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Crypto · head to head

CoinGecko vs CoinMarketCap

CoinGecko logo

CoinGecko

Crypto

The world's largest independent crypto data aggregator

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: CoinGecko the free Demo plan allows 10,000 call credits a month and 100 calls a minute; 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: CoinGecko covers Market Data, CoinMarketCap covers Market Cap Rankings.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap actually diverge.

Attributes where CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap differ
AttributeCoinGeckoCoinMarketCap
Founded20142013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 CoinGecko

  • Market Data
  • NFT Floor Prices
  • 600+ exchanges
  • DeFi protocols

Only in CoinMarketCap

  • Market Cap Rankings
  • Crypto News
  • Binance
  • Exchanges

Both cover

  • Price Tracking
  • Portfolio Tracker
  • API Access
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

CoinGecko

  • Pulling cryptocurrency prices and market data over an APInot CoinMarketCap
  • Tracking coin, exchange and market metrics programmaticallynot CoinMarketCap

CoinMarketCap

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

Where each one falls short

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

CoinGecko

  • The free Demo plan allows 10,000 call credits a month and 100 calls a minute
  • Rate limits are a paid feature separate from volume, at 300 calls a minute on Basic and 500 above it
  • Credits and rate limits move together by plan, so a burst pattern needs a higher tier than its monthly total implies
  • The 20% saving requires annual billing
  • Enterprise credits and limits are custom with no published figure

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

CoinGecko

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Price data
    • Charts
    • Portfolio
  • Analyst$7.99/month
    • Advanced charts
    • DEX data
    • Token unlocks
  • Pro API$129/month
    • 500K calls/month
    • Historical data
    • Priority support

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 CoinGecko if

  • You need market data.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want nft floor prices.
CoinGecko review

Choose CoinMarketCap if

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

Questions people ask

Is CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap better?
Neither clearly leads. CoinGecko 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, CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap?
CoinGecko starts at Free and CoinMarketCap at Free.
Does CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use CoinGecko for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CoinGecko best used for?
CoinGecko is most often used for pulling cryptocurrency prices and market data over an api, tracking coin, exchange and market metrics programmatically. Of those, pulling cryptocurrency prices and market data over an api and tracking coin, exchange and market metrics programmatically are not what CoinMarketCap is typically brought in for.
What can CoinGecko do that CoinMarketCap cannot?
CoinGecko covers Market Data, NFT Floor Prices, 600+ exchanges, DeFi protocols. CoinMarketCap covers Market Cap Rankings, Crypto News, Binance, Exchanges. Both handle Price Tracking, Portfolio Tracker, API Access, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CoinGecko: What call limits and rate limits come with CoinGecko's Basic API plan?

Basic is $35/month ($29/month annual) and includes 100k calls per month with a 300 calls per minute rate limit.

Source
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
CoinGecko: What is the overage charge if CoinGecko API calls exceed the plan limit?

Overage charges are $0.0005 per call, or custom pricing is available for Enterprise plans.

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
CoinGecko: Which CoinGecko API plan includes commercial use licensing?

Commercial license is included in Basic tier and above. The free Demo tier requires attribution.

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
CoinGecko: What payment methods does CoinGecko accept for API subscriptions?

CoinGecko accepts Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, and JCB. Cryptocurrency is accepted on annual subscriptions for Analyst tier and above.

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
CoinGecko: Are CoinGecko API payments refundable?

No. CoinGecko API subscription payments are non-refundable.

Source
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