COMPARISON GUIDE

Crypto Wallet API Comparison 2026

Generate wallets, check balances, send transactions, and manage crypto across multiple chains. Honest comparison of 6 wallet APIs with free tiers, code examples, and real trade-offs.

Updated March 2026 · 15 min read

What Can You Do With a Crypto Wallet API?

A crypto wallet API eliminates the need to run full blockchain nodes, manage private keys manually, or implement chain-specific transaction logic from scratch.

💳

Portfolio Trackers

Query wallet balances, token holdings, and transaction history across chains. Build dashboards showing net worth in real time.

🤖

AI Agent Wallets

Give autonomous agents the ability to hold, send, and receive crypto. Essential for agentic payments, x402 micropayments, and DeFi automation.

💰

Payment Processing

Generate unique deposit addresses per customer, monitor incoming payments, and automate settlement. Replace manual invoicing with API-driven flows.

🏦

Exchanges & Trading Bots

Create hot wallets, execute swaps, and manage positions programmatically. Backend infrastructure for trading platforms and arbitrage bots.

🔐

DeFi Dashboards

Aggregate DeFi positions, staking rewards, LP balances, and yield across protocols. Show users their full DeFi portfolio in one view.

🎮

Gaming & NFTs

Embed wallets into games with social login. Manage NFT inventories, in-game currencies, and marketplace transactions without MetaMask pop-ups.

Typical Wallet API Workflow

Most wallet APIs follow a similar pattern regardless of provider.

1

Get API Key

Sign up and get credentials. Some providers (Frostbyte) work without signup.

2

Create Wallet

Generate an HD wallet or embedded wallet. Receive address and (optionally) private key.

3

Query Balances

Check native token, ERC-20, and NFT balances across supported chains.

4

Send Transactions

Transfer tokens, execute swaps, or interact with smart contracts via API.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature comparison of the top crypto wallet APIs in 2026.

Provider Free Tier Chains Wallet Gen Balance Tx History Swaps Signup
Alchemy Freemium 30M CU/mo 70+ (Smart Wallet SDK) Token + NFT Transfers API Required
Moralis Freemium ~40K CU/mo 15+ EVM + Solana Enriched + USD Decoded Required
QuickNode Freemium 10M credits/mo 130+ Via add-ons Via add-ons Required
thirdweb $5/mo min 1K MAUs free 1000+ EVM Embedded + Smart Insight API Insight API Pay Required + $5/mo
Coinbase CDP Freemium 5K ops/mo EVM + Solana 3 products Limited ETH + Base Required
Frostbyte No Signup 10 free txns 9 chains HD wallets Native + tokens 0.3% fee Not required

Chain Support at a Glance

The most common chains developers target and which APIs support them.

ChainAlchemyMoralisQuickNodethirdwebCoinbaseFrostbyte
Ethereum
Base
Polygon
Arbitrum
Optimism
BSC
Avalanche
Solana
Bitcoin
Cosmos / XRP / Aptos

Provider Breakdown

Detailed look at each wallet API with honest pros and cons.

Alchemy

30M Compute Units/month free — no credit card required

The dominant Web3 infrastructure provider. Best-in-class for querying wallet data (token balances, NFTs, transaction history) across 70+ chains. Smart Wallet SDK supports account abstraction (ERC-4337) with gas sponsorship. Does not generate raw wallets — focused on data and smart accounts.

  • Most generous free tier (30M CU)
  • 70+ chains with archive data
  • Best account abstraction tooling
  • Token + NFT + Transfers APIs
  • No raw wallet generation
  • CU system is opaque
  • Smart Wallet gas manager has 8% fee

Moralis

Free Starter plan — ~40K CU/month

Best enriched wallet data in the market. Transaction history comes decoded with human-readable descriptions ("Swapped 1 ETH for 3000 USDC"). Wallet net worth endpoint aggregates value across chains. DeFi position tracking built in. Supports EVM chains + Solana.

