Overview
Etherscan is the primary block explorer for Ethereum — look up transactions, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and token transfers. Indispensable for debugging failed transactions, verifying contract source code, and understanding on-chain activity. Every serious Ethereum user has it open daily.
Pricing
✅ When to use
- Debugging failed transactions — Etherscan decodes revert reasons far better than wallets
- Verifying that a contract's published source code matches the deployed bytecode
- Tracking wallet activity, monitoring whale movements, or checking token holder distribution
- Interacting with contracts directly via Read/Write Contract tab (no code needed)
❌ When NOT to use
- Cross-chain analytics — use DefiLlama or Nansen for multi-chain dashboards
- Complex data analysis and custom dashboards — use Dune Analytics for SQL-based queries
- Non-EVM chains — each chain has its own explorer (Solscan for Solana, etc.)
💡 Personal Tips
The 'Read Contract' tab on verified contracts is your best friend for quick on-chain data checks without writing any code — just connect your wallet and call view functions directly. When a tx fails, look for the revert reason in the transaction details — Etherscan usually decodes it to a human-readable error message. The Token Approval Checker (More > Tools) shows all active token approvals — revoke anything you don't recognize. For L2s, each has its own explorer: Arbiscan, BaseScan, Optimistic Etherscan.