Abstract
Subscan Explorer provides critical infrastructure for the Moonbeam, Moonriver, and Moonbase networks, delivering:
-
Accurate on-chain data indexing for transactions, staking, governance, EVM, and more
-
Timely technical response to network upgrades and runtime updates
-
Continuous network monitoring, performance tracking, and anomaly alerts
-
Free community APIs powering dashboards, bots, tools, and analytics
We are pleased to submit this proposal to the Moonbeam and Moonriver communities, requesting treasury support for Subscan’s full-year operations in 2025 across all three networks.
Over the past year, we delivered major improvements including Balances.Freezes support and the upcoming on-chain event/extrinsic subscription module. Subscan also continues providing free API services to all developers and community users, enabling greater ecosystem innovation.
This proposal ensures reliable, uninterrupted service throughout 2025 and establishes a foundation for quarterly reporting and higher cost transparency starting in 2026.
Motivation
The Moonbeam ecosystem requires highly available and precise data infrastructure to support developers, validators, builders, and users. Subscan plays a foundational role by offering:
-
EVM functionality expansion: NFT, contract verification, cross-chain support
-
Stable governance & staking metrics for transparent decision-making
-
Unified EVM + Substrate experience, simplifying usage and development
-
Free public APIs, essential for many community and developer tools
Supporting Subscan directly supports the ecosystem’s reliability, transparency, and long-term developer friendliness.
Project Overview & Team Experience
Timely Upgrade Compatibility
Subscan actively adapts to new features and runtime updates on all Moon networks, ensuring accuracy and compatibility.
Free Community API Services
Our public API remains open and free for developers, powering a wide range of ecosystem applications.
On-Chain Subscription & Notification Module
We have completed the core extrinsic/event subscription module, with planned integration for Moonbeam and Moonriver in upcoming cycles.
Treasury & Forum Data Expansion
We have expanded support for treasury modules (e.g., treasury_council, treasury_spend) and continue exploring integrations for forum-based governance data.
Future Roadmap
-
Ongoing performance optimization
-
Deeper EVM ↔ Substrate functional integration
-
Enhanced subscription and notification features
-
More unified and modern user interface
-
Stronger monitoring and automated alerting
Background on Pricing & Cost Structure
Unified, Resource-Based Billing Model
Subscan now uses a unified billing model based on actual data usage, replacing the old fixed-per-chain structure.
Networks with higher resource consumption contribute proportionally more, making the model fair and reflective of real operational load.
During 2022–2023, part of Moonbeam’s cost was subsidized by internal and grant-funded support, meaning historical bills did not fully represent true operational expenses. The new model corrects this structural gap.
Why 2024 Is the Most Accurate Baseline
2024 pricing is the first year that accurately reflects Subscan’s true cost as a production-grade SaaS platform.
Thus, 2025 estimates are based on a realistic and stable baseline.
We continue optimizing infrastructure, and improvements in 2024–2025 already show reduced overhead. These optimizations are expected to further reduce costs in 2026.
Beyond Cloud Costs: The Real Work Behind Subscan
Subscan’s expenses extend far beyond cloud hosting, including:
-
Continuous runtime compatibility work
-
Frequent Substrate & EVM feature maintenance
-
DevOps operations and 24/7 alerting
-
Maintaining consistent multi-chain UI/UX
-
Operating the public API gateway used across the ecosystem
Comparing Subscan to simple cloud hosting is not accurate — it is closer to Etherscan-level SaaS infrastructure, not a basic server provider.
Forward Pricing Outlook
We acknowledge community concerns regarding possible cost increases and therefore make the following commitments:
Fees are expected to decrease further in 2026
Infrastructure optimization efforts are ongoing and already showing positive results.
2026 costs will not exceed the amount requested in this proposal
This cost ceiling applies even if on-chain data continues to grow.
New annual/semiannual discount mechanisms are in internal testing
These will be publicly announced once the model stabilizes.
Annual prepayment will always receive the highest discount tier.
2025 Service Scope & Cost Basis
This proposal covers Subscan operations for Moonbeam, Moonriver, and Moonbase for the entire year of 2025.
Cost estimates follow the resource-based model and use 2024 usage trends as the baseline.
Starting in 2026, Subscan will transition to a quarterly treasury request model, enabling improved transparency and detailed progress/cost reporting.
Annual prepayments will continue to benefit from the most favorable discount tier.
Service Deliverables
Core Infrastructure
-
Highly available on-chain data indexing
-
Full historical database storage
-
Stable and scalable network bandwidth
Monitoring & DevOps
-
24/7 real-time alerting
-
Automated anomaly detection
-
Minimal downtime and rapid recovery
Technical Support
-
Runtime and network upgrade compatibility
-
Staking, governance, and treasury module support
-
Full EVM feature support and maintenance
Community API
-
Reliable and completely free developer API
-
Supports dashboards, explorers, bots, and analytics tools
Summary of Current Charges
Subscan’s monthly cost is based on data usage for each network.
Given daily usage fluctuations, we rely on audited H1 2025 data, calculated as:
Annual Cost = (H1 actual usage × 2) × 20% annual prepayment discount
The 20% discount normally applies only to early yearly payments, but due to historical billing delays affecting this submission timing, we extend this discount to this proposal for fairness and consistency.
2025 Estimated Usage
-
Moonbeam: ~1,753.98 GB
-
Moonriver: ~1,062.7 GB
-
Moonbase: billed at a discounted fixed rate of $799/month (6-month data consideration)
Total 2025 Annual Cost (after 20% discount)
-
Moonbeam + Moonbase: $71,499
-
Moonriver: $30,648
Reference Pricing Plans
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Included | Overage | Auto-Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $799 | 200GB | $5.3/GB | 350GB |
| Advanced | $1,699 | 500GB | $5.2/GB | 750GB |
| Professional | $2,999 | 1TB | $5.0/GB | – |
For on-chain proposal execution, conversions will use EMA 30 pricing.
We recommend using the Subscan conversion tool for accuracy.
Beneficiary Address
0x4C1d278B4be149D053ECc9dDd4a0f803779962d1
Use of Treasury Funds
If approved, treasury funds will support:
-
Daily operations: cloud infrastructure, databases, bandwidth, monitoring
-
Service enhancements: governance, staking, NFT, EVM feature updates
-
Long-term development: unified EVM + Substrate architecture
-
Community support: free APIs, technical assistance, ecosystem integrations
These investments ensure Subscan continues providing a reliable, transparent, and developer-friendly data infrastructure for all three networks.
Closing Statement
Thank you to the Moonbeam and Moonriver communities for your continued trust and support.
Subscan remains committed to transparency, service reliability, and long-term investment in the ecosystem’s growth.
We look forward to working closely with the community throughout 2025 and sharing quarterly updates on progress, performance improvements, and cost optimization results.
