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CoinMarketCap vs dYdX

CoinMarketCap logo

CoinMarketCap

Software

The world's most-referenced price-tracking website

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
dYdX logo

dYdX

Software

Decentralized perpetual trading

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CoinMarketCap the free Basic plan gives historical data going back only 60 seconds, so it cannot answer any question about the past; dYdX newer platform with smaller liquidity pools compared to centralized exchanges
  • They diverge on capability: CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, dYdX covers Perpetual Contracts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CoinMarketCap and dYdX actually diverge.

Attributes where CoinMarketCap and dYdX differ
AttributeCoinMarketCapdYdX
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20132017

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

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 CoinMarketCap

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

Only in dYdX

  • Perpetual Contracts
  • Cross Margin
  • Portfolio Margin
  • Governance
  • DYDX Token
  • Cosmos SDK

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

CoinMarketCap

  • Cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an APInot dYdX
  • Historical market data for analysis and backtestingnot dYdX

dYdX

  • Definot CoinMarketCap
  • Dexnot CoinMarketCap
  • Derivativesnot CoinMarketCap

Where each one falls short

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

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

dYdX

  • Newer platform with smaller liquidity pools compared to centralized exchanges
  • Requires cryptocurrency wallet for trading, adding friction for new users
  • Limited fiat on/off ramps compared to centralized alternatives like Coinbase

Pricing, plan by plan

CoinMarketCap

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Price data
    • Charts
    • Portfolio
  • API Basic$79/month
    • 10K credits/month
    • Historical data

dYdX

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Perpetual trading
    • Governance
    • Staking

Which should you pick?

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

Choose dYdX if

  • You need perpetual contracts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want cross margin.
dYdX review

Questions people ask

Is CoinMarketCap or dYdX better?
Neither clearly leads. CoinMarketCap starts at Free and dYdX at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CoinMarketCap or dYdX?
CoinMarketCap starts at Free and dYdX at Free.
Does CoinMarketCap or dYdX run on more platforms?
CoinMarketCap runs on Web, Ios, Android. dYdX runs on Web.
Can I use CoinMarketCap for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CoinMarketCap best used for?
CoinMarketCap is most often used for cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an api, historical market data for analysis and backtesting. Of those, cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an api and historical market data for analysis and backtesting are not what dYdX is typically brought in for.
What can CoinMarketCap do that dYdX cannot?
CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Market Cap Rankings, Portfolio Tracker, Crypto News. dYdX covers Perpetual Contracts, Cross Margin, Portfolio Margin, Governance. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

dYdX: What type of trading does dYdX specialize in?

dYdX is a decentralized platform for perpetuals and margin trading, allowing professional traders to trade crypto derivatives without expiry dates. Built on ZK-rollup technology, it enables trading 143+ cryptocurrencies with leverage up to 50x on selected contracts.

Source
dYdX: How does dYdX maintain decentralization?

dYdX governance is fully community-driven, meaning token holders decide on protocol upgrades, fee structures, and risk parameters. The platform distributes 100% of its trading fees to stakers.

Source
dYdX: What are dYdX's gas fee advantages?

Built on StarkWare's ZK-rollup technology, dYdX enables trading with near-zero gas fees while users maintain full custody of their assets.

Source
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Related pages

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