Ethers.js vs Magic vs Subgraphs Comparison | Builder's Guide

Comparison Summary

Ethers.js, Magic and Subgraphs each address unique challenges in the web3 ecosystem, offering complementary strengths for builders. A complete and compact JavaScript library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain and ecosystem. Magic provides enterprise-grade, non-custodial wallet infrastructure and passwordless authentication APIs for seamless Web3 onboarding and wallet management. The Graph is a decentralized indexing protocol that organizes blockchain data and makes it easily accessible via GraphQL. Together, these tools serve different but overlapping user needs, making them valuable components in a modern web3 development stack.

	Ethers.js // Web3 SDKs // Web3 Developer Tools	Magic // Web3 Developer Tools // Web3 SDKs // Web3 Wallet Tools // Wallet SDKs // Infrastructure Tools	Subgraphs // Web3 Developer Tools // Indexing Tools // Web3 Data Tools
At a Glance
Composability
Cross-Chain
Customizability
Developer Support
Ease of Integration
Performance
Key Features
Core Capabilities	Wallet and Key Management, Contract Meta-Classes, Multi-Provider Support, Extension Packages	API Wallets with Core and Express APIs, Embedded Wallet SDKs, Multi-chain support, Newton Protocol	Subgraphs, Substreams, Token API
Chain Support		+32	+46
Best For	DeFi Developers, Infrastructure Developers	Infrastructure Developers, DeFi Developers	DeFi Developers, NFT Platform Developers
Pricing
Free Tier	Open Source	Free	Hosted Service
Paid Features	—	1 paid tiers	1 paid tiers
Custom Plans	—	Enterprise plans	—

Ethers.js

// Web3 SDKs // Web3 Developer Tools

Magic

// Web3 Developer Tools // Web3 SDKs // Web3 Wallet Tools // Wallet SDKs // Infrastructure Tools

Subgraphs

// Web3 Developer Tools // Indexing Tools // Web3 Data Tools

At a Glance

Composability

Cross-Chain

Customizability

Developer Support

Ease of Integration