Verified
Reviewed byOleh Kem
Plans checked19 / 5 vendors
“Contact sales”4/19
Median entry$69/mo
Entry range$25-199
Free tier5/5
Leader94 DefiLlama

DeFi tools compared: swap fees, cross-chain reach and API pricing

From a free developer key to a $199 entry plan, this is what 5 DeFi tools charge to build on in 2026, every tier logged from the pricing page itself. One of them charges the trader instead, counted in basis points off a swap rather than dollars a month.

What does a DeFi tool cost a trader, and what does its API cost a developer?

A zero row is the norm here: 5 of 5 DeFi tools publish one, and a trader's cost is gas plus, on one of them, a cut taken at swap time. Paid access is a developer purchase: $25 a month buys the cheapest key here, $199 the dearest door, $69 the midpoint. Prices verified July 29, 2026.

  • Free means three different things on this page, so the zero row is worth reading twice. On 1inch, Jupiter and Zapper it is a developer key with a ceiling on it. DefiLlama gives away the whole data site and keeps the money in its research seat and API. Velora has nothing to subscribe to at all.
  • Only one plan in the category charges by the person, and it is a research seat. The rest are flat account fees. What moves a bill up is call volume, credits and requests per second, never headcount.
  • We logged 19 plans across the category. Four of them show no figure at all, and each is the enterprise step. Every entry tier is public; what goes dark is the top end.
  • The unit of billing is not shared. 1inch counts API calls, Jupiter and Zapper count credits, most of them cap requests per second on top, and Velora counts basis points off a swap. Two prices here are rarely the same sort of number.
  • A plan price is not the whole developer bill. 1inch states on its own pricing page that infrastructure fees sit outside the subscription. Jupiter and DefiLlama meter usage past the included allowance, and Zapper charges more credits for its heavier endpoints.

The rank is sixty per cent pricing transparency and forty per cent user satisfaction. Capability is not in it. That is what the grid underneath is for. How the number is built.

01 / 06

DeFi tools ranked: fee disclosure, swap engine and cross-chain reach

Three columns, picked for where these tools genuinely disagree. Live prices and market data come with all five, so neither earns a column. What differs is whether a tool runs a swap engine of its own, how far past one network it reaches, and whether it carries dashboards a user can configure. An unmarked cell is our record coming up short on that capability, not the vendor.

Sorted by transparency scorePriced tiers 15 / 19Full disclosure 1 / 5
How to read this table
01DefiLlamaFree tierAll tiers pricedSwap engine not on the recordCross-chain listedDashboards listed$49/u94Alternatives to DefiLlama
02JupiterFree tier1 of 5 tiers unpricedSwap engine listedCross-chain not on the recordDashboards not on the record$25flat80Alternatives to Jupiter
031inchFree tier1 of 5 tiers unpricedSwap engine listedCross-chain listedDashboards not on the record$199flat78Alternatives to 1inch
04ZapperFree tier1 of 4 tiers unpricedSwap engine not on the recordCross-chain listedDashboards listed$89flat69Alternatives to Zapper
05VeloraFree to start, paid tier on requestFree tier1 of 2 tiers unpricedSwap engine listedCross-chain listedDashboards not on the recordFree50Alternatives to Velora
GrantedSome tiers sealedNot on the recordCheapest paid seatFlat account fee, not per seatScore ranks pricing transparency and user ratings, not capability. Capability is the grid.
5 vendorsMedian entry $69Coverage span 2 → 1 of threeSealed tiers 4 / 19

Scroll the console sideways to reach the remaining conditions.

02 / 06

Every tool's plans, verdicts and the date we checked each price

Rank blends the transparency score with the user rating and takes nothing else in. Routing quality and data depth do not enter it. A tool that prices every tier finishes above one that keeps a tier private, which is how a capable swap router lands under a data site. Charging nothing still counts as printing a price, so the genuinely free tools lose no ground for it. Every row opens to show the plan table and when we read it last.

Transparency scorePricing transparency 60%User satisfaction 40%

01

DefiLlama, the open TVL and yield dashboard that doubles as a DeFi data API
DefiLlama

94Disclosure$49Seat / mo

Reading TVL, yields and token unlocks across DeFi, then getting those numbers into a model of your own. DefiLlama splits the bill by who you are: the $49 Pro seat is a per-person research subscription, while the $250 API plan is charged flat to the account.

