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Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head

Alchemy vs Rainbow

Alchemy logo

Alchemy

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

The web3 development platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rainbow logo

Rainbow

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

The fun, simple, and secure Ethereum wallet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Rainbow free instant deposits and fee auto-compounding are gated behind the paid Rainbow Black tier; the vendor's own site states "Upgrade to Rainbow Black for free instant deposits, bigger rewards, and up to 100% of your trading fees auto-compounded", implying standard accounts pay deposit and trading fees
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, Rainbow covers Ethereum Wallet.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemy and Rainbow actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemy and Rainbow differ
AttributeAlchemyRainbow
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsApi, WebIos, Android, Chrome
Founded20172019

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 Rainbow

  • Ethereum Wallet
  • NFT Gallery
  • ENS Integration
  • Layer 2 Support
  • Swaps
  • Ethereum
  • Optimism
  • Arbitrum

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

Rainbow

  • Walletsnot Alchemy
  • Ethereumnot Alchemy
  • Mobilenot 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

Rainbow

  • Free instant deposits and fee auto-compounding are gated behind the paid Rainbow Black tier; the vendor's own site states "Upgrade to Rainbow Black for free instant deposits, bigger rewards, and up to 100% of your trading fees auto-compounded", implying standard accounts pay deposit and trading fees

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

Rainbow

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Ethereum wallet
    • NFTs
    • ENS

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 Rainbow if

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

Questions people ask

Is Alchemy or Rainbow better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and Rainbow at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemy or Rainbow?
Alchemy starts at Free and Rainbow at Free.
Does Alchemy or Rainbow run on more platforms?
Alchemy runs on Api, Web. Rainbow runs on Ios, Android, Chrome.
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 Rainbow is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemy do that Rainbow cannot?
Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Rainbow covers Ethereum Wallet, NFT Gallery, ENS Integration, Layer 2 Support.
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