The Real Cost
This article exists to help you understand the real cost of on-chain data infrastructure and the trends we have observed over the past 10 years building solutions for ourselves and others.
Category
Stage 1
Using a single 3rd-party solution i.e. The Graph
Stage 2
Using multiple 3rd parties + in-house Integration
Stage 3
Fully In-House Solution
The Neighborhood
Initial Investment
$ Low
$$ Medium
$$$ High
$ Low
Monthly Costs
$2,000-5,000 per chain
$5,000-12,000 total
$8,000-20,000 total
70% Cost Savings
Engineering Resources
Minimal
1-2 FTEs for integration
3-5 FTEs
Minimal
Data Depth
Limited to
vendor offering
Better but fragmented
Comprehensive but expensive
Comprehensive
Implementation Time
Days
Weeks to months
Months to years
Minutes
Scaling Costs
Linear increase
with usage
Step increases at thresholds
High infra costs
Gradual, predictable
Flexibility
Locked into vendor capabilities
More flexible but complex
Highly custom but resource intensive
Flexible without complexity
Data Fresheness
Vendor dependant
Mixed (some real-time, some delayed)
Requires significant infrastructure
Real-time with minimal overhead