Tether vs USDC

Market capitalization in cryptocurrencies is the total value of all coins that have been created and are in circulation. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the number of coins in circulation by the current market price of a single coin.

Our sentiment score analyzes the most important crypto news from the past 30 days across leading industry outlets. Each story is evaluated on two dimensions: its relevance to the asset and its tone (positive, neutral, or negative). Highly impactful items carry more weight in the overall score. The sentiment score updates continuously, automatically adjusting with every new headline.

The total return of a cryptocurrency is the overall price performance from its trading start until today. Please note that total return can vary due to differences in trading start dates, measurement periods, and price sources across various exchanges or platforms. Therefore, this metric is not always precisely determinable and should be interpreted with caution.

The average annual return indicates the average percentage change in price over the past years since trading began. Please always keep in mind that historical returns are neither a guarantee nor an indicator of future profits or returns. This data is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or recommendations.

24h trading volume is the total value of all trades on crypto exchanges over the last 24 hours. Higher volume generally indicates greater market activity and better liquidity.

The maximum number of cryptocurrencies that can ever be issued. This value is usually irrevocably defined and embedded in the protocol code of a blockchain.

Inflation in cryptocurrencies refers to the increase in the total circulating supply of coins or tokens. A high annual inflation rate can have a negative impact because it dilutes the value of existing units. With each newly created coin or token, the relative share—and potentially the value—of existing coins or tokens decreases. Important: Cryptocurrency inflation differs from traditional fiat inflation, which primarily describes the loss of purchasing power of money over time.

Total Value Locked (TVL) is an important metric in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) that represents the total value of assets locked in a blockchain or DeFi protocol, such as smart contracts and tokens (staking). TVL is commonly used to evaluate blockchain networks. Data source: defillama.com

The ratio of market capitalization to TVL (Total Value Locked: the sum of assets “locked” in the blockchain, e.g. smart contracts and tokens). This ratio compares the public market valuation with actual usage (assets locked in the blockchain) and can indicate over- or undervaluation of a blockchain and its cryptocurrency. The lower this ratio, the better.

This metric shows how many on-chain transactions occurred in the last 24 hours. It helps assess the short-term activity and usage of a crypto network.

Active addresses (24h) are the number of unique addresses that sent or received a transaction in a rolling 24-hour window, counted once per address. It’s a useful proxy for network activity and engagement, but addresses ≠ users (one person or an exchange can control many).

The overall rating is calculated as the average of our individual scores. Our ratings do not constitute investment advice but merely reflect our personal opinion. You are welcome to use them as rough indicators and additional perspectives. In the dynamic and rapidly evolving crypto space, parameters can change frequently from one day to the next; therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the rating data. Please never use our ratings as the sole basis for decision-making or as a substitute for your own research.

Most cryptocurrencies are open source. This means, among other things, that the entire source code of all components of the network is publicly accessible (usually on GitHub). Additionally, anyone can theoretically contribute to the project, propose changes, and point out bugs or security vulnerabilities.

The sector describes the category or thematic field in which a cryptocurrency operates.

A key feature is a specific and distinctive characteristic or unique aspect of the cryptocurrency or project.

Some cryptocurrencies are based on their own developed, “native” blockchain and are therefore called “coins.” “Tokens” refer to projects that use an existing blockchain (e.g., Ethereum) and build upon its network and security mechanisms.

Staking allows you to earn interest by “locking up” a certain amount of cryptocurrency for a defined period. The interest is generated through the consensus algorithm (e.g., Proof of Stake) used to validate and secure the network.

A consensus algorithm, often also called a consensus mechanism, is an algorithm that enables agreement (consensus) among network participants on the current state of a blockchain network. For example, it can establish agreement within the network about who executed which transaction or who owns how many coins.

Energy consumption describes the “sustainability” of a cryptocurrency, specifically the underlying consensus algorithm of the blockchain. The value is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) per transaction. However, it cannot yet be precisely quantified. Therefore, we categorize energy consumption as “low,” “medium,” or “high.”

Transactions per second (TPS) describe the transaction throughput, i.e., the number of transactions a blockchain network can process within one second. The TPS metric is often used to assess the scalability of cryptocurrencies or blockchains.

A whitepaper is a typically detailed document written by developers to define and describe the technology (e.g., algorithms) and goals of a cryptocurrency and its network. Whitepapers are often complex to read and contain many mathematical formulas, statistics, and diagrams.