Softwr

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head

Alchemy vs Phantom

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Phantom logo

Phantom

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

The friendly crypto wallet for Solana and beyond

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Phantom covers Wallet.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Phantom actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and Phantom differ
AttributeAlchemyPhantom
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsApi, WebChrome, Firefox, Ios, Android
Founded20172021

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 Phantom

  • Wallet
  • NFT Gallery
  • Token Swaps
  • Staking
  • dApp Browser
  • Solana
  • Ethereum
  • Polygon

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

Phantom

  • Walletsnot Alchemy
  • Solananot Alchemy
  • Nftnot 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

Phantom

Nothing recorded yet. See the Phantom review.

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

Phantom

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Multi-chain wallet
    • NFT gallery
    • Swaps

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 Phantom if

  • You need wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Ios, Android.
  • You also want nft gallery.

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or Phantom better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Phantom at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Phantom?
Alchemy starts at Free and Phantom at Free.
Does Alchemy or Phantom run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Phantom runs on Chrome, Firefox, 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 Phantom is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that Phantom cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Phantom covers Wallet, NFT Gallery, Token Swaps, Staking.

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