5 Best Onchain Data APIs for Developers in 2026

Most developers underestimate the data problem until it's too late.

You've built the logic. The strategy is solid. The architecture makes sense. Then you connect a price feed and realize it's cached. Or that the token you need isn't listed. Or that you're paying $99/month for a provider that covers 80% of what you actually need — and the missing 20% is exactly the part that matters.

The onchain data layer is where crypto products quietly break.

If you're:

• building a trading bot that needs to react in seconds, not minutes,
• designing a wallet dashboard that tracks PnL across multiple chains,
• or shipping a DeFi tool that depends on newly listed tokens,

the provider you choose will define how far you can go before hitting a wall.

The problem isn't that good APIs don't exist. The problem is that most comparisons treat them as interchangeable — as if "blockchain data API" means the same thing regardless of what you're building.

It doesn't.

An indexer optimized for historical compliance data is a completely different product from a real-time trading infrastructure layer. A decentralized protocol built for protocol-specific subgraphs solves a different problem than a multi-chain wallet analytics API. Choosing the wrong one doesn't mean your product fails immediately — it means you hit the ceiling at exactly the wrong moment.

This guide cuts through that.

We compare five of the best onchain data APIs available to developers in 2026 — Mobula, Moralis, Bitquery, The Graph, and GoldRush (Covalent) — focusing on features, data coverage, pricing, free tiers, and what each one is actually built for.

By the end, you'll know which one fits your stack.

Overview of the Top 5 Onchain Data API Providers

1. Mobula — Real-Time Onchain Data + Execution in One Platform

Platform: mobula.io

Mobula is the only provider on this list that combines a real-time data layer with a built-in execution layer. You can fetch live prices, stream wallet activity, and route onchain swaps through the same API — no second provider needed.

At the core is the Octopus engine: a multi-chain, composable pricing system that aggregates prices using volume weighting and liquidity ponderation directly from DEX pools. It covers everything from Bitcoin and Ethereum down to tokens listed on obscure DEXs in the last hour, with prices refreshing every 5 seconds and no caching on any tier — including free.

Data Coverage and Features

Mobula's API surface is wide. The platform exposes 50+ REST endpoints and 10+ real-time WebSocket streams, covering:

• Live token prices, 24h change, volume, and market cap for any asset on any supported chain
• OHLCV historical data for backtesting and charting
• Wallet portfolio analytics: balances, historical PnL, DeFi positions, NFT holdings, and wallet labels across chains
• Pair-level and pool-level data: trades, liquidity, pool creation, newly listed tokens
• Token security checks and holder distribution
• Execution layer: swap quotes and onchain trade routing via a single API call

All of this is accessible via REST, WebSocket streams, a TypeScript SDK, and a GraphQL interface. The team responds to support queries in under an hour across Telegram, Slack, and Discord.

Beyond standard data retrieval, the Octopus engine specifically handles what most providers fail at: long-tail tokens. New listings on any DEX, low-liquidity assets, freshly deployed contracts — the engine picks them up as soon as they have trading activity.

Chain Coverage

Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Avalanche, and many others. Multi-chain wallet queries aggregate across all supported networks in a single call.

Pricing and Limits

Mobula offers a free API key with immediate access to the full endpoint suite, including no-cache pricing. No credit card required to start.

Paid plans scale with usage through the Mobula dashboard, priced by request volume rather than a flat monthly subscription. For teams running lean bots or early-stage apps, this model is significantly more cost-efficient than paying $49–$99/month flat. Enterprise and custom plans available via Telegram or email.

Pros

• No-cache 5-second price refresh on all tiers, including free
• Data + execution in one API — fetch price and route the swap without switching providers
• Broadest long-tail token coverage via the Octopus aggregation engine
• Full wallet analytics: PnL, DeFi positions, NFT holdings, wallet labels
• REST + WebSocket + TypeScript SDK + GraphQL — developer-first from day one
• Sub-1h support response time

Cons

• Requires coding — no visual interface or no-code builder
• Execution layer is newer than the data layer
• Smaller community than Moralis or The Graph

Best for: Developers building trading bots, price aggregators, wallet dashboards, or any product that needs real-time onchain data and the ability to act on it — from a single provider.

👉 Get your free Mobula API key

2. Moralis — Enterprise-Grade Web3 Backend Infrastructure

Platform: moralis.com

Moralis is the most complete Web3 backend platform on this list. It started as a Firebase-for-blockchain and has evolved into a full-stack data infrastructure layer trusted by MetaMask, Blockchain.com, and hundreds of production applications processing billions of API requests per month.

Data Coverage and Features

The platform covers multiple distinct product lines:

• Data APIs: token prices, wallet history, NFT metadata, DeFi positions, token holders, swap data
• Streams API: real-time blockchain event monitoring for any wallet, contract, or address — with a 100% delivery guarantee and webhook delivery
• Datashare: bulk export of blockchain datasets to Snowflake, BigQuery, and S3 for data warehousing and AI pipelines
• Cortex API: an AI-native, LLM-ready crypto data layer for building onchain AI agents

Moralis uses a Compute Units (CUs) pricing model. Every API request consumes a different number of CUs depending on complexity — a simple token balance check costs fewer CUs than a multi-chain portfolio aggregation.