  • Decoded transaction history
  • Net worth across chains
  • DeFi position tracking
  • Wallet activity categorization
  • Small free tier (~40K CU)
  • Aggressive bot blocking
  • No wallet generation
  • Pricing less transparent

QuickNode

10M API credits/month free — 15 req/sec

The widest chain support of any provider at 130+ networks. The only real option for non-EVM chains like Bitcoin, Cosmos, XRP, Aptos, and Sui. Core product is RPC infrastructure with wallet-specific features available via marketplace add-ons. Streams feature enables real-time push-based data delivery.

  • 130+ chains (most in market)
  • Best for Bitcoin, Cosmos, XRP
  • Streams for real-time data
  • IPFS pinning included
  • Wallet APIs via add-ons only
  • No wallet generation
  • Add-ons may cost extra
  • 10M credits < Alchemy's 30M CU

thirdweb

$5/mo minimum — 1K wallet MAUs + 1M RPC requests free

Best for consumer apps that need social login wallets (email, Google, Apple — no seed phrases). Supports 1,000+ EVM chains. Account abstraction with built-in Paymaster for gas sponsorship. Engine product handles high-throughput backend transactions. Strong gaming SDK support (Unity, Unreal).

  • Social login embedded wallets
  • 1000+ EVM chains
  • Account abstraction + Paymaster
  • Gaming SDKs (Unity/Unreal)
  • No free tier ($5/mo minimum)
  • No Bitcoin or Solana support
  • Per-MAU pricing adds up fast
  • 2.5% gas sponsorship surcharge

Coinbase CDP

5,000 wallet operations/month free — reads always free

Three wallet products: Embedded (social login), Server (TEE-secured keys in AWS Nitro), and Agentic (purpose-built for AI agents with MCP server). OFAC compliance screening built in. USDC yield (3.35%) on wallet balances. Best choice for AI agent wallets and server-side automation.

  • TEE-secured key management
  • Agentic Wallet for AI agents
  • USDC yield (3.35%)
  • OFAC compliance built in
  • Advanced features Base-only
  • 5K free ops/mo is low
  • No enriched balance/history APIs
  • Swap only on ETH + Base

Frostbyte Wallet

10 free transactions — no signup, no API key needed to start

Multi-chain HD wallet API built for AI agents and developers who want the simplest possible setup. Generate wallets across 9 chains (including Bitcoin and Solana) with a single POST request. Built-in swap support with 0.3% fee. REST API — no SDKs, no OAuth, no dashboard required.

  • Zero signup — works immediately
  • 9 chains incl. BTC + SOL
  • HD wallet generation via API
  • Built-in swaps (0.3% fee)
  • No transaction history API
  • Smaller chain count than competitors
  • Newer service, less battle-tested
  • No account abstraction

Query APIs vs Generation APIs

Wallet APIs fall into two categories. Understanding the difference helps you pick the right one.

FeatureQuery APIs (Alchemy, Moralis, QuickNode)Generation APIs (Frostbyte, thirdweb, Coinbase)
Primary functionRead blockchain data for existing walletsCreate new wallets and manage keys
Wallet creationNot supported (bring your own wallet)Generate addresses + keypairs via API
Balance queriesEnriched (tokens, NFTs, USD values, DeFi)Basic native + token balances
Transaction historyFull decoded history with categorizationLimited or not available
Best forPortfolio trackers, analytics, dashboardsPayment processing, agent wallets, exchanges
Key managementNot applicable — you manage keysKeys generated and optionally stored

Code Examples

Working examples for the most common wallet API operations.

