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Crypto · head to head

BscScan vs CoinMarketCap

BscScan logo

BscScan

Crypto

BNB Smart Chain explorer

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CoinMarketCap logo

CoinMarketCap

Crypto

The world's most-referenced price-tracking website

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BscScan the BscScan API page now redirects to Etherscan's unified multichain API pricing, so BNB Chain data is bought under Etherscan plans rather than a BscScan-specific one; CoinMarketCap the free Basic plan gives historical data going back only 60 seconds, so it cannot answer any question about the past
  • They diverge on capability: BscScan covers Block Explorer, CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BscScan and CoinMarketCap actually diverge.

Attributes where BscScan and CoinMarketCap differ
AttributeBscScanCoinMarketCap
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20202013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Crypto).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BscScan

  • Block Explorer
  • Transaction Tracking
  • Token Tracker
  • Contract Verification
  • Validators Info
  • BNB Smart Chain
  • BEP-20 tokens
  • Api support

Only in CoinMarketCap

  • Price Tracking
  • Market Cap Rankings
  • Portfolio Tracker
  • Crypto News
  • API Access
  • Binance
  • Exchanges
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BscScan

  • Exploring BNB Smart Chain transactions, addresses and BEP-20 token transfersnot CoinMarketCap
  • Verifying and reading BNB Chain smart contract source codenot CoinMarketCap
  • Querying BNB Chain data programmatically through the explorer APInot CoinMarketCap

CoinMarketCap

  • Real-time cryptocurrency market tracking and analysisnot BscScan
  • Historical price data retrieval for researchnot BscScan
  • Exchange tracking and aggregationnot BscScan
  • Token information and metadata accessnot BscScan
  • Portfolio monitoring integrationsnot BscScan

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BscScan

  • The BscScan API page now redirects to Etherscan's unified multichain API pricing, so BNB Chain data is bought under Etherscan plans rather than a BscScan-specific one
  • The free API plan is capped at 3 calls per second and 100,000 calls per day and requires attribution
  • API Pro endpoints start at the Standard plan at $199 per month
  • Rate limits top out at 30 calls per second even on the $899 per month Pro Plus plan
  • The Address Metadata endpoint requires Pro Plus at $899 per month and is limited to one app license

CoinMarketCap

  • The free Basic plan gives historical data going back only 60 seconds, so it cannot answer any question about the past
  • Three years of history requires the $29 Builder plan and all time history the $79 Startup plan
  • Free is capped at 15,000 credits a month and 50 requests a minute
  • Rate limits are tiered separately from credits, from 50 a minute on free to 1,200 on Professional
  • Enterprise pricing is custom despite listing 30,000,000 credits

Pricing, plan by plan

BscScan

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Block explorer
    • 5 API calls/sec
    • Token tracker
  • Pro$199/month
    • Higher rate limits
    • Advanced APIs

CoinMarketCap

Free
  • Keyless (Trial)Free
    • No signup required
    • Access to selected API endpoints
    • Market listings, quotes, global metrics
  • Basic (Free Authenticated)Free
    • 15,000 monthly call credits
    • 50 requests per minute
    • Historical data access

Which should you pick?

Choose BscScan if

  • You need block explorer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want transaction tracking.
BscScan review

Choose CoinMarketCap if

  • You need price tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want market cap rankings.
CoinMarketCap review

Questions people ask

Is BscScan or CoinMarketCap better?
Neither clearly leads. BscScan starts at Free and CoinMarketCap at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BscScan or CoinMarketCap?
BscScan starts at Free and CoinMarketCap at Free.
Does BscScan or CoinMarketCap run on more platforms?
BscScan runs on Web, Api. CoinMarketCap runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use BscScan for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is BscScan best used for?
BscScan is most often used for exploring bnb smart chain transactions, addresses and bep-20 token transfers, verifying and reading bnb chain smart contract source code, querying bnb chain data programmatically through the explorer api. Of those, exploring bnb smart chain transactions, addresses and bep-20 token transfers and verifying and reading bnb chain smart contract source code are not what CoinMarketCap is typically brought in for.
What can BscScan do that CoinMarketCap cannot?
BscScan covers Block Explorer, Transaction Tracking, Token Tracker, Contract Verification. CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Market Cap Rankings, Portfolio Tracker, Crypto News. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CoinMarketCap: Does CoinMarketCap offer a free API?

Yes, CoinMarketCap offers a free Basic tier with 15,000 monthly API call credits, 50 requests per minute, historical data access, and commercial use rights after creating a free Developer Portal account.

Source
CoinMarketCap: What are CoinMarketCap's rate limits?

The free Basic plan allows 50 requests per minute with 15,000 monthly call credits. Paid plans offer higher limits; specific rates require contacting sales.

Source
CoinMarketCap: Can I use CoinMarketCap API for commercial purposes?

Yes, the free Basic plan explicitly allows commercial use after signup. Higher-tier commercial plans are also available.

Source
CoinMarketCap: How much historical cryptocurrency data does CoinMarketCap provide?

CoinMarketCap provides 16 years of historical data across 50 million+ tracked tokens and 941+ exchanges.

Source
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