The Altcoin Season Index measures whether altcoins are beating Bitcoin. It is the share of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies, excluding stablecoins and asset-backed tokens, that have outperformed Bitcoin over the past 90 days. A reading of 75 or more means altcoin season; 25 or less means Bitcoin season. Today it reads 65 (No clear season): 32 of 49 altcoins have beaten Bitcoin’s +39.2% over the past 90 days. This page updates every hour.
Altcoin Season Index today
| Window | Beating BTC | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Season (90 days) | 32 / 49 | 65 · No clear season |
| Month (30 days) | 39 / 49 | 80 · Altcoin Season |
| Week (7 days) | 34 / 49 | 69 · No clear season |
75 or above counts as altcoin season, 25 or below as Bitcoin season. Universe: the 50 largest coins by market capitalisation on CoinMarketCap, excluding stablecoins and asset-backed or wrapped tokens; Bitcoin is the benchmark, leaving 49 altcoins.
Altcoin Season Index chart, last 12 months
Show the last 30 days as a table
| Date | Season index (90-day) | Month index (30-day) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 2026 | 72 | 89 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 72 | 86 |
| 27 Sep 2026 | 69 | 92 |
| 26 Sep 2026 | 72 | 86 |
| 25 Sep 2026 | 72 | 84 |
| 24 Sep 2026 | 58 | 81 |
| 23 Sep 2026 | 47 | 59 |
| 22 Sep 2026 | 56 | 65 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 58 | 65 |
| 20 Sep 2026 | 56 | 68 |
| 19 Sep 2026 | 53 | 76 |
| 18 Sep 2026 | 50 | 62 |
| 17 Sep 2026 | 44 | 62 |
| 16 Sep 2026 | 31 | 41 |
| 15 Sep 2026 | 31 | 35 |
| 14 Sep 2026 | 33 | 35 |
| 13 Sep 2026 | 33 | 43 |
| 12 Sep 2026 | 33 | 43 |
| 11 Sep 2026 | 33 | 43 |
| 10 Sep 2026 | 39 | 38 |
| 9 Sep 2026 | 36 | 43 |
| 8 Sep 2026 | 53 | 68 |
| 7 Sep 2026 | 39 | 62 |
| 6 Sep 2026 | 36 | 57 |
| 5 Sep 2026 | 39 | 54 |
| 4 Sep 2026 | 33 | 35 |
| 3 Sep 2026 | 33 | 32 |
| 2 Sep 2026 | 28 | 32 |
| 1 Sep 2026 | 25 | 35 |
| 31 Aug 2026 | 28 | 35 |
Hover or tap to read any day. The solid line is the standard 90-day season index; the dashed line is the same calculation over 30 days, which turns earlier and is useful for spotting a change in leadership before the 90-day figure confirms it.
Which altcoins are beating Bitcoin right now
All 49 altcoins in the index, ranked by 90-day performance, with Bitcoin as the benchmark row.
| # | Coin | 90-day change | vs Bitcoin |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Bitcoin (BTC), benchmark | +39.2% | — |
| 1 | Pump.fun (PUMP) | +301.8% | Beating |
| 2 | Quant (QNT) | +300.7% | Beating |
| 3 | Ethena (ENA) | +252.3% | Beating |
| 4 | Zcash (ZEC) | +248.4% | Beating |
| 5 | Uniswap (UNI) | +222.5% | Beating |
| 6 | NEAR Protocol (NEAR) | +176.3% | Beating |
| 7 | Arbitrum (ARB) | +167.4% | Beating |
| 8 | Venice Token (VVV) | +101.9% | Beating |
| 9 | Chainlink (LINK) | +98.6% | Beating |
| 10 | Aave (AAVE) | +93.7% | Beating |
| 11 | Pepe (PEPE) | +82.7% | Beating |
| 12 | Monero (XMR) | +77.5% | Beating |
| 13 | Avalanche (AVAX) | +68.7% | Beating |
| 14 | Ethereum (ETH) | +67.1% | Beating |
| 15 | Polygon (prev. MATIC) (POL) | +66.7% | Beating |
| 16 | Sky (SKY) | +65.3% | Beating |
| 17 | GateToken (GT) | +64.5% | Beating |
| 18 | Ondo (ONDO) | +61.4% | Beating |
| 19 | Sui (SUI) | +61.3% | Beating |
| 20 | Litecoin (LTC) | +59.5% | Beating |
| 21 | Cardano (ADA) | +59.2% | Beating |
| 22 | Mantle (MNT) | +58.7% | Beating |
| 23 | Internet Computer (ICP) | +56.9% | Beating |
| 24 | Solana (SOL) | +54.0% | Beating |
| 25 | Bittensor (TAO) | +51.7% | Beating |
| 26 | Algorand (ALGO) | +50.2% | Beating |
| 27 | OKB (OKB) | +50.2% | Beating |
| 28 | Hedera (HBAR) | +47.1% | Beating |
| 29 | Bitcoin Cash (BCH) | +45.2% | Beating |
| 30 | Polkadot (DOT) | +42.7% | Beating |
| 31 | Kaspa (KAS) | +42.3% | Beating |
| 32 | XRP (XRP) | +41.6% | Beating |
| 33 | BNB (BNB) | +36.8% | Lagging |
| 34 | Worldcoin (WLD) | +35.9% | Lagging |
| 35 | Hyperliquid (HYPE) | +35.5% | Lagging |
| 36 | Shiba Inu (SHIB) | +34.7% | Lagging |
| 37 | Ethereum Classic (ETC) | +31.0% | Lagging |
| 38 | Dogecoin (DOGE) | +28.9% | Lagging |
| 39 | Cronos (CRO) | +27.0% | Lagging |
| 40 | Bitget Token (BGB) | +23.7% | Lagging |
| 41 | Aster (ASTER) | +16.1% | Lagging |
| 42 | Morpho (MORPHO) | +16.0% | Lagging |
| 43 | Stellar (XLM) | +12.3% | Lagging |
| 44 | TRON (TRX) | +5.6% | Lagging |
| 45 | Gram (prev. Toncoin) (GRAM) | −2.4% | Lagging |
| 46 | World Liberty Financial (WLFI) | −3.0% | Lagging |