Check Wallet Balance

# Get all token balances for a wallet using Alchemy
curl -s https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "alchemy_getTokenBalances",
    "params": ["0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045"],
    "id": 1
  }'

# Response includes all ERC-20 token balances
# For native ETH balance, use eth_getBalance
// Get enriched wallet balance with USD values using Moralis
const response = await fetch(
  `https://deep-index.moralis.io/api/v2.2/` +
  `0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045/erc20`,
  {
    headers: {
      'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_MORALIS_KEY',
      'accept': 'application/json'
    }
  }
);

const tokens = await response.json();
// Returns: name, symbol, balance, decimals, usd_value
console.log(tokens);
# Check wallet balance with Frostbyte — no API key needed
curl -s https://api-catalog-three.vercel.app/v1/agent-wallet/v1/wallet/balance/0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045?chain=ethereum

# Response:
# {
#   "address": "0xd8dA...6045",
#   "chain": "ethereum",
#   "balance": "1.234567",
#   "unit": "ETH"
# }

Generate a New Wallet

# Generate an HD wallet on Ethereum with Frostbyte
curl -s https://api-catalog-three.vercel.app/v1/agent-wallet/v1/wallet/create \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{"chain": "ethereum"}'

# Also works with: solana, bitcoin, base, arbitrum,
# optimism, polygon, bsc, avalanche

# Response includes address, public key, and private key
# IMPORTANT: Store the private key securely — it's only returned once
# Create a server wallet using Coinbase CDP SDK
from cdp import Cdp, Wallet

# Initialize with your CDP credentials
Cdp.configure(api_key_name="YOUR_KEY_NAME",
              api_key_private_key="YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY")

# Create a wallet (keys stored in AWS Nitro TEE)
wallet = Wallet.create(network_id="base-mainnet")
address = wallet.default_address

print(f"Address: {address.address_id}")
# Keys are managed by Coinbase — never exposed
// Create an embedded wallet with thirdweb (React)
import { ThirdwebProvider, ConnectWallet } from "@thirdweb-dev/react";

// User logs in with email/Google/Apple
// thirdweb creates a wallet behind the scenes
function App() {
  return (
    <ThirdwebProvider
      clientId="YOUR_CLIENT_ID"
      supportedWallets={[
        inAppWallet({ auth: { options: ["email", "google"] }})
      ]}
    >
      <ConnectWallet />
    </ThirdwebProvider>
  );
}

// Wallet is created when user authenticates
// No seed phrase, no extension, no MetaMask

Get Transaction History

// Get all asset transfers for a wallet using Alchemy
const response = await fetch(
  'https://eth-mainnet.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_KEY',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: '2.0',
      method: 'alchemy_getAssetTransfers',
      params: [{
        fromAddress: '0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045',
        category: ['external', 'erc20', 'erc721'],
        maxCount: '0x14',
        order: 'desc'
      }],
      id: 1
    })
  }
);

const { result } = await response.json();
// Returns: from, to, value, asset, hash, blockNum
# Get decoded transaction history with Moralis
curl -s "https://deep-index.moralis.io/api/v2.2/0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045/verbose" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_MORALIS_KEY" \
  -H "accept: application/json"

# Returns decoded history with human-readable labels:
# "Swapped 1 ETH for 3,000 USDC on Uniswap"
# "Sent 0.5 ETH to 0xabc..."
# "Received 100 USDC from 0xdef..."
# Includes: category, summary, native_transfers, erc20_transfers
# Get wallet transactions with QuickNode add-on
curl -s https://YOUR_ENDPOINT.quiknode.pro/YOUR_KEY/ \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "method": "qn_getTransactionsByAddress",
    "params": [{
      "address": "0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045",
      "page": 1,
      "perPage": 10
    }],
    "id": 1
  }'

# Requires Token and NFT API v2 add-on (free to enable)

Live Demo: Check Any Wallet Balance

Enter an Ethereum address to check its balance using the Frostbyte Wallet API. No API key needed.

Pricing at Scale

What each provider costs when you outgrow the free tier.

Alchemy

$0.45/1M CU

Pay-as-you-go after 30M free. Growth plan at $49/mo for priority support.

Moralis

$49/mo

Pro plan with higher CU limits. Business at $149/mo. Enterprise custom.

