Overview
CoinMarketCap (CMC) is the oldest and most visited crypto market data website. It went live in May 2013, when there were only a handful of cryptocurrencies, and today ranks thousands of coins by market capitalization and tracks close to 1,000 exchanges. According to its official About page, it passed 340 million monthly visitors in 2022, and its data is cited by outlets such as Forbes, Bloomberg and CNBC.
For many people, CoinMarketCap is the first site they open to check the price of Bitcoin, and its rankings (“the #10 coin”) are part of everyday crypto language.
CMC has been owned by Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, since April 2020. The price was not disclosed but was widely reported at around $400 million. Binance said at the time that CMC would operate independently and that it would have no influence on its rankings.
What you can do on CoinMarketCap
Prices and rankings
The homepage lists coins by market cap with price, changes over 1 hour, 24 hours and 7 days, trading volume, circulating supply and a 7-day chart. The header shows the total crypto market cap, 24-hour liquidations in futures markets, and the Fear & Greed Index.
Each coin page includes:
- Price chart from one day to the full history
- Market cap, fully diluted valuation, volume and supply (circulating, total, maximum)
- All-time high and low
- Markets: every exchange and pair where the coin trades
- Official website, explorers, contract addresses and social links
- Project description, news, community posts and community sentiment
You can filter the main list by blockchain (“All networks”), by category (DeFi, AI, RWA, meme coins…) and switch to tabs such as Trending, New, Gainers or Most Visited.
DexScan
DexScan covers tokens trading on decentralized exchanges across many blockchains, including newly created pairs. Since late 2024 it includes security checks that flag common scam signs, such as tokens whose owner can block selling. These checks help, but they cannot catch every scam: new DEX tokens remain extremely risky.
Fear & Greed Index
CMC publishes its own Crypto Fear & Greed Index, a score from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed) based on market data such as price momentum, volatility and derivatives activity. On 21 October 2026 it stood at 53 (neutral). Many investors use it as a contrarian signal: extreme fear has often appeared near market lows and extreme greed near tops. It is a mood gauge, not a timing tool.
CMC indexes
- CMC100, launched in 2024, tracks the 100 largest cryptocurrencies, a broad measure of the market.
- CMC20 tracks the 20 largest assets (excluding stablecoins) and is also available as a tradable on-chain token.
These indexes show how “the market” as a whole is doing, beyond Bitcoin alone.
Portfolio, watchlists and alerts
With a free account you can build watchlists and a portfolio tracker (manual entries or connected wallets). The mobile app sends price alerts when a coin reaches your target or moves sharply. This is the main reason we list CMC among our tools: it is a quick, free way to keep an eye on prices.
Community, Academy and research
- Community: a social feed where users and projects post updates and opinions. Treat it like social media: some posts are informative, many are promotional.
- CMC Academy (since 2020): free articles, a glossary and beginner courses.
- Exchange Proof of Reserves (since 2022): shows the publicly disclosed reserves of exchanges that publish their wallet addresses.
CMC has also added AI features, such as AI-generated market summaries and alerts.
How the numbers are calculated
Like other data sites, CoinMarketCap calculates:
- Price as a volume-weighted average across the markets where a coin trades, excluding outliers.
- Market cap = price × circulating supply.
- Rank as the coin’s position by market cap.
CMC scores trading pairs and exchanges using liquidity, volume and other factors, and shows a Confidence Indicator that flags markets where reported volume looks suspiciously high compared with what its model expects.
Because each site uses its own exchange list, supply figures and filters, numbers differ between sites. On 21 October 2026, CoinMarketCap showed a total crypto market cap of $2.79 trillion, while CoinGecko showed $2.89 trillion. Neither is “wrong”; they measure slightly different things. Compare like with like, and use one source consistently when you follow a trend.
Listing and its limits
CoinMarketCap lists an enormous number of tokens, especially through DexScan, which picks up new DEX tokens automatically. A listing is not an endorsement, and CMC’s mix of rankings, trending lists, sponsored placements and community posts means you will see a lot of speculative tokens. Always check a project independently before buying.
The CoinMarketCap API
CMC’s data is available through an API for developers and businesses. Prices below are from CMC’s official API pricing page in October 2026.
| Plan | Price per month | Credits per month | Rate limit | Update frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | 15,000 | 50 / minute | 60 seconds |
| Builder | $29 | 150,000 | 300 / minute | 60 seconds |
| Startup | $79 | 450,000 | 600 / minute | Real-time |
| Growth | $299 | 2 million | 750 / minute | Real-time |
| Professional | $699 | 5 million | 1,200 / minute | Real-time |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 1,600+ / minute | Real-time |
The free Basic plan includes commercial use, which is generous. For people who simply use the website or app, everything is free.
Ownership and independence
The main question about CoinMarketCap is its ownership by Binance. Binance is itself one of the exchanges CMC ranks, and Binance-related tokens appear on the site like any others. There is no public evidence that Binance has manipulated CMC’s data, and CMC states that its methodology is applied equally to all. Still, investors who prefer a fully independent source often cross-check with CoinGecko, which is not owned by an exchange.
On security, CMC says it achieved ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 27701 (privacy) certification in 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The best-known crypto price site, fast and easy to use
- Free portfolio tracker, watchlists and mobile price alerts
- DexScan with basic scam checks for DEX tokens
- Fear & Greed Index and CMC20 / CMC100 indexes
- Free Academy for beginners
- Free API with commercial use
Cons
- Owned by Binance, which raises questions about independence
- Lots of noise: trending lists, promotions, speculative tokens
- Community feed can be promotional
- Basic charts compared to TradingView
- Numbers can differ from other data sites
CoinMarketCap vs. CoinGecko
| CoinMarketCap | CoinGecko | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 | 2014 |
| Ownership | Binance (since 2020) | Independent |
| DEX tool | DexScan | GeckoTerminal |
| Sentiment tool | Fear & Greed Index | – |
| Market indexes | CMC20, CMC100 | – |
| Free API | 15,000 credits/month | 10,000 calls/month |
For everyday use, both are excellent and free. CMC stands out for its alerts, sentiment tools and indexes; CoinGecko for its independence and published methodology.
Our verdict
CoinMarketCap remains one of the most practical crypto tools: quick price checks, a free portfolio tracker, mobile alerts and helpful market gauges like the Fear & Greed Index. It is an easy starting point for beginners and a convenient dashboard for experienced investors.
Treat it as a data and alert tool, not a source of investment ideas. Trending lists and community posts are not research, and because of its Binance ownership it is worth cross-checking important numbers with an independent source.
This review is for information only and is not financial advice.