QuickNode vs Alchemy (2026)

What sets it apart Streams, a push-based data pipeline that pushes real-time and historical blockchain events to destinations like webhooks and S3 with built-in filtering, transformation, automatic reorg handling, and guaranteed delivery, layered on top of the standard RPC endpoints so teams avoid building their own ETL pipelines

Best for Web3 developers, fintechs, and enterprises that need hosted multi-chain node access (RPC endpoints, real-time data streams, serverless functions) without operating their own blockchain infrastructure · Pricing model Tiered subscription metered by API-credit usage. A no-cost entry tier ($0/mo, ~10M credits, labeled a free trial); paid plans Build $49/mo, Accelerate $249/mo, Scale $499/mo, Business $999/mo (annual billing is lower per month), plus custom Enterprise. Usage is measured in API credits (method responses x per-method multiplier); overages beyond each plan's included credits bill at roughly $0.50-$0.62 per million.

QuickNode operates managed blockchain infrastructure so teams can read from and write to networks without running their own nodes, spanning more than 80 chains across 130+ networks. Beyond standard RPC endpoints, it provides Streams, a push-based pipeline that delivers real-time and historical on-chain events with built-in filtering, reorg handling, and guaranteed delivery, alongside serverless Functions and a marketplace of add-on data and trading tools. Paid plans start at $49 per month and meter consumption in API credits, calculated as method responses multiplied by a per-method factor, above a no-cost entry tier and custom enterprise contracts. The intended users are Web3 developers, fintechs, and enterprises that want hosted node access rather than self-managed setups.

Sources QuickNode - Pricing · QuickNode - Homepage · Streams by QuickNode - Builders Guide

What sets it apart It goes beyond node RPC by bundling data/token APIs, event webhooks, and account-abstraction smart wallets, and meters all of it in a single compute-unit currency rather than charging per node or per request

Best for Developers and fintech teams that need multi-chain RPC access plus on-chain data and wallet tooling without operating their own node infrastructure, from solo prototypes to production consumer apps · Pricing model Freemium, metered by compute units (CUs). Free tier: 30M CUs/month (25 req/s, 5 apps, 5 webhooks). Pay As You Go: $0.45 per 1M CUs for the first 300M CUs/month, then $0.40 per 1M CUs above that, with no upfront commitment. Enterprise: custom pricing with signed SLAs, volume discounts, and premium support.

Alchemy is hosted blockchain infrastructure that gives developers JSON-RPC access to more than 100 networks, including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, and Arbitrum, so they can read and write on-chain data without running their own nodes. What separates it from a plain RPC provider is the stack layered on top: data APIs for transaction history and token prices, webhooks for on-chain events, and account-abstraction tooling for embedded smart wallets that support gasless transactions. Usage is billed in compute units, with a free tier of 30 million per month and pay-as-you-go pricing of $0.45 per million CUs for the first 300 million and $0.40 beyond that. The range fits solo developers prototyping as well as fintech teams shipping consumer crypto features.

Sources Alchemy homepage - products, supported chains, and audience · Alchemy pricing page - tiers and rates · Chainstack - Alchemy RPC provider overview (2026)