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Altcoin Season Index

CryptoPulse.media's own calculation: what share of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap are outperforming Bitcoin over the last 30 days. Helps gauge where the market's capital is currently rotating — into Bitcoin, or into altcoins.

47Neutral
CryptoPulse calc via CoinGecko
Current

Index zones

0–25
Bitcoin Season
26–74
Neutral
75–100
Altcoin Season

Bitcoin over the last 30 days: -1.0%. Comparison is based on 100 altcoins.

Leaders and laggards over 30 days

Top 10 beating Bitcoin
1Bitway
BitwayBTW
+459.3%
+460.3% vs BTC
2Pump.fun
Pump.funPUMP
+75.4%
+76.4% vs BTC
3OKB
OKBOKB
+27.8%
+28.8% vs BTC
4Monero
MoneroXMR
+27.0%
+28.0% vs BTC
5Curve DAO
Curve DAOCRV
+14.9%
+15.9% vs BTC
6Chainlink
ChainlinkLINK
+13.8%
+14.8% vs BTC
7Ether.fi
Ether.fiETHFI
+13.1%
+14.1% vs BTC
8JUST
JUSTJST
+10.6%
+11.6% vs BTC
9BNB
BNBBNB
+6.5%
+7.5% vs BTC
10Shiba Inu
Shiba InuSHIB
+6.3%
+7.3% vs BTC
Top 10 lagging behind Bitcoin
1币安人生 (BinanceLife)
币安人生 (BinanceLife)币安人生
-31.5%
-30.5% vs BTC
2Canton
CantonCC
-24.6%
-23.6% vs BTC
3Cronos
CronosCRO
-21.6%
-20.6% vs BTC
4Injective
InjectiveINJ
-19.2%
-18.2% vs BTC
5​​Stable
​​StableSTABLE
-18.4%
-17.4% vs BTC
6Arbitrum
ArbitrumARB
-17.1%
-16.1% vs BTC
7Aptos
AptosAPT
-15.4%
-14.4% vs BTC
8Stellar
StellarXLM
-14.8%
-13.8% vs BTC
9NEAR Protocol
NEAR ProtocolNEAR
-14.4%
-13.4% vs BTC
10Render
RenderRENDER
-14.2%
-13.2% vs BTC

How the index is calculated

We take the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap on CoinGecko, excluding stablecoins (USDT, USDC, DAI, etc. — pegged to $1, so they can't meaningfully out- or under-perform) and wrapped/staked tokens (WBTC, wstETH, and similar — these technically track another asset's price rather than representing an independent market bet).

For each of the remaining ~100 coins, we compare its 30-day return to Bitcoin's return over the same period. The index is the percentage of coins that beat Bitcoin, rounded to a whole number (0–100).

One important difference from CoinMarketCap's index: theirs uses a 90-day window. We use 30 days — CoinGecko returns that figure for the entire top-100 list in a single request, whereas a 90-day history would require a separate API call per coin and would run into free-tier rate limits. This is a deliberate trade-off, not an error: both windows measure the same underlying idea (share of coins ahead of Bitcoin), just over different time horizons.

Why this matters for traders

Bitcoin Season (0–25)

Market capital concentrates in Bitcoin — often during uncertainty or a broad correction, when investors rotate into the least risky crypto asset.

Altcoin Season (75–100)

Investors actively chase returns beyond Bitcoin. Historically, such periods occurred in late 2017 and in 2021, both times near the peak of a market cycle.

Frequently asked questions

What is an altcoin season?
A period when most altcoins (cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin) are rising faster than Bitcoin itself. Traders use the term to gauge whether it's worth rotating capital from BTC into altcoins in search of higher returns.
How is your index different from CoinMarketCap's?
The methodology is similar (share of top coins beating Bitcoin), but CoinMarketCap uses the top 100 coins over a 90-day window, while we use the top 100 coins over a 30-day window (explained in the methodology section below). Both approaches are legitimate, but they produce different numbers — that's expected for two independent indexes.
How often is the data updated?
The index is recalculated from live CoinGecko prices several times a day (about 3x).
Does an index of 75+ mean I should buy altcoins?
No. The index is a statistical read of past performance, not a trading signal or a forecast. Past results don't guarantee future ones.

See also: Market Pulse — our composite index that includes this metric

Note: The Altcoin Season Index is a supplementary statistical tool, not a trading signal or investment advice. Past price performance does not guarantee future results. CryptoPulse.media does not provide investment recommendations.

Sources

  1. Market data: CoinGecko API
  2. Original index concept: BlockchainCenter.net — Altcoin Season Index
  3. A similar metric (different methodology, 90-day window): CoinMarketCap — Altcoin Season Index