Gateway.fm excels at dedicated, high-performance node infrastructure because it focuses on bare-metal hardware and customizable deployments. For institutions requiring predictable performance and sovereignty, Gateway offers dedicated RPC endpoints with 99.9%+ SLA, full node ownership, and support for high-throughput chains like Solana and Sui. This approach is critical for trading desks, custodians, and protocols like Aave or Lido that cannot tolerate the variability of shared infrastructure.
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Comparisons
Gateway.fm vs Alchemy: Institutional-Grade Infrastructure
A technical analysis comparing Gateway.fm and Alchemy for CTOs and protocol architects. Focuses on SLAs, dedicated hardware, compliance, and performance for financial applications and large-scale deployments.
Chainscore © 2026
introduction
THE ANALYSIS
Introduction: The Battle for Institutional Blockchain Infrastructure
A data-driven comparison of Gateway.fm and Alchemy, the leading contenders for enterprise-grade node infrastructure and Web3 APIs.
Alchemy takes a different approach by providing a massively scaled, unified API layer abstracted from the underlying node layer. This results in superior developer experience and rapid prototyping capabilities at the expense of infrastructure control. Alchemy's Supernode architecture powers major applications like OpenSea and provides robust tooling (e.g., Enhanced APIs, Webhooks) that significantly reduce development time, making it the default choice for most dApp teams building on Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum.
The key trade-off: If your priority is infrastructure control, predictable ultra-low latency, and compliance-ready dedicated environments, choose Gateway.fm. If you prioritize developer velocity, a rich suite of managed APIs, and leveraging a battle-tested platform with massive scale, choose Alchemy. The decision hinges on whether you need to own the rails or optimize for building on them.
tldr-summary
Gateway.fm vs Alchemy
TL;DR: Core Differentiators at a Glance
Key strengths and trade-offs for institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure.
01
Gateway.fm: Infrastructure Sovereignty
Full-stack, self-operated nodes: Operates its own global fleet of bare-metal servers, providing complete control over the data layer and eliminating third-party dependencies. This matters for institutions requiring auditability, custom configurations, and predictable performance without vendor lock-in.
02
Gateway.fm: Multi-Chain Specialization
Deep protocol-level expertise: Offers specialized, high-performance RPC and data services for Solana, Polygon, and Ethereum L2s (e.g., Starknet, zkSync). This matters for protocols and funds operating across multiple high-throughput chains who need more than generalized Ethereum support.
03
Alchemy: Developer Ecosystem & Tooling
Market-leading SDKs and APIs: Provides the most mature and widely adopted tooling suite, including Alchemy SDK, Enhanced APIs (NFT, Transfers), and Webhooks. This matters for teams building mainstream dApps who prioritize rapid development, extensive documentation, and a proven developer community.
04
Alchemy: Scale & Reliability
Battle-tested at massive scale: Processes hundreds of billions of requests monthly with a proven 99.9%+ uptime SLA, serving top protocols like OpenSea and Aave. This matters for applications with hyper-scale requirements and zero tolerance for downtime, where network effects depend on absolute reliability.
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON
Institutional Feature Matrix: Gateway.fm vs Alchemy
Direct comparison of key metrics and features for enterprise blockchain infrastructure.
| Metric / Feature | Gateway.fm | Alchemy |
|---|---|---|
Node Deployment Model | Dedicated, Self-Managed | Shared, Managed Service |
Global Edge Network Latency | < 50ms | < 100ms |
Multi-Chain Support (EVM) | ||
Multi-Chain Support (Non-EVM) | ||
SLA Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.9% |
Historical Data Retention | Full Archive Node | Enhanced APIs |
Enterprise Support (24/7) | ||
Compliance (SOC 2 Type II) |
INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE COMPARISON
Gateway.fm vs Alchemy: Performance & Reliability Benchmarks
Direct comparison of key technical metrics and service-level features for enterprise-grade RPC and node infrastructure.
| Metric / Feature | Gateway.fm | Alchemy |
|---|---|---|
Global Node Locations | 40+ | 15+ |
Guanteed Uptime SLA | 99.99% | 99.95% |
Max Requests per Second (RPS) | Unlimited | ~1,500 (Standard) |
Avg. Global Latency | < 50 ms | < 100 ms |
Multi-Chain Support | ||
Dedicated Node Provisioning | < 5 minutes | N/A (Shared) |
Real-Time Metrics Dashboard | ||
Enterprise Support (24/7) |
CHOOSE YOUR PRIORITY
Decision Framework: When to Choose Which Provider
Gateway.fm for DeFi & Trading
Verdict: The specialized choice for high-frequency, latency-sensitive applications. Strengths: Sub-second block times on Solana and Sui, ultra-low latency global node network, and dedicated RPC endpoints for perpetual DEXs like Drift Protocol and Aevo. Its infrastructure is built for the sub-second finality demands of on-chain order books and liquidations. Key Metric: <100ms global latency SLA, critical for arbitrage bots and MEV strategies. Consider: Primarily excels in high-performance L1/L2 ecosystems; Ethereum-centric tooling is less comprehensive.
