Softwr

Software · head to head

Alchemy vs Betterment

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Software

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Betterment logo

Betterment

Software

Your path to financial independence

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Alchemy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alchemy the free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second; Betterment digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Betterment covers Automated investing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Betterment actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and Betterment differ
AttributeAlchemyBetterment
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, WebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20172008

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Betterment

  • Automated investing
  • Retirement planning
  • Financial advisory
  • Goal tracking
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • IOS support
  • Android support

Both cover

  • Web 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 Betterment
  • Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Betterment
  • Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Betterment
  • Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Betterment

Betterment

  • Small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balancenot Alchemy
  • Fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat feenot Alchemy
  • Premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balancenot 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

Betterment

  • Digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance
  • Premium advisory service requires minimum balance of $100,000 in eligible investments
  • Foreign transaction fees apply to checking account (though reimbursed after the fact)
  • High-balance fee discounts only available above $1,000,000 account balance

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

Betterment

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Betterment review.

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 Betterment if

  • You need automated investing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Betterment review

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or Betterment better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Betterment at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Betterment?
Alchemy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Alchemy and $5/month for Betterment.
Does Alchemy or Betterment run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Betterment runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Alchemy for free?
Yes. Alchemy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Betterment starts at $5/month.
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 Betterment is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that Betterment cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. Both handle Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Alchemy

More on Betterment

Keep looking

Other head to heads