Cryptocurrency Market Capitalization Explained: Prices, Charts & Key Metrics

What Is Cryptocurrency Market Capitalization?

Market capitalization represents the total dollar value of all coins from a specific cryptocurrency that have been mined or are currently in circulation. It serves as a key metric for ranking cryptocurrencies—the higher a coin's market cap, the stronger its market position and share.

To calculate market cap:

Market Cap = Circulating Supply × Current Price

For example, Ethereum's market cap equals the total ETH in circulation multiplied by ETH's current price.

Comparing Cryptocurrency Market Caps

Cryptocurrencies are categorized by market cap size:

• Large-Cap (>$10B USD): Established projects like Bitcoin and Ethereum with proven protocols and active developer ecosystems.
• Mid-Cap ($1B-$10B USD): Growing cryptocurrencies with increasing adoption.
• Small-Cap (<$1B USD): Higher-risk emerging projects.

👉 Discover top large-cap coins

While market cap provides a quick comparison tool, it shouldn't be your only metric. Consider these alongside it:

• Trading volume
• Liquidity
• Fully diluted valuation
• Fundamental analysis

How CoinGecko Calculates Crypto Prices

We use a volume-weighted global average price formula that aggregates data across multiple exchanges for each asset. Prices may vary between exchanges due to:

• Different market conditions
• Liquidity levels
• Trading pairs
• Financial instruments (e.g., leverage effects)

For detailed methodology: See CoinGecko's price calculation guide

Where to Check Crypto Prices?

Track 10,000+ cryptocurrencies on CoinGecko, including popular pairs like:

• BTC/EUR
• ETH/EUR
• PI/EUR

Key metrics available:

• 24-hour trading volume
• Price charts
• Historical performance
• Circulating supply

Additional tools:

• Portfolio tracker: Monitor your holdings' performance
• GeckoTerminal: Multichain on-chain analytics (currently in beta)
• Mobile app: Available on Android and iOS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "24-hour volume" mean?

This refers to the total value of a cryptocurrency bought/sold across all exchanges in the past 24 hours. Example: $15B 24-hour volume for Ethereum means $15B worth of ETH was traded.

Why do crypto prices differ across exchanges?

Variations occur due to:

• Market-specific economic conditions
• Liquidity differences
• Available trading pairs
• Impact of derivative products

👉 Compare prices across top exchanges

How reliable is market cap for crypto valuation?

While useful, market cap has limitations:

• Doesn't account for unmined coins
• Can be manipulated via price pumps
• Should be combined with other metrics for full analysis