My toolkit contains dozens of tools that I use to distill market insights, analyze protocols, and confirm market data assumptions. You’re probably familiar with some, like DefiLlama, TokenTerminal, or Dune. However, many more instruments are tailored for specific tasks.

In this publication, I want to guide you through 50 exceptional research powerhouses.

I’ve categorized tools by their missions, highlighting the best use cases for each. Some protocols with broad functionality will appear multiple times, so scroll down to find the mission you’re currently interested in.

Let’s discover something new to enhance your research!

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Mission: Fundamentals

Fundamentals research is the process of analyzing a project to understand its core value, traction and potential. It focuses on key aspects like product traction, tokenomics, fundraising, and community.

The goal is to determine if the project has long-term growth potential by looking at these factors, rather than just following hype.

Product metrics

Here is a list of tools I primarily use to research product metrics like TVL, active users, token holders, bridge net flows, trading volumes, revenue dynamics, and treasury data, as well as to assess the competitive landscape.

• TokenTerminal currently tracks data for over 400 well-established protocols and offers one of the most comprehensive sets of metrics for analysis. It also provides powerful tools for identifying data trends and shifts in fundamentals and mindshare within Web3, either generally or by specific parameters or categories.
• DefiLlama follows, featuring over 3,000 protocols. If I can’t locate a protocol on TokenTerminal, I turn to DeFiLlama, which provides crucial data on TVL, trading volume, and token metrics. It also enables easy comparison of competing protocols and reveals the power distribution within specific categories or blockchain ecosystems.
• Next is Dune, which provides comprehensive dashboards for most Web3 protocols, summarizing their essential fundamentals.

Pro tip: If you can’t find specific data on Dune, check Footprint Analytics. Their designs are quite similar, and Footprint may have unique data that Dune doesn’t offer.

ZKsync Era dashboard on Footprint Analytics

• For researching Ethereum Layer 2s, L2Beat is likely the best tool, offering comprehensive data on the state of Ethereum rollups. For Bitcoin L2s, Bitcoin Layers serves as the closest equivalent to L2Beat.
• Nansen is another robust tool for on-chain analytics, covering over 35 networks and nearly 400 protocols. It allows you to track various aspects of networks, tokens, and NFTs, and even monitor the activities of investors and traders. The main drawback is that most data requires a subscription.
• Artemis is a data science platform for blockchains that monitors key metrics across various projects, including financial, economic, and social indicators. It also provides statistics on specific Web3 sectors and offers a dedicated section for tracking developer activity.

Releases & news

• Here Messari, which I use frequently, is very unique. In addition to providing basic fundamental data, its unique advantage lies in aggregating the latest developments, news, and offering dedicated research reports. This is one of the few paid research tools I use.

Aptos: Recent news dashboard on Messari.

• CryptoPanic is a news aggregator and portfolio tracking platform designed for traders and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. It highlights the market and price impacts of various events. The site enables users to track both crypto-related and broader market news to evaluate their potential effects on asset prices and investor sentiment.
• CoinMarketCal is an economic calendar for crypto assets, enabling you to track key market events. Stay informed about new coin listings, the start of trading on new exchanges, NFT collection releases, and major events and conferences.
• Coindar is another calendar tool for tracking events in projects, assets, and the Web3 space. Similar to CoinMarketCal, it also enables users to view dates for various macro events related to a project or token.
• Web3alerts is a portal designed for receiving data and notifications about significant Web3 events. The platform enables you to track new project launches and related events. Investors and VCs can subscribe to receive direct notifications promptly.

Fundraising

Many platforms provide fundraising data, with DefiLlama being one of the most popular. Here are some other platforms I frequently use for discovering fundraising data.

• CryptoRank is an analytical platform designed for tracking a wide range of data, including metrics on tokens, funds, and projects. It enables users to monitor funding rounds across various projects, follow top IDOs and ICOs, and discover current crypto airdrops. Additionally, the platform provides a list of ongoing and potential airdrops, complete with tasks and detailed guides, as well as data on token unlocks.

