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Crypto · head to head

CoinMarketCap vs The Graph

CoinMarketCap logo

CoinMarketCap

Crypto

The world's most-referenced price-tracking website

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
The Graph logo

The Graph

Crypto

The indexing protocol for Web3

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; The Graph no specific pricing tiers or rates published on homepage or pricing pages
  • They diverge on capability: CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, The Graph covers Subgraph Indexing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CoinMarketCap and The Graph actually diverge.

Attributes where CoinMarketCap and The Graph differ
AttributeCoinMarketCapThe Graph
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Api
Founded20132018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 CoinMarketCap

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

Only in The Graph

  • Subgraph Indexing
  • GraphQL API
  • Decentralized Network
  • Multi-chain Support
  • GRT Token
  • 30+ chains
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

CoinMarketCap

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

The Graph

  • Decentralized data indexing and querying infrastructurenot CoinMarketCap
  • Blockchain and Web3 development with subgraphsnot CoinMarketCap
  • Real-time data availability for distributed applicationsnot 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

The Graph

  • No specific pricing tiers or rates published on homepage or pricing pages
  • Only generic cost-comparison claim provided (60-98% less per month)

Pricing, plan by plan

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

The Graph

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 100K queries
    • Subgraph Studio
    • Testnet
  • Pay as you go$0.00004/query
    • Unlimited queries
    • Mainnet
    • Multi-chain

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 The Graph if

  • You need subgraph indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want graphql api.
The Graph review

Questions people ask

Is CoinMarketCap or The Graph better?
Neither clearly leads. CoinMarketCap starts at Free and The Graph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CoinMarketCap or The Graph?
CoinMarketCap starts at Free and The Graph at Free.
Does CoinMarketCap or The Graph run on more platforms?
CoinMarketCap runs on Web, Ios, Android. The Graph runs on Web, Api.
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 real-time cryptocurrency market tracking and analysis, historical price data retrieval for research, exchange tracking and aggregation, token information and metadata access. Of those, real-time cryptocurrency market tracking and analysis and historical price data retrieval for research are not what The Graph is typically brought in for.
What can CoinMarketCap do that The Graph cannot?
CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Market Cap Rankings, Portfolio Tracker, Crypto News. The Graph covers Subgraph Indexing, GraphQL API, Decentralized Network, Multi-chain Support. 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
The Graph: What is The Graph pricing model?

The Graph does not publish specific pricing tiers on its homepage. The platform claims to cost 60-98% less per month compared to running expensive proprietary servers, but exact rates are not provided.

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
The Graph: How do I find detailed pricing for The Graph services?

Detailed pricing information is likely available in product-specific pages (Amp, Subgraphs, Substreams) or in the documentation rather than the homepage. Contact The Graph team or review their documentation for specific cost details.

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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