Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head
Alchemy vs Argent
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; Argent renamed Ready, and argent.xyz now redirects to ready.co, so the Argent name is retired
- They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Argent covers Smart Contract Wallet.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Argent actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cryptocurrency & Blockchain).
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 Argent
- Smart Contract Wallet
- Social Recovery
- No Seed Phrase
- Built-in DeFi
- NFT Support
- Ethereum
- zkSync
- Starknet
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 Argent
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Argent
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Argent
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Argent
Argent
- Self-custodial wallet on mobilenot Alchemy
- Holding digital dollars under your own controlnot Alchemy
- Spending through a virtual card with Apple Pay or Google Paynot Alchemy
- Connecting to dapps through WalletConnectnot 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
Argent
- Renamed Ready, and argent.xyz now redirects to ready.co, so the Argent name is retired
- The product has shifted toward community cards and digital dollars rather than being presented purely as a crypto wallet
- Supported chains are no longer listed on the main site
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
Argent
Free- FreeFree
- Smart wallet
- Social recovery
- DeFi
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.
Choose Argent if
- You need smart contract wallet.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ios, Android.
- You also want social recovery.
Questions people ask
- Is Alchemy or Argent better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Argent at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Argent?
- Alchemy starts at Free and Argent at Free.
- Does Alchemy or Argent run on more platforms?
- Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Argent runs on Ios, Android.
- 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 Argent is typically brought in for.
- What can Alchemy do that Argent cannot?
- Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Argent covers Smart Contract Wallet, Social Recovery, No Seed Phrase, Built-in DeFi.