DeFiLlama has claimed that Blockworks is selling its free data on a paid analytics service that costs $4,500 per year.
The accusation came soon after Blockworks declared that it would close its news department and go all-software and all-data service.
Blockworks changes direction to the data business
Co-founder of Blockworks, Jason Yanowitz, posted the new direction of the company in great detail on X. He described how Blockworks, which was founded in 2017 alongside Michael Ippolito, was intended to address the information problem faced in an industry that was constantly evolving. Yanowitz claimed that the company had developed a portfolio of events, podcasts, research tools, and a newsroom throughout the years.
He disclosed that Blockworks recorded a record revenue in 2025 and is projected to record another good year in 2026. According to Yanowitz, the data division is the primary driver of growth at the company, and its significance is evident to both investors and crypto protocols. He assured that Blockworks would not remain in the news business. He stated that the cryptocurrency media industry had now reached maturity, with users favoring data dashboards over traditional reporting.
Yanowitz is grateful to the newsroom team and urged them to be employed by other organizations. He stated that the operation of newsletters, podcasts, and events would not be limited to Blockworks, and the second DAS Conference would take place in Abu Dhabi.
DeFiLlama fights with Blockword on data mining
Controversy began when 0xngmi, the creator of DeFiLlama, responded to a post by Yanowitz, in which he accused Blockworks of reselling its previously promised free data. He provided a screenshot of a chart on the paid Blockworks platform, which utilized data from DeFiLlama.
Dan Smith, Head of Data at Blockworks, has responded with the information that the charts showed stale data, as the information in DeFiLlama had been outdated for months. He indicated that the dashboard tool showed all historical charts, regardless of whether they were running or not.
In response, 0xngmi announced that the chart was operational and included data up to October 2025, implying that he would continue to use it. Having said that, Smith ceased to reply. Posting on X revealed that the comments of 0xngmi would receive far greater attention from the community, indicating that people generally agree with the position taken by DeFiLlama.
Blockworks layoffs: community response
The closure of the Newsroom by Blockworks also attracted criticism. The statement was perceived as insensitive by many users because it noted record profits before discussing layoffs. The tone of the message, according to Martyna MBL, Senior Director at Serotonin, was deaf, and portrayed an image of a company that did not appreciate its journalists.
The newsroom of Blockworks has become a highly regarded brand among community members, who have noted the organization’s success in establishing credibility during crucial moments in the cryptocurrency market. The occurrence of the DeFiLlama accusation exacerbated the general opinion, raising concerns about the transparency of Blockworks, which is transitioning into an enterprise-oriented data company.
The controversy between DeFiLlama and Blockworks has sparked a debate on data ethics and the accountability of these platforms. During the transition of Blockworks to a software-based model, its reputation and future success will rely on its ability to maintain the trust of its users and data providers.
