Altcoin Season Index: current value and meaning
How many of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies beat Bitcoin over 90 days. From 75 altcoin season, up to 25 Bitcoin season.
How many of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies beat Bitcoin over 90 days. From 75 altcoin season, up to 25 Bitcoin season.
- Coins ahead of Bitcoin (of 50)
- 24
- Bitcoin over 90 days
- 26.49 %
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Is it altcoin season right now?
No, it is not altcoin season at the moment. The Altcoin Season Index stands at 48 out of 100 (as of 09/19/2026, 12:25 PM GMT+2). It shows what percentage of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies, excluding stablecoins, performed better than Bitcoin over the last 90 days. By the common yardstick, it is altcoin season from 75 and Bitcoin season up to 25.
How to read the chart
The index answers a question many investors ask: are the other cryptocurrencies currently doing better than Bitcoin, or is Bitcoin still in the lead? A value of 75 or more means that at least three out of four large coins have beaten Bitcoin over the last 90 days. A value of 25 or less means the reverse: Bitcoin has left at least three out of four behind.
Together with Bitcoin dominance, a clear picture emerges: if dominance falls and the index rises, money is spreading across the market. If both barely move, the market has no clear direction. The value is recalculated every 15 minutes, the 90-day changes come from CoinMarketCap.
How this number is produced
The basis is the 100 largest cryptocurrencies on CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin itself, stablecoins and tokenised assets such as gold tokens are excluded, because they follow the dollar or the gold price rather than the crypto market. Of the remaining coins, the 50 largest count. The index is the share of them that performed better than Bitcoin over the last 90 days, in percent.
What it does not say
The index counts coins, not capital: a small coin that narrowly beats Bitcoin counts as much as Ethereum. It is our own calculation following the common pattern; other providers use different sets of coins or periods and arrive at different values. And 90 days are a look back: the index describes what was, not what comes next.
- Source
- CoinMarketCap
- Update interval
- 15 min
- CC BY 4.0
- CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
What does altcoin season mean?
It is the name for phases in which cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin rise much faster than Bitcoin itself for weeks. By the common yardstick, that is the case when at least 75 percent of the 50 largest coins beat Bitcoin over 90 days. In the past such phases often followed strong rises in Bitcoin, but that is not a rule.
Why are stablecoins not counted?
A stablecoin is meant to hold its price, so it can hardly beat Bitcoin in a rising market or lose much in a falling one. Counting it would distort the index in every market phase. The same applies to tokens that track the gold price: they follow a different market than cryptocurrencies.
Why do other sites show a different Altcoin Season Index?
There is no official calculation. Some providers count the 50 largest coins, others 100, some exclude further groups or use different periods. The values therefore differ. Our rule is described above under “How this number is produced”, so that every value remains traceable.
If you want to buy or sell based on these numbers, you can compare the fees and regulation of providers here: Crypto exchanges compared