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Software · head to head

Alchemy vs Charles Schwab

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Software

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Charles Schwab logo

Charles Schwab

Software

Investing made simple

From
On request
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; Charles Schwab broker-assisted trades cost $25 and automated phone trades cost $5 in addition to the standard $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Charles Schwab actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and Charles Schwab differ
AttributeAlchemyCharles Schwab
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumtransaction
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, WebWeb, IOS, Android
Founded20171971

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 Charles Schwab

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Wealth management
  • Research tools
  • 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 Charles Schwab
  • Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Charles Schwab
  • Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Charles Schwab
  • Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab

  • Budget Managementnot Alchemy
  • Expense Trackingnot Alchemy
  • Investment Trackingnot 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

Charles Schwab

  • Broker-assisted trades cost $25 and automated phone trades cost $5 in addition to the standard $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile
  • Options trades carry a $0.65 per-contract fee on top of the $0 online commission, per the App Store listing for Schwab Mobile

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

Charles Schwab

On request
  • Individual BrokerageFree
    • Commission-free trading
    • Research tools
  • Schwab Advisor Services$undefined/month
    • All Brokerage features
    • Wealth management
    • Personal advisors

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 Charles Schwab if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Charles Schwab review

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or Charles Schwab better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Charles Schwab at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Charles Schwab?
Alchemy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Alchemy and On request for Charles Schwab.
Does Alchemy or Charles Schwab run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Charles Schwab runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Alchemy for free?
Yes. Alchemy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Charles Schwab starts at On request.
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 Charles Schwab is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that Charles Schwab cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Charles Schwab covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Wealth management, Research tools. Both handle Web support.
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