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Covalent (GoldRush) vs Subsquid (SQD)

How Covalent (GoldRush) and Subsquid (SQD) differ on type, speed, chains and developer experience.

Covalent (GoldRush)Subsquid (SQD)
TypeData APIDecentralized protocol
How it worksGoldRush by Covalent serves a unified REST/GraphQL API over standardized blockchain data (the Block Specimen model), so you read multichain data without running your own indexer.An open SDK plus a decentralized data lake (the SQD Network): batch-fetch on-chain data fast, transform in TypeScript, and serve. Covers EVM and non-EVM in one framework.
Chains100+100+ (EVM + non-EVM)
SpeedAPIVery fast
CodingREST / GraphQLTypeScript
Best forQuick multichain reads & dashboardsFast multichain incl. non-EVM

Covalent (GoldRush)

  • No indexer to build — just call the API
  • Standardized multichain data
  • Great for dashboards & analytics
  • Less custom than a real indexer
  • API rate limits / pricing

Subsquid (SQD)

  • Very fast (2nd in benchmarks)
  • 100+ chains incl. non-EVM
  • Modular SDK + decentralized network
  • More moving parts to learn
  • Smaller than The Graph

Bottom line

Pick Covalent (GoldRush) for quick multichain reads & dashboards; pick Subsquid (SQD) for fast multichain incl. non-evm.