{"id":3445,"date":"2026-09-22T14:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nownodes.io\/blog\/?p=3445"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:39:13","slug":"chainstack-vs-alchemy-vs-nownodes-which-blockchain-rpc-provider-should-you-choose-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nownodes.io\/blog\/chainstack-vs-alchemy-vs-nownodes-which-blockchain-rpc-provider-should-you-choose-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Chainstack vs. Alchemy vs. NOWNodes: Which Blockchain RPC Provider Should You Choose in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NOWNodes gives you API access to 120+ blockchain networks under one flat-rate account, while Chainstack and Alchemy solve the same basic problem in narrower, pricier ways. Chainstack leans on request-unit billing and a compliance layer built for regulated buyers; Alchemy leans on compute-unit billing and a bundled NFT and token API layer for consumer apps. For most teams building across more than one chain \u2014 or that just want a predictable bill \u2014 NOWNodes’ broader coverage and flat pricing end up doing more for less than either alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n

What Are NOWNodes, Chainstack, and Alchemy, Exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n

NOWNodes is a blockchain infrastructure provider that gives developers API-based access to shared and dedicated nodes across 120+ networks, from Bitcoin and Ethereum to Solana, Polygon, and privacy coins like Monero. You get an endpoint and an API key, and NOWNodes runs the client software behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chainstack is a managed blockchain infrastructure company, founded in 2018, that hosts endpoints across 70+ networks and layers compliance tooling \u2014 SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications \u2014 on top. Alchemy is a Web3 development platform, founded in 2017, that operates RPC nodes on more than 100 chains and adds its own tooling: enhanced NFT and token APIs, webhooks, and a usage dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All three describe themselves as infrastructure, but they emphasize different things. NOWNodes leads with chain breadth and flat pricing, Chainstack leads with compliance documentation, and Alchemy leads with a developer platform built around consumer Web3 products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RPC<\/strong> (remote procedure call) is the mechanism underneath all three services: a way of asking a remote server to run a function, such as “return this address’s balance,” and getting the result back over the network. Every blockchain client exposes its data this way, which is why an application can move between providers without rewriting its core logic, as ethereum.org’s JSON-RPC documentation<\/a> explains.<\/p>\n\n\n

Why Do You Need a Provider Like This at All?<\/h2>\n\n\n

Running your own node is a real operational job, not a side task. A synced Ethereum full node currently needs roughly 650\u2013700 GB of disk and keeps growing, and it has to be patched and resynced through every protocol upgrade the network ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A managed provider takes that maintenance off your plate. You get an authenticated endpoint, the provider keeps the client software current and the hardware scaled, and your team spends its time on application logic instead of server operations \u2014 whether that means NOWNodes’ flat-rate shared plans, Chainstack’s request-unit billing, or Alchemy’s compute-unit billing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohammad Zahwy, Chief Business Development Officer at NOWNodes, put the underlying goal plainly in an interview with crypto.news<\/a>: the aim is to “make blockchain infrastructure simple, fast, and reliable so builders can focus on building, rather than on node maintenance, syncing, and DevOps overhead.” That’s the shared pitch behind all three providers \u2014 the difference is how each one prices and scopes the work it takes off your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n

