What Blockfrost does

Blockfrost (legally Five Binaries OÜ, headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, and founded in 2020) operates an API-as-a-Service platform providing instant programmatic access to the Cardano blockchain. The company targets software developers building decentralized applications (dApps) and Web3 applications, eliminating the operational complexity of running self-hosted Cardano nodes. Its core product is a comprehensive Cardano API exposing over 100 endpoints for querying blocks, transactions, smart contracts, assets, and wallets, supplemented by Webhooks for real-time event notifications, IPFS and Filecoin decentralized file storage, and beta access to Midnight (Cardano's privacy partner chain built for selective disclosure).

Name

Blockfrost

Legal name

Five Binaries OÜ

Website

https://blockfrost.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blockfrost (Five Binaries OÜ) is an Estonian API-as-a-Service platform providing developers with instant access to the Cardano blockchain across 100+ endpoints, supplemented by webhooks, IPFS storage, and Midnight privacy chain integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain API Infrastructure

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools) (FSAPABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Chain Developer Tooling (messaging SDKs, relayers, interoperability APIs) (FSAPABAF)

Keywords

• Blockchain API services
• Cardano infrastructure
• Developer API platform
• Web3 developer tools
• Decentralized storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. API Subscription Tiers: Tiered subscription model with Starter (free), Hobby (€29/month), Developer (€79/month), and Enterprise (custom) plans based on request volume, storage capacity, and feature access. Revenue scales with customer usage and tier upgrades.
2. Usage-Based Add-ons: Pay-as-you-go model with increasing request limits and storage at higher tiers. Premium transaction submit and workspace access available at Developer tier and above.
3. Enterprise Custom Contracts: Custom pricing for enterprise customers with bespoke request volumes, dedicated infrastructure, and SLA requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Blockfrost provides an API-as-a-service platform that delivers instant programmatic access to the Cardano blockchain through a REST API of over 100 endpoints, enabling developers to build dApps, query blocks/transactions/smart contracts, and submit transactions without managing their own node infrastructure. The platform also bundles real-time webhooks, decentralized IPFS storage, and access to Midnight (Cardano's privacy partner chain), offered via tiered subscription plans (Starter free, Hobby, Developer, Enterprise).

Product overview

Blockfrost is an API-as-a-Service platform that provides instant access to the Cardano blockchain ecosystem. The core product is the Cardano API, which offers 100+ endpoints for querying blocks, transactions, and smart contracts. Supporting services include Webhooks for real-time event notifications, IPFS Storage for decentralized file storage, and access to Midnight, Cardano's privacy partner chain built for selective disclosure. The platform runs on open-source tools and SDKs, with infrastructure spread across global nodes for 99.9% uptime. Pricing is structured in four tiers: Starter (free with 50,000 requests/day), Hobby (€29/month), Developer (€79/month), and Enterprise (custom).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cardano API

Quantifiable outcome

• 100M+ requests per day processed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Figment: Blockchain infrastructure provider focused on staking, node services, and data APIs across multiple chains including Cardano. Adjacent competitor in Cardano node operations and institutional-grade infrastructure, though more staking-centric than Blockfrost.

Broad incumbents

• QuickNode: Multi-chain blockchain developer infrastructure provider offering node APIs and add-ons across many networks. While currently Cardano support may be lighter than Blockfrost, QuickNode's product pattern (tiered plans, marketplace of add-ons) is closely mirrored by Blockfrost's roadmap and GTM.
• Alchemy: Leading multi-chain Web3 developer platform offering node APIs, enhanced APIs, and developer tooling. Comparable in PLG motion, SDK coverage, and tiered pricing model that Blockfrost follows, though operating at significantly larger scale across many chains.
• Infura (Consensys): Established Ethereum-centric node API platform owned by Consensys. Comparable in product surface (RPC/API endpoints, archive data, IPFS) and target customer (Web3 developers), and represents the incumbent template Blockfrost's offering follows.
• Blockdaemon: Enterprise-grade blockchain node infrastructure provider supporting multiple networks with dedicated nodes and SLAs. Comparable in its Enterprise tier offering (custom SLAs, dedicated infrastructure) and represents the upmarket trajectory Blockfrost targets.
• Ankr: Decentralized Web3 infrastructure provider offering multi-chain RPC/API endpoints, staking, and app chains. Comparable as a developer infrastructure layer in the same Web3 backend category as Blockfrost, with overlapping product surface in node APIs and IPFS.

Emerging players

• Chainstack: Multi-chain blockchain node and API platform with tiered pricing and dedicated nodes. Comparable in product surface (RPC/API endpoints, archival nodes, dedicated infrastructure) and pricing model for developers, though broader in chain coverage.
• Cexplorer: Cardano-focused blockchain explorer and data analytics platform. Comparable as a Cardano data provider with overlapping address/transaction data products, though more analytics-oriented than Blockfrost's developer API focus.

Direct peers

• Koios: Direct competitor providing community-operated REST API access to Cardano blockchain data. Highly comparable in product surface (queries for blocks, transactions, addresses) and target audience (Cardano developers), with pricing pressure implications for Blockfrost.
• Dandelion (Cardano): Provides Cardano node hosting and API access for developers and stake pool operators. Directly competes with Blockfrost in serving Cardano builders who need reliable node infrastructure and API endpoints.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/blockfrost
• Xx.com/blockfrost_io
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blockfrost

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blockfrost