SCORED — the rate belongs to account_abstraction_infra (sponsoredGasMarkup and publishedUnitPrice) and is used in no score on this page. Circle's Gas Station billing page (https://
developers .circle .com /wallets /gas-station /billing), re-fetched 2026-09-28: "As the policyholder, you are responsible for reimbursing Circle for all the gas fee sponsorships made on your behalf. Invoices will be generated and sent to you, including applicable local taxes and a 5% processing fee." Billing triggers, same page: "The 1st of each calendar month: On this date, the gas fee sponsorships are made on your behalf will be consolidated into a bill for that specific billing period." and "If the cumulative value of your gas fee sponsorships reaches or exceeds $100 before the 1st of the month, a bill will be generated at that point." Terms, same page: "Invoices must be settled within seven days of being issued or up to $20 in additional Gas Station charges." The Gas Station overview (https:// developers .circle .com /wallets /gas-station, same date) says the sponsored gas fees "are charged to the developer's credit card", and its comparison table lists Gas Station as "Fiat currency via credit card", "5% of the gas fee", paid by the "Developer". No per-transaction or per-plan price is published; there is no plan tier and no monthly rate. Only the mechanics of this arrangement — postpaid, no prefunded buyer balance — are scored, under gas_float_custody.Circle Gas Station — official pricing page ↗ · 28 October 2026 - Prices published in
- USDCircle Gas Station — official pricing page ↗ · 28 October 2026
- Licences held
- Not published
- Compliance level
- partial
- Regulatory note
- Not published
- Supported chains
- Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, Avalanche, Unichain, Monad, Arc, Aptos, Solana
- Markets served
- global
- Primary markets
- Not published
- Restricted markets
- Not published
- Operating limits
- Not published
- Availability note
- Not published
Legal entity on file: Circle, placed in 6 products. Only confirmed entities are shown; nothing is inferred from the brand name.
If something goes wrong with Circle Gas Station: where to complain, and where to report a scam
Loading the routes for your country.
How this page is reviewed
Reviewed means this product in this category was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.
How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money
History
What the record carries
Changes to published ranks are recorded in a ledger; every step and its cause is listed on the rank-history page. The entries below begin with the current verified snapshot, then the methodology versions whose changes applied to this category, newest first.
9 methodology entries
- 11 August 2026Current verified snapshot · methodology 2026.10.18Score 70, #5 of 7. 4 of 4 criteria scored. History starts here; earlier values are not interpolated.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.8When nothing serves your country, the list shown for reference is the published ranking · platform-wide- fixed The reference list shown when nothing serves your country is the published order with the published scores, and a build check now fails any such list out of that order or with a score the ranking does not publish.
- fixed The explorer prints an overall rank only for a row the published ranking holds; a country entrant such as Coinbase Commerce for US merchants shows no overall rank.
- changed Published orders do not move. Country results change only where nothing serves the country: in India bill pay keeps Bitcoin Well first and now shows Strike second, as published; 35 such runs across all categories and countries now match the published list exactly.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.6A criterion you require re-scores the rows that meet it · platform-wide- changed The explorer sends each criterion you require, at any band, as fit_required with your other answers; region, licence, chain and fact filters stay filters. On /best, a required criterion joins For you as a marked preference does, which needs your country; Overall stays the published ranking, filtered.
- added Every published criterion has a golden case as the explorer sends it (require:<criterion>), so the order a requirement gives is replayed and gated as the published order is, and a change to it needs an entry here.
- 16 September 2026
2026.09.15Dimension scores carry tenths, and eleven more categories are re-read from primary sources · platform-wide- changed Dimension scores resolve to tenths of a point (O-04b), and weightedTotal is rounded to six decimal places before the order is read. 518 published scores move across 107 categories that were not re-read; none of them moves by more than 4 points, and most move by 1.
- fixed 66 published scores change in the eleven re-read categories, against a verbatim source each. The largest moves are Reflexer RAI (−16), Beefy and Unrekt (−11), Aztec (−10) and Golem (+9) — all of them rows whose sources had moved since their last read.
- changed Published order moves in 38 of 119 categories and three #1s change: smart_contract_audits (Zellic → Certora) and travel_rule_compliance (Sumsub Travel Rule → CodeVASP) on the finer resolution, kyc_compliance (Veriff → Sumsub) on the re-read.
- added availabilitySource (O-04g): for a reader who states a country, a row whose availability in that country rests on a region tag its record gives no source for sorts below every sourced row. It is inert in every order published here, which states no country.
Methodology 2026.10.18, the same published run every visitor sees · receipt relayers:circle_gas_station:2026.10.18:fbde30e17776
Are you Circle Gas Station? Reply to this verdict, or send evidence, ask for a correction or claim the listing. Every message gets a public ticket number; none of it changes a rank unless a public page or a signed statement supports it.