Indexing Co vs Moralis
Moralis is a Web3 API platform for querying pre-built endpoints. Indexing Co is a data pipeline that delivers raw contract events to your own database.
You're building a DeFi analytics dashboard. You reach for a Moralis endpoint, get a response in minutes, and ship the first version fast. Then a product requirement comes in: you need raw event data from a custom contract, filtered, transformed, and stored in your own Postgres table so your analytics engine can query it directly. Moralis doesn't have an endpoint for that. Now you're looking at a pipeline.
That's the gap between an API and a data pipeline.
Architecture
Moralis is an API platform. It exposes 80+ pre-built endpoints covering NFTs, tokens, wallets, prices, DeFi positions, and on-chain streams. You call their API, you get structured data back. The schema is theirs — it's designed for broad applicability across common use cases. For teams building consumer-facing apps that need fast answers to standard questions, that's a major time saver.
Indexing Co is a data pipeline. It takes the on-chain events you care about, applies optional TypeScript transforms, and delivers the data to your PostgreSQL database, BigQuery instance, or webhook endpoint — on your schema. There's no intermediary API to query. The data is yours, in your database, in the shape you defined. You bring the storage; Indexing Co handles the extraction, transformation, and loading.
The difference is who controls the schema and where the data lives.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Moralis | Indexing Co |
|---|---|---|
| Data delivery | API endpoints (query their servers) | Direct to your PostgreSQL, BigQuery, or webhook |
| Schema control | Moralis-defined endpoints | You define the schema |
| Chain support | 80+ chains including EVM, Solana, Bitcoin, BNB, Base | 100+ chains including all major EVM and non-EVM |
| Custom contract events | Limited (Streams for webhooks, not raw DB delivery) | Full raw event indexing with custom transforms |
| Block-to-database delivery | API response time | sub-500ms (dedicated infra) |
| Data volume | API rate limits per tier | 1B+ events/day processed |
| Pre-built endpoints | 80+ (NFT, Token, Wallet, Price, DeFi) | Not applicable — pipeline, not API |
| Managed infrastructure | Yes | Yes |
| SDKs | Yes (multiple languages) | TypeScript transforms, console-based config |
| Pricing model | CU-based, tiered (Starter to Enterprise) | Contact for pipeline pricing |
| Real-time streaming | Streams (webhook delivery) | Webhook + direct DB delivery |
| Raw event access | Partial via Streams | Full access to raw contract events |
When to Use Each
- You need fast answers to standard questions: wallet balances, NFT holdings, token prices, DeFi positions
- You're building a consumer app or dashboard that fits within the pre-built endpoint library
- You want SDKs and a quick integration path without writing pipeline logic
- Your data access patterns are read-heavy and query-driven, not storage-driven
- You're prototyping and want the shortest path from chain to response
- You need data in your own database — not queried from someone else's servers
- You're indexing custom smart contract events that don't map to a pre-built endpoint
- You want to define your own schema, apply transforms, and own the data long-term
- You're running analytics pipelines, data warehouses, or BI tools that need direct DB access
- You process high event volumes and need throughput guarantees, not API rate limits
Get Started
If your data needs have grown past what a pre-built API can cover, the next step is a pipeline that delivers directly to your database.