Software · head to head
Alchemy vs The Graph
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; The Graph subgraph Studio's free tier caps at 100,000 queries per month; usage beyond that is billed at $2 per 100,000 queries
- They diverge on capability: Alchemy covers Node APIs, The Graph covers Subgraph Indexing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alchemy and The Graph actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 The Graph
- Subgraph Indexing
- GraphQL API
- Decentralized Network
- Multi-chain Support
- GRT Token
- 30+ chains
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 The Graph
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot The Graph
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot The Graph
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot The Graph
The Graph
- Indexing and querying blockchain data through subgraphs across 60+ networksnot 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
The Graph
- Subgraph Studio's free tier caps at 100,000 queries per month; usage beyond that is billed at $2 per 100,000 queries
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
The Graph
Free- Free TierFree
- 100K queries
- Subgraph Studio
- Testnet
- Pay as you go$0.00004/query
- Unlimited queries
- Mainnet
- Multi-chain
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 The Graph if
- You need subgraph indexing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want graphql api.
Questions people ask
- Is Alchemy or The Graph better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alchemy starts at Free and The Graph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alchemy or The Graph?
- Alchemy starts at Free and The Graph at Free.
- Does Alchemy or The Graph run on more platforms?
- Alchemy runs on Api, Web. The Graph runs on Web, Api.
- 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 The Graph is typically brought in for.
- What can Alchemy do that The Graph cannot?
- Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. The Graph covers Subgraph Indexing, GraphQL API, Decentralized Network, Multi-chain Support. Both handle Api support, Web support.