Etherscan
The standard Ethereum block explorer
Best for: Developers and analysts who need to quickly inspect transactions, verify contracts, and access basic Ethereum data through a trusted interface.Etherscan is the original and most widely used block explorer for Ethereum. It provides a web interface for viewing transactions, wallet balances, smart contract code, token transfers, gas prices, and network statistics. For anyone working with Ethereum data, Etherscan is the first place you go to verify a transaction or inspect a contract.
Beyond basic exploration, Etherscan offers developer tools including a contract verification and publishing service, an API for programmatic access to Ethereum data, and advanced analytics pages for gas tracking, DEX activity, and token holder distributions. The platform also supports Ethereum testnets and has expanded to operate explorers for other EVM chains through the Etherscan family (Polygonscan, Arbiscan, Basescan, etc.).
For data professionals, Etherscan is less of an analytics tool and more of a verification and inspection layer. It is the standard reference when you need to check contract ABIs, verify transaction hashes, look up token details, or debug smart contract interactions. The API is widely used in data pipelines for basic blockchain data retrieval.
Pricing
- Free: Basic explorer access and API with rate limits (5 calls/sec).
- API Plans: Paid tiers for higher rate limits and additional endpoints. Pricing starts at $199/mo for the Standard plan.
- Enterprise: Custom API plans for high-volume use cases.
Chains Supported
Ethereum (mainnet), plus the Etherscan family operates separate explorers for: Polygon (Polygonscan), Arbitrum (Arbiscan), Base (Basescan), Optimism, BNB Chain (BscScan), Fantom (FTMScan), Avalanche (Snowtrace), and additional EVM networks.
- Transaction verification: confirm transaction status, gas used, and event logs
- Contract inspection: read verified source code, ABIs, and interact with contracts
- Token research: check holder distributions, transfer volumes, and contract details
- Gas monitoring: track gas prices and network congestion in real-time
- API integration: pull basic blockchain data into pipelines and applications