Ankr excels at decentralized, multi-chain access and cost-effective staking due to its node provider network and liquid staking token (ankrETH). For example, its public RPC service supports over 40+ blockchains, including Ethereum, Polygon, and BNB Chain, with a reported 99.9% uptime SLA. Its staking infrastructure is built on a distributed network of nodes, which can offer lower validator fees and the flexibility of liquid staking derivatives.
LABS
Comparisons
Ankr vs Alchemy: Public RPC & Staking Infrastructure
An unbiased, data-driven comparison for CTOs and protocol architects evaluating RPC providers with integrated staking services. We analyze core features, performance, cost, and strategic trade-offs.
Chainscore © 2026
introduction
THE ANALYSIS
Introduction: The Infrastructure Decision
A data-driven breakdown of Ankr and Alchemy, two leading providers of public RPC and staking infrastructure, to guide your technical architecture choice.
Alchemy takes a different approach by focusing on developer experience, reliability, and deep data access for core chains. This results in a more curated, performance-optimized service, particularly for Ethereum and L2s like Arbitrum and Optimism. Alchemy's Supernode architecture provides enhanced reliability and advanced APIs (e.g., alchemy_getTokenBalances), but its staking services are more centralized and its multi-chain support is narrower than Ankr's.
The key trade-off: If your priority is broad multi-chain coverage, decentralized infrastructure, and integrated liquid staking, choose Ankr. If you prioritize maximal reliability, advanced developer tooling, and deep analytics for Ethereum and key L2s, choose Alchemy.
tldr-summary
ANKR VS ALCHEMY
TL;DR: Core Differentiators
Key strengths and trade-offs at a glance for public RPC and staking infrastructure.
01
Ankr's Edge: Multi-Chain Staking & Node Operation
Specific advantage: Native infrastructure for liquid staking (ankrETH, ankrMATIC) and a global, decentralized node network across 40+ chains. This matters for protocols and users seeking yield generation or needing to run dedicated RPC nodes for specific chains like Polygon, Avalanche, or BNB Chain.
40+
Supported Chains
03
Alchemy's Edge: Developer Experience & Reliability
Specific advantage: Industry-leading 99.9%+ uptime SLA, superior debugging tools (Alchemy Monitor, Mempool Visualizer), and enhanced APIs (Transfers, NFTs). This matters for high-traffic production dApps (like OpenSea or 0x) where developer velocity and absolute reliability are non-negotiable.
99.9%+
Uptime SLA
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON
Ankr vs Alchemy: Public RPC & Staking Infrastructure
Direct comparison of core infrastructure services for developers and stakers.
| Metric / Feature | Ankr | Alchemy |
|---|---|---|
Core Business Model | Decentralized Public RPC & Staking | Enterprise-Grade Node Infrastructure |
Public RPC Requests/Day | ~300 Billion | ~500 Billion |
Supported Chains | 40+ | 20+ |
Enhanced APIs (e.g., NFT, Transfers) | ||
Staking-as-a-Service | ||
Free Tier Daily Request Limit | ~250,000 | ~300 Million Compute Units |
Enterprise SLA Guarantee | 99.5% | 99.9% |
pros-cons-a
ANKR VS ALCHEMY
Ankr: Pros and Cons
A data-driven breakdown of Ankr's infrastructure trade-offs for CTOs evaluating public RPC and staking services.
01
Decentralized Network & Tokenomics
Decentralized Node Network: Ankr operates a global network of 1,000+ independent node operators across 50+ chains, reducing single-point-of-failure risk. This matters for protocols prioritizing censorship resistance and aligning with Web3 ethos. The ANKR token is integrated for payments and governance, offering a native economic layer.
02
Multi-Chain Staking & Liquid Staking
Unified Staking Platform: Offers non-custodial staking for 8+ major PoS chains (Ethereum, BNB, Polygon). Key differentiator: Native liquid staking tokens (ankrETH, ankrMATIC) with DeFi integrations across 30+ protocols. This matters for teams building cross-chain yield strategies or requiring liquid collateral.
03
Enterprise-Grade SLAs & Support
Weaker Enterprise Focus: While offering premium plans, Ankr's core model is a public-good RPC with less emphasis on dedicated, white-glove enterprise support compared to Alchemy's Fortune 500 approach. Response times and custom SLAs may be less robust for mission-critical, high-volume applications.
