Alchemy alternatives

Alchemy's moat is a vertically integrated node platform. It runs archive nodes across 100+ chains (approximately 120 listed on the chain-connect page) and layers a data stack on top of the same infrastructure (Node API, Prices API, Notify webhooks, Subgraphs). For head lag, the relevant surface is the WebSocket subscription endpoint (eth_subscribe, plus proprietary alchemy_pendingTransactions and alchemy_minedTransactions) and the Notify webhook system for Address Activity and Custom Webhooks. Alchemy pushes filtered logs rather than pre-decoded swap events, which means an integrator must maintain a Transfer or Swap topic filter and decode the ABI client-side. The Prices API is a REST product with cached quotes drawn from CEX plus DEX aggregation, not a live swap feed. Alchemy tends to win when a team already runs the Node API for reads and wants notifications on the same account boundary; teams that need a decoded, cross-chain DEX trade stream typically migrate to a purpose-built aggregator because the client-side decoding overhead adds pipeline hops. Chain coverage skews heavily to EVM plus Solana; long-tail EVM L2s and Bitcoin sit inside the standard Node API surface.