A head-to-head comparison of Arbiscan and Blockscout — pricing, the features that actually differ, and which one fits which use case.
The Etherscan-built block explorer for Arbitrum One and Nova
Open-source block explorer self-hostable on any EVM chain
These are the 3 capabilities where the two tools genuinely diverge — the rest of their feature sets overlap.
| Capability | Arbiscan | Blockscout |
|---|---|---|
| Multi Chain Support | No | Yes |
| Address Labels | Yes | No |
| Private Notes | Pro plans | No |
| Feature | Arbiscan | Blockscout |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction History | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contract Verification | ✓ | ✓ |
| Token Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nft Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Api Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi Chain Support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gas Tracker | ✓ | ✓ |
| Source Code Viewer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Address Labels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Private Notes | Pro plans | ✗ |
Both tools are free to use — costs come from network or usage fees.
Arbiscan
Free
Arbiscan
$19/mo
$190/yr billed annually
Arbiscan
$99/mo
$990/yr billed annually
Blockscout
Free
Blockscout
Custom
Watch out: Closed-source and centrally operated.
Watch out: Self-hosting requires infrastructure setup — not instant like Etherscan.
Arbiscan edges ahead on our editorial score (4.5/5), but these tools aren’t straight substitutes. Pick Arbiscan when canonical, best-maintained explorer for arbitrum matters most to your workflow; pick Blockscout when fully open source — any chain can deploy and customize it freely is the priority. The deciding factor is usually the trade-off you can least afford — Arbiscan means accepting that closed-source and centrally operated, while Blockscout means self-hosting requires infrastructure setup — not instant like etherscan.
Arbiscan carries the higher editorial rating (4.5/5 vs 4.3/5), but they solve different problems. Arbiscan is the stronger pick when you need canonical, best-maintained explorer for arbitrum. Blockscout wins when fully open source — any chain can deploy and customize it freely.
Both tools are free to use, with costs coming from network or usage fees rather than subscriptions.
Arbiscan's main limitation is that closed-source and centrally operated. For Blockscout, self-hosting requires infrastructure setup — not instant like etherscan. Weigh these against how you actually plan to use the tool.
In most cases yes — many teams run both, using each where it's strongest. Since Arbiscan leads on canonical, best-maintained explorer for arbitrum and Blockscout on fully open source — any chain can deploy and customize it freely, the two are often complementary rather than mutually exclusive.