What Are Crypto Screeners?

A crypto screener is a web-based tool that allows users to search for cryptocurrencies by criteria.

Updated May 11, 2023 at 3:50 p.m. UTC

Crypto screeners, just like stock screeners in the traditional stock market, are tools utilized by crypto investors and traders to enable them to enhance their trading decisions. It is a web interface that helps traders find an easier way to identify cryptocurrency trading opportunities.

In using crypto screeners you will have to set specific parameters such as market price, market cap, average daily trading volume or specific charting patterns. After setting the specific parameters, the crypto screener will filter out thousands of cryptocurrency projects and will show you which ones match what you seek.

Examples of criteria for crypto screeners

Different crypto screeners use different approaches to generate results and rankings of cryptocurrencies. The following are the most frequently used search parameters:

  • Market capitalization – Total value of all cryptocurrency in the market
  • Volume – Amount of cryptocurrency being bought and sold within a period of time
  • Technical Patterns – Distinctive patterns that form on a chart that have specific price movements
  • Technical analysis – These include indicators such as MA crossovers and the RSI

How do I use crypto screeners?

Using a crypto screener is relatively easy as you toggle values for certain criteria.

To get started, you would select which criteria you are interested in filtering such as price, volume, circulating supply or many others. For instance, you can check whether you want to see coins with a specific market cap or volume or coins added to the exchange within a specific time frame.

If we look at the example below using CoinMarketCap, we are able to create a filter for cryptos that have a market capitalization between $1 billion and $2 billion.

Screener filters (CoinMarketCap)
Screener filters (CoinMarketCap)

Once you've entered your criteria, the site will show you all of the cryptocurrencies that meet the requirements you have entered. You can filter them by market cap and volume to see only highly liquid coins or sort them by price (ascending or descending).

Continuing with the example we stated above, we now have a list of cryptos with market capitalization between $1 billion and $2 billion:

Screener results (CoinMarketCap)
Screener results (CoinMarketCap)

Benefits of using crypto screeners

Let's look at the advantages of using a crypto screener before initiating a transaction.

Data-driven decisions

Crypto trading can be an emotional rollercoaster. To counter that, you can leverage crypto screeners to make decisions based on facts and data. By eliminating emotions, you can also eliminate biased decisions which can affect your return on investment.

For instance, let’s look at a common investing trap. You have seen people hyping ZXYZ crypto on Twitter and Facebook and you decide to buy, fueled by FOMO. Three days later, the price has plummeted as the chatter died down and people who bought early cashed out.

Time-saving

Imagine manually sifting through thousands of cryptos only to find only one crypto to your liking. There’s no point overwhelming yourself with data when you can simplify the search process. All crypto screeners allow you to input numerical ranges for different criteria as well as input minimum and maximum values to further narrow cryptos into a list, quickly and easily.

Real-time data updates

Crypto screeners update their prices and other criteria regularly. For example, if you wanted to find the top 5 cryptos with the largest price movement in the last seven days, screeners will have up-to-date info for that.

Some crypto screeners such as Coin360 provide a heatmap that tells you how the overall market is doing in a single glance. Some cryptocurrency screeners may even let you customize the display to include your portfolio and show you how your top holdings have performed in the previous 24 hours.

New investment opportunities

In addition to screeners with typical price and volatility features, crypto screeners may be used to rapidly discover coins and tokens that are generating charting patterns that may indicate an investment opportunity. For instance, you may recognize a bullish flag signaling a major breakout in a cryptocurrency’s chart and target that for further research to confirm the indicator and buy it.

Popular crypto screeners

Here are five popular cryptocurrency screener tools to add to your arsenal:

CoinMarketCap

This is one of the most popular crypto screeners on the market. The site also has a news feed and other information about the top 100 cryptocurrencies. It is an excellent tool for finding cryptocurrency prices, market caps and the allocation of cryptocurrencies.

CoinGecko

CoinGecko is another great crypto screener to use when looking for information on your favorite cryptocurrencies. They have more than 1,500 coins listed on their site with price charts and other helpful information about each coin's trading volume and price changes over time.

Messari

Messari aims to provide up-to-date data. It's robust, giving you a complete view of all the data you need to make an informed decision in just one click. It also comes with several valuable features that make it easy to use, like its cryptocurrency directory which lets you see all of your holdings at once. There is also a subscription plan for advanced features such as screener customizations and real-time alerts.

DappRadar

DappRadar is another useful crypto screener because it has all of the same features as Messari, plus some extra ones that make it easier to keep track of your portfolio. For example, DappRadar lets you see how much each token is worth in U.S. dollars, bitcoin (BTC) or another denomination, making it easier for newcomers who are just getting started with cryptocurrencies. It is also really useful to see data on other digital assets including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and Web3 projects like decentralized apps (Dapps) and play-to-earn games.

This article was originally published on Jul 1, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. UTC

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CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Mike  Antolin

Mike Antolin was CoinDesk's SEO Content Writer for Learn.


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