Web3.js vs Magic vs Subgraphs Comparison | Builder's Guide

Comparison Summary

Web3.js, Magic and Subgraphs each address unique challenges in the web3 ecosystem, offering complementary strengths for builders. A JavaScript library providing a comprehensive API to interact with Ethereum and EVM-compatible blockchains. 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.

	Web3.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	Smart contract interaction, Event subscriptions, Account and transaction management, Ethereum Name Service (ENS) support, Utility helpers	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	Free	Free	Hosted Service
Paid Features	—	1 paid tiers	1 paid tiers
Custom Plans	—	Enterprise plans	—

Web3.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