Alchemy vs Chainstack: App Tooling vs Node Hosting
Alchemy and Chainstack provide blockchain infrastructure for multichain decentralized applications. Based in San Francisco, Alchemy covers more than 100 chains, pairing core RPC access with indexed data APIs, account-abstraction tools, and gas sponsorship. Chainstack operates from Singapore across more than 70 networks, focusing on node infrastructure through geo-balanced routing across 10 or more data centers alongside self-hosted deployments.
The primary differences lie in pricing tiers and product scope. Alchemy provides a free tier with 30 million compute units per month at 15 requests per second, scaling on Pay As You Go usage at $0.525 per million compute units. Chainstack caps its free tier at 3 million request units per month but allows 25 requests per second, moving to paid plans starting at $49 monthly. Beyond RPC access, Alchemy provides application-level services like embedded wallets, while Chainstack gives teams options to deploy and run nodes directly on their own private infrastructure.
Quick verdict
The choice between these two platforms hinges on whether your priority is application-layer developer services or flexible node deployment models. Alchemy is a full-stack platform that bundles RPC connections with specialized token APIs, gas sponsorship, and programmable account-abstraction wallets. Chainstack focuses on compute control, providing options from shared global endpoints to dedicated hardware and on-premises node management.
Choose Alchemy if you build user-facing decentralized apps requiring gasless transactions or wallet APIs across 100 or more networks, or if you want an entry tier offering 30 million monthly compute units without an upfront monthly subscription.
Choose Chainstack if you need flat-rate RPC pricing without method billing, require dedicated nodes starting at $678 per month, or want to deploy and manage blockchain nodes directly on customer-owned infrastructure using the Self-Hosted control plane.
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||
| Our score | 4.3/5 | 4.3/5 |
| User rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Reliability | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Chain coverage | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Pricing | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Developer experience | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Support | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Specs | ||
| Services | RPC / nodes, Data APIs, Wallet APIs, Account abstraction, Developer tooling | RPC / nodes, Indexing |
| Chains supported | 100 | 70 |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing from | $0.525 per 1,000,000 compute units | $49/month |
| Enterprise SLA | Yes | Yes |
| Uptime SLA | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Free tier limits | 30M compute units per month, up to 15 RPS, 5 apps, 5 webhooks | 3M request units/month, up to 25 RPS |
| Server regions | Not disclosed | 10+ global data centers |
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2017 | 2018 |
| Headquarters | United States | Singapore |
| Investors | Archetype | Not disclosed |
| Strengths and weaknesses | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Best for | Multichain application teams, Solana developers, Account-abstraction products | Multichain application teams, RPC-heavy trading systems, Enterprise blockchain infrastructure |
Highlighted cells show the stronger value in each row. Data comes from each provider's site and public sources; check details before you sign up.
FAQ
Which platform offers a larger free tier?
Alchemy provides a larger free tier with 30 million compute units each month, compared to Chainstack's 3 million monthly request units. Chainstack, however, allows up to 25 requests per second on its free tier, while Alchemy caps free throughput at 15 requests per second.
How do Alchemy and Chainstack handle node hosting?
Chainstack offers dedicated physical nodes starting at $678 per month as well as a Self-Hosted control plane to run nodes on customer-owned hardware. Alchemy relies on managed multi-tenant and single-tenant cloud infrastructure without customer-hosted deployment options.
Which platform supports more blockchains?
Alchemy supports more than 100 blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, and Layer 2 networks. Chainstack supports more than 70 networks, including chains such as TON, Sui, Aptos, and X Layer.
Does Chainstack offer account abstraction and wallet APIs like Alchemy?
No, Chainstack focuses primarily on RPC endpoints, dedicated nodes, and subgraph indexing. Alchemy includes specialized wallet APIs, gas sponsorship tooling, and an agent stack alongside its node access.