Software · head to head
Alchemy vs BscScan
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; BscScan the BscScan API page now redirects to Etherscan's unified multichain API pricing, so BNB Chain data is bought under Etherscan plans rather than a BscScan-specific one
- They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, BscScan covers Block Explorer.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alchemy and BscScan actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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
Only in BscScan
- Block Explorer
- Transaction Tracking
- Token Tracker
- Contract Verification
- Validators Info
- BNB Smart Chain
- BEP-20 tokens
Both cover
- Api support
- 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 BscScan
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot BscScan
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot BscScan
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot BscScan
BscScan
- Exploring BNB Smart Chain transactions, addresses and BEP-20 token transfersnot Alchemy
- Verifying and reading BNB Chain smart contract source codenot Alchemy
- Querying BNB Chain data programmatically through the explorer APInot 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
BscScan
- The BscScan API page now redirects to Etherscan's unified multichain API pricing, so BNB Chain data is bought under Etherscan plans rather than a BscScan-specific one
- The free API plan is capped at 3 calls per second and 100,000 calls per day and requires attribution
- API Pro endpoints start at the Standard plan at $199 per month
- Rate limits top out at 30 calls per second even on the $899 per month Pro Plus plan
- The Address Metadata endpoint requires Pro Plus at $899 per month and is limited to one app license
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
BscScan
Free- FreeFree
- Block explorer
- 5 API calls/sec
- Token tracker
- Pro$199/month
- Higher rate limits
- Advanced APIs
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 BscScan if
- You need block explorer.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want transaction tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Alchemy or BscScan better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and BscScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alchemy or BscScan?
- Alchemy starts at Free and BscScan at Free.
- Does Alchemy or BscScan run on more platforms?
- Alchemy runs on Api, Web. BscScan runs on Web, Api.
- 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 BscScan is typically brought in for.
- What can Alchemy do that BscScan cannot?
- Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. BscScan covers Block Explorer, Transaction Tracking, Token Tracker, Contract Verification. Both handle Api support, Web support.