If you’re looking to add DeFi portfolio tracking to an app, two names stand out: Debank and Zerion. Both platforms originated as consumer-facing portfolio trackers built to help users manage their assets across Ethereum and other EVM chains. Over time, they have leveraged their robust data infrastructure to offer powerful APIs for developers. This guide compares their core features, chain support, and pricing models to help you decide which API is best for your project.

Core features

Both Zerion and Debank offer extensive DeFi protocol positions coverage across major EVM chains, but they approach data retrieval differently.

Zerion API covers over 8,000 protocols. One of its standout features for developers is the transparency of its coverage; you can verify exactly which protocols are supported by using the dapp list endpoint. This makes it easy to programmatically check if a specific DeFi project is trackable before you even begin integrating.

Debank is known for supporting an even larger number of protocols, often listing new and niche projects faster than competitors. However, checking if a specific protocol is supported can be more challenging. While their coverage is vast, there isn't always a simple, global endpoint to query support status for a specific protocol instantly. The general rule of thumb is that if a protocol exists on an EVM chain, chances are it is or will be supported by Debank soon.

The biggest difference between Zerion API and Debank is in the querying architecture:

  • Debank often requires you to structure calls as individual per-chain queries. While they do offer a multichain query, it can be more complex to implement and slower to execute.
  • Zerion is multichain by default. A single API call automatically fetches all protocol positions for a wallet address across all supported chains. This unified approach simplifies the developer experience, reducing the need for multiple loops or complex data aggregation logic on your backend.

Scalability and performance

When building production-grade applications, scalability is key. 

Zerion focuses on providing a high-performance infrastructure suitable for enterprise use. Its systems are battle-tested by their own wallet with millions of users, offering high rate limits and consistent uptime. For enterprise users, Zerion offers custom SLAs. 

Debank is also robust but manages performance through a strict compute-unit economy. Complex queries that sweep multiple chains or protocols consume more "units," which can impact performance predictability if your application makes heavy, irregular data requests.

Supported blockchains

Both Zerion and Debank are known for their multichain support. 

Debank shines in its breadth of network support. It currently supports approximately 95 chains, including many niche Layer 2s and sidechains that other providers might overlook. They are fast at integrating new chains. 

The Zerion API supports over 38 EVM chains and Solana. While the total count is lower than Debank's, it covers the vast majority of total value locked (TVL) and user activity in the crypto space, with deep integration for the most popular networks. Zerion often supports the most anticipated chains right after their testnets or mainets launches: Plasma, Monad, and Tempo are just some of the examples. 

Pricing

Debank’s pricing model is designed for heavy users but lacks entry-level flexibility:

  • No free tier: There is no free option for testing or small projects; you must pay to access the API.
  • Compute unit pricing: Pricing is based on "compute units." This utility-based model can be hard to predict, as different API calls consume different amounts of units. As your application scales or the complexity of your queries increases, costs can run up unexpectedly.

Zerion offers a more developer-friendly pricing structure with a generous free tier:

  • Free Plan: Perfect for testing and hobbyists, offering roughly 3,000 requests per day.
  • Transparent Plans:
    • $99/month for up to 200,000 requests.
    • $499/month for up to 1,000,000 requests. This predictable flat-rate pricing makes it much easier for startups and businesses to forecast their monthly infrastructure costs.

At an even larger scale, Zerion API offers custom pricing, which can help plan expenses for products already in production. 

How to choose

The choice between Debank and Zerion depends largely on your specific use case:

  • Use the Zerion API if you want to easily add wallet data to an app with predictable costs. Its multichain-by-default architecture and generous free tier make it the best starting point for most developers.
  • Use the Debank API if your application requires tracking specific, niche protocols or long-tail blockchains that are only supported by their platform. If maximum coverage is your only metric, Debank is a strong contender.

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