Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head
Alchemy vs QuickNode
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; QuickNode rate limited by plan in requests per second, at 15 on the free trial, 50 on Build and 125 on Accelerate, so throughput is a paid feature separate from volume
- They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Enhanced APIs, QuickNode covers Token API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alchemy and QuickNode actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Api, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cryptocurrency & Blockchain), founded (2017).
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
- Enhanced APIs
- Webhooks
- Mempool
- 35+ chains
- SDKs
Only in QuickNode
- Token API
- Streams
- Functions
- 25+ blockchains
- Marketplace add-ons
Both cover
- Node APIs
- NFT API
- 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 QuickNode
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot QuickNode
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot QuickNode
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot QuickNode
QuickNode
- Running blockchain node infrastructure without operating nodesnot Alchemy
- Querying chain data and broadcasting transactions over an 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
QuickNode
- Rate limited by plan in requests per second, at 15 on the free trial, 50 on Build and 125 on Accelerate, so throughput is a paid feature separate from volume
- Endpoints are also rationed, at 1 on the free trial and 10 on Build
- Credit overage is charged per million and only falls with plan, from $0.62 on Build to $0.50 on Business
- Support response time is sold as a tier, from a 24 hour SLA on Build down to 8 hours on Scale
- SSO and RBAC are Enterprise only
- The free offering is a trial rather than a standing free tier
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
QuickNode
Free- FreeFree
- 10M API credits
- 1 endpoint
- Core add-ons
- Starter$49/month
- 100M API credits
- 3 endpoints
- All add-ons
- Growth$299/month
- 750M API credits
- 10 endpoints
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Alchemy if
- You need enhanced apis.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Api, Web.
- You also want webhooks.
Choose QuickNode if
- You need token api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Api, Web.
- You also want streams.
Questions people ask
- Is Alchemy or QuickNode better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and QuickNode at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alchemy or QuickNode?
- Alchemy starts at Free and QuickNode at Free.
- Does Alchemy or QuickNode run on more platforms?
- Both run on Api, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 QuickNode is typically brought in for.
- What can Alchemy do that QuickNode cannot?
- Alchemy covers Enhanced APIs, Webhooks, Mempool, 35+ chains. QuickNode covers Token API, Streams, Functions, 25+ blockchains. Both handle Node APIs, NFT API, Api support, Web support.