| 47 | UNUS SED LEO (LEO) | −3.4% | Lagging |
| 48 | Canton (CC) | −8.9% | Lagging |
| 49 | MemeCore (M) | −9.2% | Lagging |
How to read the index
| Reading | Zone | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 75 to 100 | Altcoin Season | At least three quarters of the large altcoins have beaten Bitcoin over 90 days. Money is moving down the risk curve; Bitcoin dominance is usually falling. |
| 26 to 74 | No clear season | Leadership is mixed. Readings in the 50s are common in ordinary markets. |
| 0 to 25 | Bitcoin Season | Bitcoin is beating almost every large altcoin. Typical of the early phase of a bull market, when new money arrives via Bitcoin first, and of bear markets, when altcoins fall harder. |
How the index is calculated
- Universe. The 50 largest coins by market capitalisation on CoinMarketCap, excluding stablecoins (USDT, USDC and similar) and asset-backed or wrapped tokens (gold tokens, wrapped Bitcoin, liquid-staking tokens), because they cannot outperform or underperform on their own. Bitcoin is the benchmark, which leaves 49 altcoins. The list is refreshed hourly, so a coin that enters the top 50 joins the index immediately.
- Test. For each altcoin, is its 90-day percentage change greater than Bitcoin’s 90-day percentage change? Count the yeses and divide by 49.
- Shorter windows. The same test over 30 days (altcoin month) and 7 days (altcoin week) is shown in the table above for an earlier read on shifts in leadership.
- History. The 12-month chart is rebuilt daily from Binance daily closes for the coins in today’s universe that trade against USDT on Binance. Using today’s universe for past dates introduces survivorship bias, so treat the history as an indication of trend rather than an exact record of what the index printed on each day.
This is the same 75/25 convention popularised by Blockchain Center, and the definition CoinMarketCap adopted for its own version in 2024. Readings from different publishers differ when their universe differs, typically because of how they treat exchange tokens and newly listed coins.
What altcoin season looks like
Altcoin seasons are short and violent. The clearest ones in the past decade were early 2018, when the index sat near 100 as tokens from the initial coin offering boom outran Bitcoin, and the first half of 2021, when decentralised finance and NFT tokens did the same. Between those episodes, Bitcoin season readings dominated for months at a time. Since spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in the United States in January 2024, new money has entered through Bitcoin first, which kept the index low for long stretches even as Bitcoin made new highs.
The ETH/BTC ratio is the single most watched altcoin-season indicator because Ether is the largest altcoin. A sustained rise in that ratio has historically preceded a rise in this index by a few weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Is it altcoin season right now?
The index reads 65, which is No clear season. Altcoin season requires 75 or more; Bitcoin season is 25 or less. The reading updates hourly at the top of this page.
What is the Altcoin Season Index?
The percentage of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies, excluding stablecoins and asset-backed tokens, that have outperformed Bitcoin over the past 90 days. It was popularised by Blockchain Center and is now also published by CoinMarketCap.
What number means altcoin season?
75 or higher. That means at least three quarters of the large altcoins have beaten Bitcoin over 90 days. A reading of 25 or lower is Bitcoin season.
How long does altcoin season last?
Historically a few weeks to a few months. The 2018 and 2021 episodes each lasted roughly three to five months before Bitcoin regained leadership. Shorter bursts of a few weeks are more common.
Why does this index differ from CoinMarketCap’s or Blockchain Center’s?
The definition is the same, but the universe differs slightly, mainly in which tokens are excluded as asset-backed and how quickly new listings are added. A difference of a few points is normal.
Does altcoin season mean I should buy altcoins?
No. The index describes what has already happened over 90 days. By the time it reads 75, much of the move has occurred. It is a measure of market regime, not a buy signal.
This page is educational. A market index describes past performance and is not investment advice. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose money.
