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Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head

Alchemy vs Apple Pay

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apple Pay logo

Apple Pay

Personal Finance

The easier way to pay and send money

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alchemy the free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second; Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Apple Pay covers Digital wallet.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Apple Pay actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and Apple Pay differ
AttributeAlchemyApple Pay
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsApi, WebIOS, WatchOS, MacOS
CategoryCryptocurrency & BlockchainPersonal Finance
Founded20172014

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

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 Alchemy

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

Only in Apple Pay

  • Digital wallet
  • Secure payments
  • Contactless transactions
  • P2P money transfers
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • Bank accounts
  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

Alchemy

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

Apple Pay

  • Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot Alchemy
  • Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot Alchemy
  • Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot Alchemy

Where each one falls short

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

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

Apple Pay

  • Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
  • Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
  • Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
  • A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Apple Pay

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Secure payments
    • P2P transfers
    • Transit passes

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Apple Pay if

  • You need digital wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
  • You also want secure payments.
Apple Pay review

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or Apple Pay better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Apple Pay?
Alchemy starts at Free and Apple Pay at Free.
Does Alchemy or Apple Pay run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
Can I use Alchemy for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Alchemy best used for?
Alchemy is most often used for hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnets, backing a production web3 application without running nodes, webhook-driven notifications for on-chain events, scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limits. Of those, hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnets and backing a production web3 application without running nodes are not what Apple Pay is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that Apple Pay cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers.
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