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Alchemy vs PayPal

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Software

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayPal logo

PayPal

Software

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/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; PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, PayPal covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and PayPal actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and PayPal differ
AttributeAlchemyPayPal
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, WebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20171998

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

Only in PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

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

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Alchemy
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Alchemy
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot 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

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

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

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

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 PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or PayPal better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and PayPal at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or PayPal?
Alchemy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Alchemy and $29/month for PayPal.
Does Alchemy or PayPal run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Alchemy for free?
Yes. Alchemy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PayPal starts at $29/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 PayPal is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that PayPal cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Both handle Api support, Web support.
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