Software · head to head
Zapper vs Alchemy
The short version
- They diverge on capability: Zapper covers Portfolio Tracking, Alchemy covers Node APIs.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Zapper and Alchemy 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 Zapper
- Portfolio Tracking
- Zaps
- NFT Gallery
- Event Feed
- Quests
- Multi-chain
- DeFi protocols
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.
Zapper
- Portfolionot Alchemy
- Definot Alchemy
- Analyticsnot Alchemy
Alchemy
- Hosted blockchain node access across mainnets and testnetsnot Zapper
- Backing a production web3 application without running nodesnot Zapper
- Webhook-driven notifications for on-chain eventsnot Zapper
- Scaling read throughput beyond self-hosted node limitsnot Zapper
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Zapper
Nothing recorded yet. See the Zapper review.
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
Zapper
Free- FreeFree
- Portfolio tracking
- Zaps
- NFT gallery
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 Zapper if
- You need portfolio tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want zaps.
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 Zapper or Alchemy better?
- Neither clearly leads. Zapper 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, Zapper or Alchemy?
- Zapper starts at Free and Alchemy at Free.
- Does Zapper or Alchemy run on more platforms?
- Zapper runs on Web. Alchemy runs on Api, Web.
- Can I use Zapper for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Zapper best used for?
- Zapper is most often used for portfolio, defi, analytics. Of those, portfolio and defi are not what Alchemy is typically brought in for.
- What can Zapper do that Alchemy cannot?
- Zapper covers Portfolio Tracking, Zaps, NFT Gallery, Event Feed. Alchemy covers Node APIs, Enhanced APIs, NFT API, Webhooks. Both handle Web support.