The Streams API deserves special attention. If your product needs to react the moment a wallet receives a token, a smart contract emits an event, or a liquidation threshold is crossed — Moralis Streams handles it reliably at scale with a 100% delivery guarantee.

Chain Coverage

Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, and many more EVM-compatible chains.

Pricing and Limits

Moralis offers a free Starter plan with limited CUs per month. Paid plans start at approximately $49/month and scale to $199/month for higher CU allowances, premium endpoints, and auto-scaling. Enterprise plans with SOC 2 Type II compliance and ISO 27001 certification are available.

Pros

• Streams API: 100% delivery guarantee for real-time event monitoring
• Broadest EVM + Solana coverage among enterprise providers
• SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified
• Cortex AI layer for LLM-ready data pipelines
• Trusted by MetaMask, Blockchain.com, and other large-scale apps

Cons

• CU pricing can be unpredictable for complex or high-frequency workloads
• No built-in execution layer — data only
• Higher entry price for serious production use

Best for: Teams building production-grade dApps, portfolio trackers, AI agents, or compliance tools that need enterprise reliability and event-driven architecture.

3. Bitquery — Deep Blockchain Analytics via GraphQL and Kafka

Platform: bitquery.io

Bitquery is the go-to choice when you need granular, custom queries across 40+ blockchains. Its GraphQL API lets you filter, aggregate, and stream data at a depth that REST-based APIs simply don't expose. Since July 2025 it also offers a dedicated multi-chain Price Index API and Kafka streams for ultra-high-throughput pipelines.

Data Coverage and Features

Using its GraphQL interface, developers can query:

• Real-time and historical DEX trade data across all supported chains
• Token prices via the Price Index: OHLCV, SMA, WMA, EMA, cross-chain and cross-DEX aggregations at 1-second granularity
• Wallet transactions, token transfers, internal calls, and failed transactions
• Mempool data — useful for MEV detection, front-running analysis, and liquidation bots
• NFT trades, smart contract events, and protocol-level analytics
• Kafka streams and WebSocket subscriptions

Chain Coverage

40+ chains including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Bitcoin (non-EVM), and Tron.

Pricing and Limits

Bitquery uses a points-based pricing system where queries consume points based on infrastructure resource usage. A free community tier is available for development and light use. Paid plans are usage-based and customized through the sales team — no publicly listed flat-rate tiers for production.

Pros

• 40+ chains including non-EVM networks like Bitcoin
• 1-second price granularity via Kafka streams
• Mempool data access — rare among providers, critical for MEV research
• Extremely flexible querying: aggregations, filters, cross-chain joins in one call
• OHLCV + SMA + WMA + EMA pre-calculated in the Price Index

Cons

• Steep GraphQL learning curve — not beginner-friendly
• Pricing is opaque: no clear public flat-rate tiers, requires sales contact
• No execution layer

Best for: Blockchain analytics, MEV research, algorithmic trading requiring tick-level data, compliance tools, and deeply customized cross-chain queries.

4. The Graph — Decentralized Indexing Protocol

Platform: thegraph.com

The Graph takes a fundamentally different architectural approach. Rather than a centralized API, it's a decentralized protocol where developers deploy subgraphs — custom indexing schemas tied to specific smart contracts. Query fees are paid in GRT tokens to a network of indexers.

Data Coverage and Features

The value of The Graph depends on what subgraphs already exist. For major DeFi protocols — Uniswap, Aave, Compound, Curve, Balancer — there are well-maintained, community-curated subgraphs that deliver highly efficient, protocol-specific data.

For anything outside supported protocols, developers must build their own subgraph: define a schema, write mapping logic in AssemblyScript, deploy to the decentralized network. Significant setup overhead.

Chain Coverage

Primarily EVM chains: Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Base, Avalanche, Gnosis, and others.

Pricing and Limits

The Graph uses a token-economic model where consumers pay GRT for queries. No flat monthly fee — costs scale directly with usage. The Graph Foundation offers grants and subsidies for education and public good infrastructure projects.

Pros

• Censorship-resistant and decentralized — no vendor dependency
• Highly efficient for protocol-specific indexed data
• Large library of existing subgraphs for major DeFi protocols
• Open source — full visibility into data pipelines
• No vendor lock-in

Cons

• Significant setup overhead for custom subgraphs
• Not suitable for real-time arbitrary token price feeds
• No wallet-level analytics or cross-protocol coverage out of the box
• GRT costs are less predictable than flat subscriptions
• No execution layer

Best for: dApp developers building on specific, well-supported DeFi protocols who need reliable, decentralized, protocol-specific indexed data.

