Blockscout vs Nownodes

Blockscout is the open-source, EVM-compatible block explorer behind dozens of public chain explorers (Ethereum mainnet, its L2s, and more), and its REST v2 API exposes the same block, address, token, and transaction data that powers those explorer UIs. No signup or API key is required for the per-instance hosted public REST API, though anonymous callers are rate-limited per endpoint (confirmed live: `x-ratelimit-limit` varies by route, e.g. 180 on an address lookup vs. 10 on `/stats`); docs.blockscout.com also flags this per-instance API for deprecation in favor of a separate, paid, API-key-gated multichain "PRO API," though the free per-instance API this entry tracks was still live and keyless as of this run's probe. Every response is JSON.

NOWNodes runs hosted full nodes for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and dozens of other chains, giving developers a single JSON-RPC/REST gateway instead of operating node infrastructure themselves. A free tier covers 100,000 requests for one month to get started, after which usage moves to metered Pro/Business/Enterprise plans billed per request volume. Every endpoint requires an api-key header.