The short answer
CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap bill on the same shape but differ on entry. CoinGecko's free Demo gives 10,000 monthly calls at 100/minute; CoinMarketCap's free Basic gives a 15,000 monthly credit cap at 50/minute (verified 2026-05-25). CoinGecko Basic is $35/month for 100,000 calls; CoinMarketCap Hobbyist is $29/month for 150,000 credits. They count usage differently, so headline numbers are not directly comparable.
CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap are the two default crypto-market-data APIs, and they bill on the same shape (a free tier plus credited monthly plans) but differ on where the entry sits: CoinGecko's free Demo plan gives 10,000 monthly calls at 100 calls/minute, while CoinMarketCap's free Basic plan gives a 15,000 monthly credit cap at 50 calls/minute, both verified 2026-05-25 against each vendor's pricing page. CoinGecko's paid Basic is $35/month for 100,000 calls; CoinMarketCap's first paid step, Hobbyist, is $29/month for 150,000 credits. The two count usage differently (CoinGecko by call, CoinMarketCap by credit), so the headline numbers are not directly comparable. Track the model alongside the Finance MCP Directory.
TL;DR
| Dimension | CoinGecko | CoinMarketCap |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Demo: 10,000 calls/month, 100/min | Basic: 15,000 credits/month, 50/min |
| First paid plan | Basic $35/mo, 100,000 calls, 300/min | Hobbyist $29/mo, 150,000 credits, 300/min |
| Mid plan | Analyst $129/mo, 500,000 calls, 500/min | Startup $79/mo, 450,000 credits, 600/min |
| Usage unit | calls | credits (endpoint-weighted) |
| Free-tier attribution | required on Demo | required on Basic |
| Overage | $0.0005/call on paid plans | not on metered credits (hard cap) |
All figures verified 2026-05-25 against each vendor's official pricing page. Prices are list monthly; both vendors discount annual billing.
The two billing models differ in their unit
The headline trap: CoinGecko meters by API call, CoinMarketCap meters by credit. A single CoinMarketCap endpoint can cost more than one credit depending on how many data points it returns, so a "150,000 credit" plan does not equal "150,000 calls." CoinGecko's plans are stated directly in calls. When you compare the two, normalize to your own request pattern rather than the headline number.
- CoinGecko Demo (free): 10,000 calls/month, 100 calls/minute, attribution to CoinGecko required (verified 2026-05-25).
- CoinMarketCap Basic (free): 15,000 credits/month, 50 calls/minute, attribution required (verified 2026-05-25).
On raw free allowance the two are close once you account for the unit difference; on free-tier request rate CoinGecko's 100/min beats CoinMarketCap's 50/min.
Paid plans side by side
CoinGecko's paid ladder (verified 2026-05-25): Basic $35/month (100,000 calls, 300/min), Analyst $129/month (500,000 calls, 500/min), Lite $499/month (2,000,000 calls, 500/min). Paid plans add overage at $0.0005 per call once the monthly allowance is spent.
CoinMarketCap's paid ladder (verified 2026-05-25): Hobbyist $29/month (150,000 credits, 300/min), Startup $79/month (450,000 credits, 600/min), Standard $299/month (2,000,000 credits, 750/min), Professional $699/month (5,000,000 credits, 1,200/min). Enterprise is custom.
The cheapest paid entry is CoinMarketCap Hobbyist at $29/month, but its 150,000 credits are endpoint-weighted; CoinGecko Basic at $35/month gives a flat 100,000 calls. Which is cheaper for you depends entirely on how credit-heavy your endpoints are.
Where each one wins
CoinGecko wins on free-tier rate and call-unit clarity. The 100 calls/minute Demo limit is double CoinMarketCap's 50/minute, and counting in plain calls removes the credit-weighting math. For a build-and-test phase or a low-volume agent, the Demo plan's higher rate and simpler accounting are the practical edge.
CoinMarketCap wins on the cheapest paid step and high-rate plans. Hobbyist at $29/month undercuts CoinGecko's $35 Basic, and at the top, Professional's 1,200 calls/minute exceeds CoinGecko Lite's 500/minute. For a credit-light, high-rate workload, CoinMarketCap's rate ceilings are higher.
How to choose
- Prototyping or low-volume agent, want simple accounting: CoinGecko Demo (free, 100/min, calls not credits).
- Cheapest paid step, credit-light endpoints: CoinMarketCap Hobbyist ($29/mo).
- Need a flat, predictable call count: CoinGecko (priced in calls, with documented $0.0005 overage).
- High request rate at the top tier: CoinMarketCap Professional (1,200/min).
The decision reduces to "do my endpoints burn credits, and how much rate do I need." Normalize both vendors to your own request mix before reading the headline plan price.
Connects to
- Finance MCP Directory: MCP-server availability for financial and crypto data.
- Cheapest Stock Market Data API 2026: budget data picks for equities.
- Benzinga News API Pricing 2026: a financial news-API pricing breakdown.
- Tiingo vs Polygon vs Finnhub 2026: the equities-data three-way.
References
- CoinGecko. "API Pricing." verified 2026-05-25 (Demo free 10,000 calls/mo at 100/min; Basic $35/mo 100,000 calls 300/min; Analyst $129/mo 500,000 calls 500/min; Lite $499/mo 2,000,000 calls 500/min; $0.0005/call overage). https://www.coingecko.com/en/api/pricing
- CoinMarketCap. "API Pricing." verified 2026-05-25 (Basic free 15,000 credits/mo at 50/min; Hobbyist $29/mo 150,000 credits 300/min; Startup $79/mo 450,000 credits 600/min; Standard $299/mo 2,000,000 credits 750/min; Professional $699/mo 5,000,000 credits 1,200/min). https://coinmarketcap.com/api/pricing/
Frequently asked questions
- Is CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap cheaper in 2026?
- It depends on your endpoint mix. CoinMarketCap's first paid step, Hobbyist, is $29/month for 150,000 credits; CoinGecko's Basic is $35/month for 100,000 calls. Because CoinMarketCap counts credits (endpoint-weighted) and CoinGecko counts plain calls, normalize to your own request pattern before comparing (verified 2026-05-25).
- What are the CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap free-tier limits?
- CoinGecko's Demo plan gives 10,000 calls/month at 100 calls/minute; CoinMarketCap's Basic plan gives 15,000 credits/month at 50 calls/minute. Both require attribution on the free tier (verified 2026-05-25).
- Why are the headline plan numbers not directly comparable?
- CoinGecko meters by API call; CoinMarketCap meters by credit, and one endpoint can cost more than one credit. A credit cap is not a call cap, so the two plan sizes only line up after you map them to your actual endpoints.
- Which has the higher request rate, CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap?
- On the free tier, CoinGecko (100/min vs 50/min). At the top paid tier, CoinMarketCap Professional reaches 1,200 calls/minute versus CoinGecko Lite's 500/minute.