5. GoldRush (Covalent) — Historical Depth Across 100+ Chains

Platform: goldrush.dev

GoldRush, the rebranded product from Covalent, specializes in structured historical onchain data with a clean, standardized REST interface. It covers 100+ blockchains — the broadest chain support of any provider on this list — and delivers every endpoint in a consistent schema, making it fast to integrate and easy to switch chains without rewriting queries.

Data Coverage and Features

GoldRush focuses on making historical blockchain data accessible and structured:

• Full transaction history for any wallet address across all supported chains
• Token balances and portfolio snapshots at any block height
• NFT metadata, floor prices, and ownership history
• Token approval tracking — useful for security audits and revoke tools
• DEX liquidity and swap data
• Historical PnL and unrealized/realized gains per token via the upnlForWallet GraphQL endpoint
• A terminal-first interface for developers and AI agents to query data without writing code

Particularly strong for audit-grade historical accuracy: compliance tools, tax reporting, portfolio analytics, and any product that needs to reconstruct wallet state at an arbitrary point in the past. GoldRush maintains a full archival copy of every supported blockchain from the genesis block — every balance, transaction, and log event.

Chain Coverage

100+ chains including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, and a large number of smaller EVM-compatible networks.

Pricing and Limits

GoldRush offers a 14-day free trial with access to all APIs and 25,000 API credits. After the trial:

• Vibe Coding: $10/month — 10,000 credits, community Discord support, full historical data
• Professional: $250/month — 300,000 credits, auto-scaling flex credits, production-grade performance
• Inner Circle (Enterprise): Custom pricing — dedicated support, SLAs, NDAs

Pros

• 100+ chains — the widest coverage of any provider on this list
• Consistent REST schema across all chains — one integration pattern for everything
• Strong historical depth: full transaction history from genesis block
• upnlForWallet endpoint for PnL and cost basis — ideal for tax reporting tools
• Transparent, predictable credit-based pricing
• Terminal-first interface for AI agents and developer tooling

Cons

• Not optimized for real-time price feeds or active trading use cases
• No execution layer
• Significant pricing gap between $10 and $250 tiers

Best for: Portfolio trackers, compliance and audit tools, tax reporting platforms, and any product that needs structured historical onchain data across a wide range of chains.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Ready to Build with Onchain Data That Moves at Market Speed?

If you want real-time token prices with no caching, multi-chain wallet analytics, and the ability to execute swaps — all from a single provider, without stitching together three different APIs — Mobula is the practical pick.

Why Mobula wins for most developer teams:

• All-in-one: data + execution in one API — no second provider for swap routing
• Honest refresh rate: 5-second no-cache pricing on every tier, including free
• Long-tail coverage: Octopus engine tracks any token the moment it has liquidity
• Developer-first: REST + WebSocket + TypeScript SDK + GraphQL, sub-1h support
• Start free: full API access, no credit card, no sandbox limitations

What you can ship this week:

• Live price monitors for any token across any supported chain
• Multi-wallet PnL dashboards with historical balance tracking
• Bot triggers based on real-time price thresholds
• Swap execution flows without switching providers

👉 Start for free with Mobula — grab your API key and make your first request in minutes.

FAQs

What is the best onchain data API for building a crypto trading bot?

Mobula is the strongest option for trading bots. It provides real-time prices with 5-second no-cache refresh, covers long-tail tokens via the Octopus engine, and includes a swap execution layer — all from a single REST API. Most other providers require combining a data API with a separate execution provider, which adds latency and complexity.

Which onchain API has the best free tier?

Mobula offers a free API key with immediate access to the full endpoint suite including no-cache pricing — no credit card required. GoldRush offers a 14-day free trial with 25,000 credits and access to all APIs. Moralis has a free Starter plan with limited CUs. Bitquery provides a free community tier with limited daily query allowances.

What is the difference between an onchain data API and a blockchain RPC node?

A blockchain RPC node gives you raw access to chain state — but you need to parse and index everything yourself. An onchain data API does that indexing and aggregation for you, delivering structured, application-ready data through clean endpoints. For most product teams, onchain data APIs are significantly faster to integrate and easier to scale.

Which onchain API covers the most chains?

GoldRush (Covalent) leads with 100+ supported chains. Bitquery covers 40+ chains including non-EVM networks like Bitcoin. Mobula and Moralis focus on the most-used chains with deep per-chain coverage rather than maximum breadth.

Can I use an onchain data API without coding experience?

Most providers require development knowledge. Moralis is the most accessible for Web3 newcomers. GoldRush offers a terminal interface for AI agents and non-coders. For production bot-building or custom analytics, you will need to write code regardless of provider.

Onchain data is infrastructure. The provider you choose defines your latency, your coverage, and your cost structure as you scale.

The ceiling you hit six months from now is the decision you make today.

Looking for technical content for your company? I can help — LinkedIn · kevinmenesesgonzalez@gmail.com