Software · head to head
Binance vs Alchemy
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Binance unavailable to EU users after failing MiCA fit-and-proper test on July 1, 2026; Alchemy the free tier is capped at 30M compute units a month and 25 requests per second
- They diverge on capability: Binance covers Spot Trading, Alchemy covers Node APIs.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Binance and Alchemy actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), 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 Binance
- Spot Trading
- Futures Trading
- Margin Trading
- Staking
- Launchpad
- Binance Chain
- Trust Wallet
- Binance Pay
Only in Alchemy
- Node APIs
- Enhanced APIs
- NFT API
- Webhooks
- Mempool
- 35+ chains
- SDKs
- Api support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Binance
- Exchangesnot Alchemy
- Tradingnot Alchemy
- Definot Alchemy
Alchemy
- Hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnetsnot Binance
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Binance
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Binance
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Binance
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Binance
- Unavailable to EU users after failing MiCA fit-and-proper test on July 1, 2026
- Restricted access in roughly two dozen jurisdictions globally with ongoing regulatory pressures
- Derivatives restrictions in Europe, UK, and Australia due to regulatory requirements
- US residents face significant restrictions and must use limited Binance.US platform
- Withdrawal times in allowed US states extend to 72 hours versus minutes elsewhere
- Past violations including failure to file suspicious activity reports and processing transactions for sanctioned jurisdictions
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Binance
Free- StandardFree
- Spot trading
- Staking
- Savings
- VIPFree
- Reduced fees
- Priority support
- API limits increase
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Binance if
- You need spot trading.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want futures trading.
Choose Alchemy if
- You need node apis.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Api, Web.
- You also want enhanced apis.
Questions people ask
- Is Binance or Alchemy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Binance starts at Free and Alchemy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Binance or Alchemy?
- Binance starts at Free and Alchemy at Free.
- Does Binance or Alchemy run on more platforms?
- Binance runs on Web, iOS, Android. Alchemy runs on Api, Web.
- Can I use Binance for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Binance best used for?
- Binance is most often used for exchanges, trading, defi. Of those, exchanges and trading are not what Alchemy is typically brought in for.
- What can Binance do that Alchemy cannot?
- Binance covers Spot Trading, Futures Trading, Margin Trading, Staking. Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Binance: Is Binance available in the EU as of 2026?
No, Binance withdrew its MiCA license application in Greece on June 24, 2026, days before the July 1 deadline, and can no longer legally offer services to EU users. New registrations are halted and existing customer services have been suspended.
SourceBinance: What are the restrictions on US residents using Binance?
US residents must use the limited Binance.US platform. Residents of New York, Hawaii, Idaho, and Vermont cannot use the platform at all. In allowed states, withdrawal times extend to 72 hours with significantly smaller cryptocurrency selection.
Source