Critical gapTVL metrics occasionally conflict with protocol-native dashboards due to cross-chain data ingestion latency.

Plan table and expert take

DefiLlama: expert take

The $49 Pro seat opens as a seven-day trial thinner than the plan it sells: three deep research runs a day instead of five, and no CSV export. It converts to the paid seat when the week ends.

Where DefiLlama holds up

  • Most comprehensive free DeFi TVL tracking across 100+ chains
  • Yields aggregator comparing 1,000s of pools
  • 100% free, open source, and without data gating
  • Transparent methodology and active public community

4.8CE scoreG2 4.7Founded 2020Verified July 8, 2026

3 plans, as published
PlanMonthlyAnnual
FreeFreeFree
Pro$49$40.83
API$250$250
See pricingRead the reviewAlternatives
Vendor pricing page
02

Jupiter, the Solana swap aggregator that routes trades across the network's liquidity
Jupiter

80Disclosure$25Flat / mo

Routing swaps on Solana rather than on EVM networks, which is the single decision that puts a builder here. Jupiter sells its API in credits, bundled by the month from the $25 Developer plan upwards.

Critical gapThe current interface design hinders efficient oversight during high-frequency trading sessions.

Plan table and expert take

Jupiter: expert take

Anyone sizing a credit plan should read the overage before the tier: extra credits cost a dollar per million on the $25 Developer plan and on the $500 Pro plan alike. Scale buys a bigger bundle, never a better rate.

Where Jupiter holds up

  • Dominant DEX aggregation on Solana with deepest liquidity coverage
  • Native DCA for automated recurring purchases
  • On-chain perpetuals and limit orders without centralized custody
  • JUP governance token with active DAO participation

4.7CE scoreG2 4.6 · 12 reviewsFounded 2021Verified July 8, 2026

5 plans, as published
PlanMonthlyAnnual
FreeFreeFree
Developer$25$20.83
Launch$100$83.33
Pro$500$416.67
EnterpriseContact sales
See pricingRead the reviewAlternatives
Vendor pricing page
03

1inch, the multi-chain DEX aggregator that finds the best swap route across EVM networks
1inch

78Disclosure$199Flat / mo

Builders uninterested in which network a route crossed, and willing to pay to stay that way. 1inch reaches the EVM networks under one key, and its cheapest paid step, the $199 Startup plan, is the highest entry price here.

Critical gapThe closed-source smart contract architecture limits security verification for technical and institutional users.

Plan table and expert take

1inch: expert take

The $199 Startup plan drops to $149 when paid yearly, and every step above it moves the same way. That discount costs a twelve-month lock, taken on a ladder whose top tier still carries no price.

Where 1inch holds up

  • Best-price routing across 50+ liquidity sources per chain
  • Multi-chain EVM support (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, etc.)
  • Limit orders available at no additional protocol fee
  • No platform fee - transparent positive-slippage revenue model

4.6CE scoreG2 4.5 · 18 reviewsFounded 2019Verified July 8, 2026

5 plans, as published
PlanMonthlyAnnual
DevFreeFree
Startup$199$149
Professional$399$299
Business$799$599
EnterpriseContact sales
See pricingRead the reviewAlternatives
Vendor pricing page
04

Zapper, the DeFi dashboard whose balance and position data is sold as an API
Zapper

69Disclosure$89Flat / mo

Putting balances and DeFi positions inside your own product without indexing the networks yourself. Zapper begins at zero and charges per query, then moves to flat monthly tiers from the $89 Startup plan up as volume settles.

Critical gapThe platform requires manual gas fee management during complex cross-chain position rebalancing.

Plan table and expert take

Zapper: expert take

The $89 Startup plan carries not one rate limit but several: ten requests a second overall, five a minute on search, half a request a minute on rankings. The 100,000-query headline assumes three credits a query; heavy endpoints cost twelve.