QuickNode

$49/mo

Build plan: 80M credits, 50 RPS. Scale at $499/mo. Add-ons extra.

thirdweb

$5/mo+

Starter $5/mo. Growth $99/mo. Plus per-MAU fees ($0.015/wallet) and 2.5% gas surcharge.

Coinbase CDP

$0.005/op

Per wallet operation after 5K free. Reads always free. Server Wallet usage-based.

Frostbyte

0.3% swaps

10 free transactions. Swap fee is the primary cost. No monthly subscription.

Which Wallet API Should You Use?

Match your use case to the right provider.

Portfolio Tracker / Dashboard

Need enriched balances, NFTs, transaction history, and DeFi positions across chains.

Use Alchemy or Moralis

AI Agent / Bot Wallet

Need simple wallet creation and transaction execution via REST API for autonomous agents.

Use Frostbyte or Coinbase CDP

Consumer App (Social Login)

Need embedded wallets with email/Google/Apple login. No seed phrases for end users.

Use thirdweb or Coinbase CDP

Payment Processing

Need to generate unique addresses per customer and monitor deposits across chains.

Use Frostbyte or Coinbase CDP

Non-EVM Chains (BTC, Cosmos, XRP)

Need support for chains beyond Ethereum and EVM-compatible networks.

Use QuickNode (130+ chains)

Maximum Free Tier

Need the most API calls for free, primarily for reading wallet data.

Use Alchemy (30M CU/month)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a crypto wallet API?
A crypto wallet API lets you programmatically create wallets, check balances, send transactions, and interact with blockchains without running your own node. Instead of managing private keys and RPC connections manually, you make HTTP requests. This is essential for building exchanges, portfolio trackers, DeFi dashboards, payment processors, and AI agent wallets.
Which wallet API supports the most blockchains?
QuickNode leads with 130+ chains including non-EVM networks like Bitcoin, Cosmos, XRP, Aptos, and Sui. thirdweb supports 1,000+ EVM-compatible chains. Alchemy covers 70+ chains. Frostbyte supports 9 chains (Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, BSC, Avalanche, Solana, Bitcoin) which covers the most commonly used networks.
Can I generate crypto wallets via API?
Yes. Frostbyte, thirdweb, and Coinbase CDP all offer wallet generation. Frostbyte generates HD wallets across 9 chains with a single POST request. thirdweb creates embedded wallets with social login. Coinbase CDP offers server wallets with TEE-secured keys. Alchemy, Moralis, and QuickNode focus on querying existing wallets.
Is it safe to generate wallets via API?
It depends on the provider. Coinbase CDP stores keys in hardware-secured AWS Nitro Enclaves. thirdweb uses MPC (multi-party computation). Frostbyte returns the private key to you once and does not store it. For maximum security, generate wallets locally and use APIs only for balance queries and transaction broadcasting.
What is account abstraction and do I need it?
Account abstraction (ERC-4337) replaces traditional EOA wallets with smart contract wallets that support gas sponsorship (users don't need ETH for gas), batched transactions, session keys, and social recovery. You need it if you're building a consumer app where users shouldn't worry about gas fees. Alchemy and thirdweb have the best account abstraction tooling.
Can I use these APIs for Bitcoin wallets?
QuickNode and Frostbyte support Bitcoin wallet operations. QuickNode provides full Bitcoin RPC access. Frostbyte can generate Bitcoin addresses and check balances. Alchemy, Moralis, thirdweb, and Coinbase CDP focus on EVM chains and Solana but do not support Bitcoin.
Which wallet API is best for AI agents?
Coinbase CDP has a dedicated Agentic Wallet with MCP server integration and x402 micropayments. Frostbyte's simple REST API works well as an AI agent tool without complex OAuth flows. Any API with REST endpoints can be wrapped as an agent tool, but these two are designed specifically for programmatic/autonomous use.

Generate Multi-Chain Wallets in Seconds

Frostbyte Wallet API supports 9 chains, HD wallet generation, balance queries, and built-in swaps. No signup required to start.

Try Frostbyte Free