04
Developer Tooling Depth
Narrower Product Suite: Focuses on core RPC and staking. Lacks the extensive debugging suite (Alchemy's Transfers, Mempool Visualizer), advanced APIs (NFT API, Notify), and deep archival data tooling. This matters for teams needing comprehensive observability and prototyping speed beyond basic node access.
pros-cons-b
Ankr vs Alchemy: Public RPC & Staking Infrastructure
Alchemy: Pros and Cons
Key strengths and trade-offs for two leading Web3 infrastructure providers, helping you decide based on performance, cost, and ecosystem needs.
01
Alchemy's Key Strength: Developer Experience
Superior API & Tooling: Offers the most comprehensive suite of developer tools (Enhanced APIs, Notify, Mempool, Transfers). This matters for teams building complex dApps like OpenSea or 0x that require real-time data and high reliability.
99.9%
Uptime SLA
02
Alchemy's Key Strength: Performance & Scale
Optimized for High Throughput: Handles massive request volumes with low latency, crucial for consumer-facing applications. This matters for protocols like Aave or Arbitrum that need to serve millions of users without performance degradation.
< 100ms
Avg. Response Time
03
Ankr's Key Strength: Decentralized & Multi-Chain
Truly Decentralized RPC Network: Operates a global, distributed node network, reducing single points of failure. This matters for protocols prioritizing censorship resistance and supporting a wide range of chains like Polygon, Avalanche, and BNB Chain.
30+
Supported Chains
04
Ankr's Key Strength: Cost & Staking Integration
Competitive Pricing & Native Staking: Offers a more flexible, often lower-cost pay-as-you-go model and integrates liquid staking (ankrETH). This matters for bootstrapped projects or protocols like Lido that want to bundle RPC and staking services.
$0
Free Tier Requests/Day
CHOOSE YOUR PRIORITY
Decision Framework: When to Choose Which
Ankr for Developers
Verdict: Best for multi-chain abstraction and cost-effective scaling. Strengths: Ankr's primary edge is its AppChains framework, enabling teams to launch dedicated, application-specific blockchains with custom gas tokens and governance. Its Public RPC service is a robust, globally distributed load balancer ideal for dApps needing reliable, free-tier access across 40+ chains. For builders prioritizing architectural flexibility and avoiding mainnet congestion costs, Ankr is superior. Key Tools: AppChains, Multi-Chain Public RPC, Ankr Scan.
Alchemy for Developers
Verdict: Best for deep Ethereum/EVN tooling and enterprise-grade reliability.
Strengths: Alchemy dominates with its Supernode infrastructure, offering enhanced APIs (e.g., alchemy_getTokenBalances) and superior debugging tools like Alchemy SDK and Composer. Its Webhooks and Mempool Watcher are critical for advanced DeFi and NFT applications. For teams whose core stack is Ethereum or EVM and require the deepest observability and reliability (99.9%+ SLA), Alchemy is the default choice.
Key Tools: Enhanced APIs, Alchemy SDK, Debug Tools, Notify (Webhooks).
verdict
THE ANALYSIS
Final Verdict and Recommendation
A data-driven breakdown to guide your infrastructure decision between Ankr and Alchemy.
Ankr excels at providing a decentralized, multi-chain RPC and staking infrastructure with a strong focus on cost-efficiency and node operation. Its core strength is its decentralized network of globally distributed nodes, which offers inherent resilience and censorship resistance. For builders prioritizing decentralization, Ankr's support for over 40 chains and its ankr.com public RPC endpoints provide a robust, permissionless foundation. Its staking services, particularly for networks like Ethereum and Polygon, are competitively priced and integrate directly with its node-hosting ecosystem, making it a compelling one-stop shop for protocols that also run validators.
Alchemy takes a different approach by offering a premium, high-performance, and developer-centric platform optimized for reliability and advanced tooling. This results in a trade-off: you get industry-leading 99.9%+ uptime SLAs, superior debugging tools like Alchemy Monitor and Mempool Visualizer, and the highest request throughput, but at a higher cost structure than public RPCs. Alchemy's strength is its deep integration with the most demanding applications in DeFi (like Aave and OpenSea) and NFTs, where performance and advanced data APIs (alchemy_getAssetTransfers, alchemy_getTokenBalances) are non-negotiable.
The key trade-off is between decentralized resilience & cost (Ankr) and premium performance & developer experience (Alchemy). If your priority is building a censorship-resistant dApp, managing validator infrastructure, or optimizing for strict cost control across many chains, choose Ankr. If you prioritize building a high-traffic, mainstream application where maximum reliability, fastest response times, and powerful debugging tools are critical to your success—and budget allows for it—choose Alchemy.
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