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Crypto · head to head

CoinMarketCap vs Compound

CoinMarketCap logo

CoinMarketCap

Crypto

The world's most-referenced price-tracking website

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Compound logo

Compound

Crypto

Autonomous interest rate protocol

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; Compound no pricing information is published on the pricing page.
  • They diverge on capability: CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Compound covers Lending.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CoinMarketCap and Compound actually diverge.

Attributes where CoinMarketCap and Compound differ
AttributeCoinMarketCapCompound
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidEthereum
Founded20132017

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 Compound

  • Lending
  • Borrowing
  • cTokens
  • Governance
  • COMP Token
  • Ethereum

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 Compound
  • Historical price data retrieval for researchnot Compound
  • Exchange tracking and aggregationnot Compound
  • Token information and metadata accessnot Compound
  • Portfolio monitoring integrationsnot Compound

Compound

  • Decentralised finance (DeFi) lending and borrowing protocol on Ethereumnot CoinMarketCap
  • Cryptocurrency collateral management for USDC borrowingnot CoinMarketCap
  • Interest earning through crypto asset supplynot CoinMarketCap
  • Algorithmic interest rate determination based on supply and demandnot 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

Compound

  • No pricing information is published on the pricing page.

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

Compound

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Compound review.

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 Compound if

  • You need lending.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ethereum.
  • You also want borrowing.
Compound review

Questions people ask

Is CoinMarketCap or Compound better?
Neither clearly leads. CoinMarketCap starts at Free and Compound at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CoinMarketCap or Compound?
CoinMarketCap starts at Free and Compound at Free.
Does CoinMarketCap or Compound run on more platforms?
CoinMarketCap runs on Web, Ios, Android. Compound runs on Ethereum.
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 Compound is typically brought in for.
What can CoinMarketCap do that Compound cannot?
CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Market Cap Rankings, Portfolio Tracker, Crypto News. Compound covers Lending, Borrowing, cTokens, Governance. 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
Compound: How much does Compound cost?

Compound does not publish pricing information. No details about pricing tiers, plans, or costs are available on the pricing page or main website.

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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