Where Zapper holds up

  • All-in-one DeFi interface - track, swap, bridge, and explore in one place
  • Single-transaction zap-in for complex LP positions
  • Protocol Explorer for discovering and interacting with DeFi protocols
  • NFT portfolio tracking and display integrated

4.3CE scoreG2 4.2 · 10 reviewsFounded 2020Verified July 8, 2026

4 plans, as published
PlanMonthlyAnnual
Pay As You GoFreeFree
Startup$89$89
Growth$399$399
EnterpriseContact sales
See pricingRead the reviewAlternatives
Vendor pricing page
05

Velora, the intent-based swap aggregator formerly known as ParaSwap
Velora

50DisclosureFreePaid tier unpriced

Integrators unwilling to sign a subscription at all, plus traders who like the fee written down. Velora publishes no monthly plan. The public API is free to build on, and the money comes off the swap on Velora's own front end, fifteen basis points on a standard pair.

Critical gapWallet integration security configurations frequently cause transaction failures during cross-chain asset swaps and approvals.

Plan table and expert take

Velora: expert take

A team that builds its own interface mostly escapes Velora's fee, since the charge lives on Velora's front end and not in the API. No plan exists to price. The enterprise key is quoted on request, and nothing else here carries a number.

Where Velora holds up

  • Strong MEV protection in the Augustus Swapper
  • Well-documented API used by major wallets and protocols
  • ParaBoost for institutional-scale RFQ pricing
  • Multi-chain EVM coverage with competitive rates

Founded 2020Verified July 16, 2026

2 plans, as published
PlanMonthlyAnnual
Public APIFreeFree
Enterprise APIContact sales
See pricingRead the reviewAlternatives
Vendor pricing page
03 / 06

Compare any two DeFi tools: plans, chains, APIs and our score

vs

What the records say

For 6 seats, Jupiter bills $25 / mo and DefiLlama bills $294 / mo, $269 / mo between them.

DefiLlama carries 2 of the 3 capability columns on the record; Jupiter shows 1.

Users side with DefiLlama: 4.7 on G2 against 4.6 for Jupiter.

Both run a free tier, so either can be tried before the bill starts.

DefiLlama prices everything it sells; Jupiter leaves part of its lineup unpriced.

Pick DefiLlama for: Reading TVL, yields and token unlocks across DeFi, then getting those numbers into a model of your own.

Pick Jupiter for: Routing swaps on Solana rather than on EVM networks, which is the single decision that puts a builder here.

№ 01

DefiLlama

CE 94 · G2 4.7
Published plans, US$/mo
FreeFree
Pro$49
API$250
Team of 6$294 / mo

Verified July 8, 2026

№ 02

Jupiter

CE 80 · G2 4.6
Published plans, US$/mo
FreeFree
Launch$100
EnterpriseContact sales
Team of 6$25 / mo

Verified July 8, 2026

Both price lists on the category axis

DefiLlama
Jupiter

Where they differ

Only DefiLlama has on the record

  • Every tier priced
  • Cross-chain
  • Dashboards

Only Jupiter has on the record

  • Swap engine
Full comparison: DefiLlama alternativesDefiLlama pricingJupiter pricing
04 / 06

DeFi questions: what free really costs, API rates, Velora and ParaSwap

What do traders actually pay for when the app is free?

Network gas, and on one of these tools a slice of the swap itself. Velora earns on the swap rather than on a subscription. The other four publish no consumer fee of their own, and their paid plans are aimed at developers instead of at the person clicking swap in the interface.

What does a DeFi API cost a developer each month?

Reckon on $69 a month, the midpoint of the entry prices here. Jupiter's Developer plan is the least expensive paid step in the category and 1inch asks the most to get started. Above the entry tiers the prices reach the high hundreds a month, and then the enterprise step goes quiet on price.

Is Velora the same as ParaSwap?

Yes. ParaSwap rebranded as Velora and the old domain redirects. Routing is intent-based, the public API is free to build on, and no subscription exists to sign. The charge sits on Velora's own front end: fifteen basis points on a standard swap, one basis point between stablecoins, nothing on a wrap or unwrap.

What is a credit, and how many does one query cost?

It is the unit two of these vendors count in. Jupiter bundles a monthly credit allowance into each paid tier and sells more by the million. Zapper charges three credits for an ordinary query and twelve for its ranking and feed endpoints, so a headline query count deserves the arithmetic before you trust it.

Is DeFi data free to read?

No. DefiLlama's dashboards, yields, fundraising data and TVL numbers are free and stay free. The Pro seat buys the research layer above them: unlimited LlamaAI questions, five deep research runs a day, custom columns, live data in spreadsheets and CSV export. Pulling the same data into your own code is the separate API purchase.