Who Actually Uses NOWNodes, Chainstack, and Alchemy?<\/h2>\n\n\n

NOWNodes attracts teams whose product spans several blockchains at once \u2014 wallets, exchanges, and payment platforms that need Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a dozen other chains under a single account rather than a separate vendor per network. Trading tools and monitoring systems leaning on WebSocket or gRPC streaming fit the same profile, and a flat request quota means the bill doesn’t move just because a workload gets heavier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chainstack’s customer list \u2014 Circle, Trust Wallet, Ripple, TradingView, and Anchorage Digital among them \u2014 points at a narrower buyer: a regulated or larger organization that needs documented security posture alongside blockchain access, not just an API key. Alchemy’s own positioning, and its enhanced NFT and token APIs, points at a different kind of team again: one building a consumer-facing product where blockchain data becomes a polished screen, not just a backend value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Use case<\/th>NOWNodes<\/th>Chainstack<\/th>Alchemy<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Multi-chain wallet or exchange (BTC + ETH + others)<\/td>Yes \u2014 one account, 120+ networks<\/td>Requires checking non-EVM coverage first<\/td>Requires checking non-EVM coverage first<\/td><\/tr>
Regulated fintech needing SOC 2 \/ ISO 27001<\/td>Not published<\/td>Yes \u2014 built into every plan<\/td>Not published<\/td><\/tr>
NFT marketplace needing metadata indexing<\/td>Possible, but you index it yourself<\/td>Possible, but you index it yourself<\/td>Yes \u2014 built-in NFT API<\/td><\/tr>
Trading bot needing predictable monthly cost<\/td>Yes \u2014 flat request quota<\/td>Depends on method mix<\/td>Depends on method mix<\/td><\/tr>
Backend that only checks balances and broadcasts transactions<\/td>Yes \u2014 lighter, cheaper fit<\/td>Works, but pays for unused compliance tooling<\/td>Works, but pays for unused NFT\/token tooling<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A team that just reads balances and sends transactions rarely touches the layer Chainstack or Alchemy charge extra for \u2014 and that gap is worth weighing before committing to the pricier option.<\/p>\n\n\n

Pricing: Flat Quotas, Request Units, and Compute Units<\/h2>\n\n\n

This is where the three diverge the most. NOWNodes’ shared plans bill on a flat request-quota model: pick a monthly tier, get a fixed number of requests, and every call \u2014 light or heavy \u2014 counts the same against that number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chainstack bills through request units (RUs)<\/strong>, a weight assigned to each method based on how much server-side work it takes to answer. Alchemy bills through compute units (CUs)<\/strong>, the same idea under a different name: a light call like eth_blockNumber<\/code> costs far less than a heavier one like eth_getLogs<\/code>, according to Alchemy’s own compute unit reference<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan tier<\/th>NOWNodes (flat quota)<\/th>Chainstack (request units)<\/th>Alchemy (compute units)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Free<\/td>100,000 requests\/month, 1 API key<\/td>3M RUs\/month, 25 RPS<\/td>30M CUs\/month, 25 RPS<\/td><\/tr>
Entry paid<\/td>~\u20ac20\/month, 1M requests, 3 API keys<\/td>$49\/month, 20M RUs, 250 RPS<\/td>Pay-as-you-go, $0.525\/1M CUs, from 300 RPS<\/td><\/tr>
Mid tier<\/td>~\u20ac200\/month, 30M requests, 25 API keys<\/td>$199\/month, 80M RUs, 400 RPS<\/td>Scales with CU consumption<\/td><\/tr>
Enterprise<\/td>~\u20ac500\/month, 100M requests, 100 API keys<\/td>$990+\/month, 400M RUs, custom RPS<\/td>Custom, from 1,000 RPS<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both competitors also sell dedicated infrastructure: Chainstack’s dedicated nodes start near $678 a month, and Alchemy’s enterprise tier is custom-quoted. NOWNodes configures a dedicated node per network with no fixed RPS cap. Pricing changes often on all three sides, so treat this table as a snapshot to re-verify against Chainstack’s pricing page<\/a> and Alchemy’s pricing page<\/a> before budgeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The practical difference is predictability. A flat quota costs the same dollar amount whether those requests were balance checks or heavy log scans, while an RU or CU bill shifts with whatever methods your app happens to lean on that month.<\/p>\n\n\n

Network and Feature Coverage<\/h2>\n\n\n

NOWNodes advertises 120+ blockchain networks, including non-EVM chains like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and Monero alongside Ethereum, Solana, and other EVM chains. Chainstack lists 70+ networks, skewing toward EVM-compatible chains plus Solana. Alchemy lists 100+ chains, broad but also EVM- and Solana-heavy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That gap matters more for some products than others. An EVM-only dApp won’t notice much difference in raw chain count, but a wallet or exchange that also needs Bitcoin, Litecoin, or a privacy coin will find several of those missing from both competitors \u2014 something NOWNodes’ node directory<\/a> covers under a single account instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feature-for-feature, the three overlap on the essentials, with real differences at the edges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n