This section measures the "Time to First Byte" (TTFB), which reflects the raw backend processing speed of each explorer for different types of common searches. It isolates server response time from page loading time. Use the buttons below to compare performance across query types. Lower values are better.
Analysis
Mempool.space consistently leads in raw search speed, likely due to a highly optimized backend. Blockstream.info follows closely. Blockonomics posts very respectable times, significantly faster than Blockchain.com, which appears to have the highest backend latency across all general query types.
User Experience: Full Page Load
While backend speed is important, the end-user's perceived performance depends on the full page load time. This metric measures the total time until a page is fully rendered and interactive, including all scripts, ads, and UI elements. This chart shows the comparison for a high-activity address search.
Key Takeaways
Mempool.space remains the fastest, but its feature-rich UI brings its load time closer to others.
Blockonomics and Blockstream.info offer a great balance with fast, lightweight frontends.
Blockchain.com is significantly slower due to a heavy load of advertisements and third-party scripts, which drastically impacts the final user experience.
Performance Consistency (p95)
A good average speed is only useful if it's consistent. This chart visualizes the range between the average search time and the 95th percentile (p95) time for a TXID search. The p95 time means 95% of searches are faster than this value. A shorter bar indicates a more reliable and predictable user experience with fewer frustratingly slow searches.
Analysis
Mempool.space and Blockstream.info are the most consistent, with their p95 times being very close to their averages. This means users get a predictably fast experience almost every time. Blockonomics also performs well, showing good reliability. Blockchain.com exhibits the largest variance; while its average time is 300ms, 5% of searches take 550ms or longer, indicating potential performance bottlenecks.
The xPub Advantage: Wallet Tracking
Tracking an entire wallet via its Extended Public Key (xPub) is a data-intensive task that is a core feature for services like Blockonomics. This is a specialized query where performance is critical for users managing multiple addresses. Mempool.space and Blockstream.info do not offer this feature directly.
Analysis
This is where Blockonomics' specialization shines. Its architecture is clearly optimized for handling complex xPub queries, which involve deriving and checking balances for thousands of addresses. It returns results more than twice as fast as Blockchain.com, the main competitor offering a similar feature. For users who need to track entire wallets, Blockonomics is the undisputed performance leader.