Alchemy for DeFi & Trading
Verdict: The robust, full-stack suite for EVM-centric development and analytics. Strengths: Unmatched Ethereum and L2 (Arbitrum, Optimism) data depth with the Supernode, enhanced APIs for tracing and debugging complex smart contract interactions (e.g., Uniswap, Aave), and mature webhook systems for real-time event monitoring. Key Metric: 99.9%+ uptime and battle-tested with top TVL protocols. Consider: Latency, while excellent, is optimized for reliability over the absolute lowest millisecond response required by HFT.
pros-cons-a
Gateway.fm vs Alchemy
Gateway.fm: Pros and Cons for Enterprises
A data-driven comparison of institutional-grade RPC and node infrastructure. Choose based on your protocol's specific needs for performance, cost, and control.
01
Gateway.fm: Superior Performance & Customization
Dedicated, bare-metal infrastructure with single-tenant nodes and custom RPC configurations. This matters for high-frequency trading, gaming, or DeFi protocols requiring sub-100ms latency and predictable performance without noisy neighbors. Offers full MEV-boost integration and bespoke validator setups for maximum yield.
< 100ms
Typical Latency
99.9%
SLA Uptime
02
Gateway.fm: Cost-Effective at Scale
Transparent, usage-based pricing without per-request fees on dedicated nodes. This matters for enterprises with high, predictable traffic (e.g., NFT marketplaces, data indexers) where Alchemy's pay-per-call model can become prohibitively expensive. Offers significant savings for workloads exceeding 100M monthly requests.
03
Alchemy: Unmatched Developer Ecosystem
Deep integration with leading tools and SDKs like Ethers.js, Hardhat, and Foundry. This matters for teams prioritizing rapid prototyping and leveraging a vast suite of pre-built APIs (NFT, Transfers, Notifications). The Alchemy University and extensive documentation lower the onboarding barrier for new developers.
100+
Integrated Tools
04
Alchemy: Battle-Tested Reliability & Support
Industry-leading scale and redundancy with a multi-cloud, globally distributed network. This matters for mission-critical applications like centralized exchanges or custodians where 24/7 enterprise SLAs and dedicated support are non-negotiable. Handles peak loads for protocols like OpenSea and Aave.
pros-cons-b
Gateway.fm vs Alchemy
Alchemy: Pros and Cons for Enterprises
Key institutional-grade strengths and trade-offs at a glance. Both platforms serve high-throughput applications, but their architectural philosophies and service models differ significantly.
01
Alchemy Pro: Unmatched Ecosystem & Tooling
Dominant market share and integration depth: Powers over $200B+ in on-chain value and major protocols like OpenSea, Aave, and 0x. This provides battle-tested reliability and a vast plugin ecosystem (Notify, Enhanced APIs, Mempool). This matters for enterprises needing a comprehensive, one-stop suite and deep compatibility with existing DeFi and NFT tooling.
$200B+
On-Chain Value
02
Alchemy Con: Centralized Architecture & Vendor Lock-in
Proprietary, monolithic node infrastructure: While offering high reliability, Alchemy's architecture is a centralized service layer. This creates potential single points of failure and makes migration complex. For institutions with strict sovereignty or multi-cloud requirements, this can be a critical limitation compared to Gateway.fm's decentralized validator network approach.
03
Gateway.fm Pro: Sovereign, Decentralized Infrastructure
Geo-distributed validator network and white-label nodes: Offers true infrastructure ownership with deployments across AWS, GCP, and bare metal. This matters for regulated entities (banks, asset managers) requiring data residency, audit trails, and elimination of third-party risk. It's the choice for building a resilient, self-custodied blockchain backbone.
100%
Uptime SLA
04
Gateway.fm Con: Smaller Immediate Ecosystem
Narrower third-party integration footprint: While growing rapidly, Gateway.fm's partner ecosystem and pre-built tooling (like Alchemy's Notify) are less extensive. This matters for teams that prioritize immediate plug-and-play with a vast array of dApp tools and prefer not to build certain middleware components in-house.
verdict
THE ANALYSIS
Final Verdict and Strategic Recommendation
A data-driven breakdown to guide your infrastructure selection based on core architectural priorities.
Gateway.fm excels at performance and customizability for high-frequency, application-specific workloads because of its dedicated node architecture and low-latency global network. For example, its HyperScaler RPC offers sub-10ms latency and supports over 2,000 requests per second per endpoint, which is critical for trading bots, real-time NFT mints, and high-TPS DeFi protocols like Aave or Uniswap V3. Its focus on bare-metal infrastructure and bespoke node configurations provides unparalleled control.
Alchemy takes a different approach by prioritizing developer experience, reliability, and breadth of services through a massively scaled, unified API layer. This results in a trade-off: while potentially less customizable for extreme performance needs, Alchemy offers superior ease of integration, 99.9%+ uptime SLA, and a comprehensive suite of tools like the NFT API, Webhooks, and Enhanced APIs that abstract blockchain complexity. Its massive node network handles over 430 billion requests annually, ensuring robust global redundancy.
The key trade-off: If your priority is maximizing throughput, minimizing latency, and having granular control over node infrastructure for a specific chain or dApp, choose Gateway.fm. If you prioritize rapid development, a managed suite of tools, and bulletproof reliability across a portfolio of chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, etc.) with less operational overhead, choose Alchemy. For institutional teams building the next high-frequency DeFi primitive, Gateway.fm's performance edge is decisive. For enterprises and web2-native teams scaling a multi-chain product suite, Alchemy's platform stability and developer velocity are paramount.
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