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Software · head to head

AI21 Labs vs Alchemy

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

Software

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Software

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Alchemy the free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Alchemy covers Node APIs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Alchemy actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Alchemy differ
AttributeAI21 LabsAlchemy
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsApi, CloudApi, Web

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2017).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • REST API
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms
  • Cloud support

Only in Alchemy

  • Node APIs
  • Enhanced APIs
  • NFT API
  • Webhooks
  • Mempool
  • 35+ chains
  • SDKs
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Alchemy
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Alchemy
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Alchemy
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Alchemy

Alchemy

  • Hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnetsnot AI21 Labs
  • Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot AI21 Labs
  • Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot AI21 Labs
  • Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Alchemy

  • The free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second
  • Free accounts are limited to 5 apps and 5 webhooks
  • Beyond the free allowance it is $0.45 per 1M compute units for the first 300M a month
  • Request cost varies by call complexity, from around 10 compute units to over 100, so spend is hard to predict from request counts alone
  • Signed SLAs and priority support require an Enterprise contract

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Limited usage
    • API access
  • Jamba$0.2/per-million-input-tokens
    • 256K context
    • Hybrid architecture

Alchemy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 300M compute units
    • 5 apps
    • Core APIs
  • Growth$49/month
    • 400M compute units
    • 15 apps
    • Enhanced APIs
  • Scale$199/month
    • 1B compute units
    • Unlimited apps
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.
AI21 Labs review

Choose Alchemy if

  • You need node apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Web.
  • You also want enhanced apis.
Alchemy review

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Alchemy better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Alchemy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Alchemy?
AI21 Labs starts at Free and Alchemy at Free.
Does AI21 Labs or Alchemy run on more platforms?
AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud. Alchemy runs on Api, Web.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Alchemy is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Alchemy cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Both handle Api support.
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