How Flashbots Protect and MetaMask Smart Transactions differ on type, protection, rebates and what they’re built for.
| Flashbots Protect | MetaMask Smart Transactions | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Private RPC | Wallet feature |
| How it works | Sends your transaction privately to the Flashbots block-building auction. MEV-Share selectively shares hints so searchers can bid to back-run it, sharing the profit with you. | Submits your tx to a private “virtual mempool” and auctions it to trusted builders who are financially penalized if they don’t execute at the quoted price. It stays private until confirmed. |
| Protects against | Frontrunning, sandwiching & failed-tx reverts | Frontrunning + failed transactions (99.9% success rate) |
| Rebates | 90% of back-run MEV + gas-fee refunds | No direct rebate — back-run value funds the free service |
| Chains | Ethereum | Ethereum, Linea, Base, Arbitrum, BNB Chain |
| Setup | Add RPC rpc.flashbots.net to your wallet | Toggle on in MetaMask settings |
| Best for | The conservative, battle-tested default | MetaMask users who want zero setup |
Pick Flashbots Protect for the conservative, battle-tested default; pick MetaMask Smart Transactions for metamask users who want zero setup.