Software · head to head
Compound vs Etherscan
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Compound compound is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol governed by COMP token holders rather than a company; interest rates on supplied and borrowed assets are set algorithmically by pool utilization rather than published as a price list, so there is no vendor pricing page to compare against; Etherscan the free API plan is capped at 3 calls per second and 100,000 calls per day
- They diverge on capability: Compound covers Lending, Etherscan covers Block Explorer.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Compound and Etherscan 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 Compound
- Lending
- Borrowing
- cTokens
- Governance
- COMP Token
- Ethereum
Only in Etherscan
- Block Explorer
- Transaction Tracking
- Token Tracker
- Contract Verification
- Gas Tracker
- Ethereum mainnet
- Testnets
- Api support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Compound
- Decentralised finance (DeFi) lending and borrowing protocol on Ethereumnot Etherscan
- Cryptocurrency collateral management for USDC borrowingnot Etherscan
- Interest earning through crypto asset supplynot Etherscan
- Algorithmic interest rate determination based on supply and demandnot Etherscan
Etherscan
- Looking up Ethereum transactions, addresses and token transfers in a block explorernot Compound
- Reading and verifying deployed smart contract source codenot Compound
- Pulling on-chain data into an application through the explorer APInot Compound
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Compound
- Compound is a decentralized, non-custodial protocol governed by COMP token holders rather than a company; interest rates on supplied and borrowed assets are set algorithmically by pool utilization rather than published as a price list, so there is no vendor pricing page to compare against
Etherscan
- The free API plan is capped at 3 calls per second and 100,000 calls per day
- The free plan requires attribution and covers only selected chains rather than all supported chains
- API Pro endpoints are withheld below the Standard plan at $199 per month
- The $49 per month Lite plan raises the rate limit to only 5 calls per second and keeps the same 100,000 calls per day as the free tier
- Rate limits top out at 30 calls per second even on the $899 per month Pro Plus plan
- The Address Metadata endpoint requires Pro Plus at $899 per month and is limited to one app license
- Metadata CSV export and dedicated support are only in Metadata Enterprise, which is quoted by contact with no published price
- The 10% and 15% discounts apply only to quarterly and yearly prepayment
Pricing, plan by plan
Compound
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Compound review.
Etherscan
Free- FreeFree
- Block explorer
- 5 API calls/sec
- Basic analytics
- Standard$199/month
- 10 API calls/sec
- Advanced APIs
- Pro$399/month
- 30 API calls/sec
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Compound if
- You need lending.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Ethereum.
- You also want borrowing.
Choose Etherscan if
- You need block explorer.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want transaction tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Compound or Etherscan better?
- Neither clearly leads. Compound starts at Free and Etherscan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Compound or Etherscan?
- Compound starts at Free and Etherscan at Free.
- Does Compound or Etherscan run on more platforms?
- Compound runs on Ethereum. Etherscan runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Compound for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Compound best used for?
- Compound is most often used for decentralised finance (defi) lending and borrowing protocol on ethereum, cryptocurrency collateral management for usdc borrowing, interest earning through crypto asset supply, algorithmic interest rate determination based on supply and demand. Of those, decentralised finance (defi) lending and borrowing protocol on ethereum and cryptocurrency collateral management for usdc borrowing are not what Etherscan is typically brought in for.
- What can Compound do that Etherscan cannot?
- Compound covers Lending, Borrowing, cTokens, Governance. Etherscan covers Block Explorer, Transaction Tracking, Token Tracker, Contract Verification. Both handle Web support.