DeFiLlama’s founder just publicly blasted Blockworks for reselling their free data on a paid analytics platform that costs $4,500 annually. The timing couldn’t be worse; this happened the same day Blockworks announced they’re shutting down their news division to focus on data products.
0xngmi from DeFiLlama posted screenshots showing Blockworks was still using their data even after supposedly removing it months ago when they changed their terms of service. He basically called them out for breaking their agreement and charging thousands for data that’s supposed to be free.
Blockworks’ head of data, Daniel Smith, tried to defend it, saying the charts were just old leftovers in their dashboard builder that hadn’t been updated since July. But 0xngmi wasn’t buying it and showed evidence of October 2025 data still being pulled, which made Smith’s explanation look pretty sketchy.
The crypto community on Twitter went crazy over this, with most people siding with DeFiLlama. The engagement numbers showed way more support for 0xngmi than Blockworks, probably because people don’t like seeing free open-source data getting repackaged and sold.
Blockworks CEO Jason Yanowitz had just announced they’re pivoting away from news because data products are where the money is. Record revenues in 2025, projecting more in 2026. But getting caught potentially reselling DeFiLlama’s data on the same day you announce this pivot? Not a great look for building trust in your data business.
Conclusion
Blockworks’ data pivot now faces credibility issues, as being accused of reselling DeFiLlama’s free data undermines trust. The crypto community largely sided with DeFiLlama, making Blockworks’ timing and defense appear damaging and poorly handled.
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