Render Network Upgrade: What the Shift from RNDR to RENDER Means for You

In its early years, Render Network operated on the Ethereum blockchain. The core idea was simple but ambitious: people with spare graphics card capacity could rent it out to creators who needed extra power to render 3D graphics.

As the project expanded into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, Ethereum’s relatively high fees and slower transaction times became more of a constraint. This made some use cases more expensive or less practical.

To address this, the Render community voted to move the network to Solana, a blockchain that aims to offer higher throughput and lower average transaction costs. This technical change is why the token has shifted from RNDR to RENDER.

The project itself has not changed in purpose, but the technology that underpins the token has.

The Difference Between RNDR and RENDER

The core use case of the Render Network remains the same, but the token standard and the blockchain have changed.

RNDR (the old token)

RNDR is an ERC‑20 token that operates on the Ethereum network.

For several years, RNDR was the main utility token used to pay for rendering work on the network. Since the upgrade, the project now treats RNDR as a legacy asset.

You may still see RNDR listed or traded on some platforms. Liquidity, pricing and support for legacy tokens can change quickly, and there is a risk you may not be able to trade them easily in future.

RENDER (the new token)

RENDER is an SPL token on the Solana blockchain.

It functions as a utility and governance token for the network. In other words, it is used to pay for compute power and to participate in project governance.

By using Solana’s architecture, the project aims to support real-time data flows and lower transaction fees compared with Ethereum. This can be helpful for use cases that require frequent or very small transactions, for example some AI or rendering workloads.

Lower network fees do not mean lower investment risk. The value of RENDER can still fall sharply, and you may lose your entire investment.

What Do I Need To Do as a CoinJar Customer?

If you own RNDR, you can convert it to RENDER for free (1 RNDR = 1 RENDER). CoinJar won't do this automatically, you need to do it yourself. You can also keep your RNDR or withdraw it. You can't buy or sell RNDR anymore on CoinJar. You can buy, sell, and trade RENDER (the new version). To convert RNDR to RENDER, follow these instructions. Converting might create a taxable event, so talk to an accountant.

If you hold tokens in a private wallet

If you hold RNDR in a self-custody Ethereum wallet, such as MetaMask or a hardware wallet, you may need to migrate your tokens manually.

The typical process, using the official Render Network tools, is as follows:

• Go to the official Render Network upgrade portal.
• Make sure you use links from trusted sources such as the project’s verified X (Twitter) account or documentation.
• Connect your Ethereum wallet that holds RNDR and a compatible Solana wallet.
• Use the bridge tool to migrate. The bridge will usually "burn" (destroy) your old Ethereum RNDR and "mint" (create) new Solana RENDER in your Solana wallet.
• You will need a small amount of ETH in your Ethereum wallet to pay the gas fees for the transaction. Solana transactions may also incur fees in SOL.

Bridging tokens is a technical process. If you make a mistake with wallet addresses or interact with a fake site, you may permanently lose your tokens. Self-custody puts you fully in control, but also fully responsible for security and correct execution.

The Render Network Upgrade Portal can be used at any time to migrate your tokens. An incentive program ran from October 2023 until October 2024, but this has now concluded. You can still upgrade your RNDR to RENDER at the 1:1 ratio, but upgrade rewards are no longer available.

Practical Examples: Why the Upgrade Matters

These examples are for illustration only. They are not predictions, recommendations or guarantees.

The "Airbnb" of computing

Render Network is often described as something like an Airbnb for compute power. Instead of renting out a spare room, people make spare capacity on their Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) available to others.

• Example 1: Visual effects studio
  A visual effects studio is working on a large sci‑fi project. Rendering complex CGI scenes on their own machines could take months.
  Using Render Network, they distribute the rendering tasks across thousands of GPUs supplied by different providers. This can reduce the time the job takes, although they still pay in tokens for the compute they use.
  Solana’s higher throughput aims to help these many small transactions settle more quickly and at a lower network cost than on Ethereum. The studio is still exposed to token price risk if they hold RENDER before or after the work.

• Example 2: AI startup
  A small UK startup wants to train an AI model but cannot justify spending, for example, £40,000 or more on dedicated hardware.
  Instead, they might use GPU capacity provided via Render Network and pay for it hourly in RENDER. Lower average Solana transaction fees can help reduce the cost of frequent payments, but do not guarantee overall savings.
  If the price of RENDER rises or falls sharply while they are using the service, their actual cost in pounds could change in ways they did not expect.

These examples show how the network aims to be used. They do not show how the token price will perform or whether the project will succeed.

Risks and Red Flags

Crypto migrations and token swaps can attract scammers. The mix of urgency, technical steps and wallet connections makes it easier for fraudsters to target people who are unsure what to do.

Even if Render Network is a legitimate project, interacting with the wrong website or person can still lead to total loss of your funds.

Fake migration portals

Scammers often create websites that look very similar to the official upgrade portal.

They may:

• Buy search engine adverts so their fake website appears above the real one in search results.
• Copy the design and wording of the official site.
• Ask you to connect your wallet, then request a transaction that gives them control of your tokens.

If you sign a malicious transaction, the attacker may be able to drain your wallet. These transactions are usually irreversible.

To reduce risk:

• Check links only from the project’s official channels, such as its verified X (Twitter) profile or official documentation.
• Manually type website addresses instead of clicking adverts.
• Carefully review what permissions a transaction is asking for in your wallet before you approve it.

"Help desk" impersonators

If you ask questions about the RNDR to RENDER swap on social media or messaging apps, you may receive quick replies from accounts that look like support staff.

Warning signs include:

• Asking for your seed phrase, private key or full backup details.
• Asking you to "validate" or "sync" your wallet by sending funds to an address.
• Sharing links to "support" portals that request unusual permissions.

No legitimate support team, including CoinJar Support, will ever ask you for your seed phrase or private key. If you share these details, you are giving full control of your wallet to someone else.

If in doubt, stop and ask the platform’s verified support channels directly through their official app or website.

Exchange policies mentioned in this article may have changed since publication. Please verify current procedures with your specific platform.

The Future of Decentralised Compute

The move from RNDR on Ethereum to RENDER on Solana is part of a broader trend often referred to as DePIN (Decentralised Physical Infrastructure Networks).

These projects aim to coordinate real‑world resources such as compute, storage or connectivity by using crypto tokens as incentives. In Render’s case, the resource is GPU power.

By using a high-throughput blockchain like Solana, the Render team aims to support use cases that require many quick, low-value transactions, such as AI workloads that stream data in real time.

This does not remove key risks:

• The project could fail or lose adoption.
• The RENDER token could drop sharply in value or become illiquid.
• Regulatory changes could affect how or where the token can be traded.

The upgrade is a structural change for the network. It is not a guarantee of success, higher token prices or better returns.