How do you avoid paying overage on a credit plan?

Size the plan to the endpoints you really hit, not to the headline number. Jupiter charges a flat dollar for every extra million credits, and that rate stays the same on its priciest tier. DefiLlama meters calls past its included million. Zapper's heavy endpoints burn four times the credits of a plain query.

Is a paid API plan worth it for a side project?

Usually not yet. The free Dev key on 1inch carries 100,000 API calls a month at sixty requests a minute. Jupiter's free key is uncapped on volume and held to one request a second. Zapper charges per query with no subscription at all. A side project that outgrows those has stopped being a side project.

Which of these publishes a price for everything it sells?

One of them, and it is DefiLlama. Its free tier, research seat and API plan all carry a figure on one page. The other four print their cheaper tiers and leave the enterprise step blank until you ask.
Field note 01

Free DeFi tools are free in three different ways

For a trader it is free in the plainest sense. The app asks no subscription, and on most routes here it takes no cut either. A developer gets the second kind, a key with a ceiling on it: the 1inch Dev key stops at 100,000 API calls a month, Jupiter's free tier at one request a second, and Zapper runs a per-query tab. Velora is the third kind and sells no subscription at all, earning on the swap instead.

Reading all three as one word is how a project meets its first invoice unprepared. The zero row shows where the meter starts and nothing else.

Field note 02

Costs a DeFi API plan does not cover

For a developer the tier is a floor rather than a total. 1inch is explicit about it and excludes infrastructure fees from the subscription, then sells individual APIs on top of the tier you already hold. Jupiter and DefiLlama keep a meter running past the included allowance, so a heavy month lands above the plan price by itself.

Zapper adds a second variable. Its heavier endpoints spend credits faster than plain ones, so equal money buys unequal amounts of data depending on what your code calls. None of this reaches the trader, whose cost is visible at the moment of the trade and does not follow them home. A developer's invoice is the one that keeps moving after signature, and that is the argument for pricing a busy month rather than an average one.

The verdict on DeFi toolsSigned review · Updated
Oleh KemFounder & Lead AnalystComparEdge Editorial
ProfileORCIDMethod

Work out which side of this market you sit on before you read a price. A trader pays nothing to most of these, or pays inside the swap and never sees an invoice. A developer pays the whole bill. The same product looks free from one seat and costs four figures a year from the other.

For anyone building, the subscription is only the first line of the invoice. Infrastructure fees can sit outside it, individual APIs are sold on top of a tier you already bought, and heavier endpoints drain a quota faster than the headline number suggests. Count your calls in the unit the vendor actually uses. The ranking rewards whoever states the whole price, so a tool that charges nothing and says so plainly finishes above one that keeps its enterprise step private.

MethodWe read 19 plans across five tools, developer tiers and swap fees alike, last checked .
DisclosureCollection is tool-assisted; every verdict is written and signed by a human analyst.
05 / 06
Not sure which? Answer one, take a shortlist.Pick the line that sounds like your team. Each one opens the vendor built for it.
Reading TVL, yields and token unlocks across DeFi, then getting those numbers into a model of your ownDefiLlamaRouting swaps on Solana rather than on EVM networks, which is the single decision that puts a builder hereJupiterBuilders uninterested in which network a route crossed, and willing to pay to stay that way1inchPutting balances and DeFi positions inside your own product without indexing the networks yourselfZapperIntegrators unwilling to sign a subscription at all, plus traders who like the fee written downVelora

Still weighing it? Answer 5 questions, take a shortlist.

06 / 06

Read next: cost guides for DeFi tools, plus related categories

Related categoriesCrypto AnalyticsCrypto WalletsCrypto ExchangesCrypto Trading BotsPayments & BillingAnalytics & BICompare two vendorsDefiLlama vs JupiterJupiter vs 1inch1inch vs ZapperZapper vs VeloraStill unsureAnswer 5 questions → a shortlistAll categories

How this review is made. Prices are read from vendor pricing pages and re-checked on the dates shown against each product. Condition columns reflect the feature set recorded on the vendor’s own pages on that date. ComparEdge sells no DeFi tools and takes no vendor payment for placement. Where a vendor publishes nothing, this page says so rather than estimating. Ranking is by transparency score: pricing transparency 60%, user satisfaction 40%. What a product can do is shown in the condition columns and carries no weight in the number.