• Recent fundraising rounds data on CryptoRank
• CypherHunter is a comprehensive library similar to LinkedIn, designed for the crypto world. It gathers information on blockchain projects, the people involved in the crypto space, and data on recent funding rounds.
• Crunchbase is a website that tracks detailed project information, including funding rounds, key investors, and total funds raised. It also offers insights into employees, events, and potential contacts for connecting with founders.
• Crypto Fundraising is a valuable resource that tracks the latest funding rounds, events, and news. It provides information on projects not yet covered by other analytical platforms. The site also offers straightforward and convenient lists of funds, investors, and their contact details.

Tokenomics

• Token Unlocks is a service designed for tracking token unlocks and tokenomics data. The platform enables users to filter projects and tokens, facilitating the analysis of their potential. It also monitors tokenomics data and upcoming supply unlocks.
• CoinBrain is an analytical platform providing both on-chain and off-chain data. It offers a filter feature to help you search for newly created tokens. The platform also includes top lists of new coins, upcoming unlocks, and a search function across various categories.

Mission: Project Discovery

Many of the tools mentioned earlier are useful for protocol discovery and narrative screening. However, there are also unique multi-purpose dashboards available that help assess the current market state and uncover new investment ideas.

• ChainBroker is a service designed to track various financial indicators for networks and tokens. It enables users to analyze market conditions, investor activity, and platform engagement. The site also features heatmaps in certain categories, providing a visual assessment of the potential of networks and assets over time or during specific periods.

Protocol dashboard on ChainBroker

• DYOR is another great platform to track the pulse of DeFi, featuring a set of leaderboard dashboards by specific on-chain metrics.
• Moni Discover is a distinctive tool that leverages social following trends to help you identify new early-stage opportunities, ranging from memecoins to infrastructure projects.

Mission: Trading

This category can be divided into three tracks: social and copy trading, memecoin trading, and market analysis.

Social trading

• AlphaScan monitors sentiment for specific tokens and tracks mentions of coins and tokens on X, displaying their frequency on specific dates. It also reveals the profits KOLs potentially earn following their calls. This information helps assess the trading potential of certain bloggers and communities and measure the hype for certain assets.
• Cielo is a platform designed for monitoring top traders’ deals and gaining market insights. It offers essential notifications and insights, enabling users to track other traders’ wallets and apply these strategies for copy trading.
• Scopescan, formerly known as Watchers, is the inaugural product leveraging the 0xScope Knowledge Graph. This on-chain data analytics platform enables the creation of real-time profiles (entities) with significant connections. It offers comprehensive data on wallet activity, lists of projects and coins ranked by activity and TVL, as well as insights into money movements and smart money signals.
• Alphanomics is a versatile service that helps you discover live DEX on-chain transactions and trades, keeping you informed about current trends. It helps users gain real-time insights to uncover new asymmetric opportunities, trrack the strategies of the smartest traders and wallets and see how they manage their portfolios.

• Smart money DEX stream on Alphanomics

Memecoin trading

• For finding memecoins and other newly created pairs, the two most popular platforms are DexScreener and DEXTools. These platforms help you find the best prices, liquidity, and activity for specific trading pairs, track wallet activity, and much more.
• For tracking potential malicious functions of a smart contract, I can recommend using Honeypot (supports Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Base), De.Fi, and SolidityScan.

Market analysis

• TradingView is the leading platform used by traders worldwide, renowned for its charts displaying trading pair data for thousands of assets across numerous exchanges. You can customize charts in various formats, add personal notes, and compare assets seamlessly.
• CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap are among the most widely used platforms for tracking market data. Additionally, both offer valuable research hubs.
• BlockchainCenter is a platform offering a range of visual charts and metrics for tracking and comparing network data. It enables users to evaluate market conditions, asset status, and the dominance of specific coins. The platform’s standout feature is its visual charts, which assist even novice traders in grasping the current market trends.

• Bitcoin Rainbow Price Chart from BlockchainCenter
• Glassnode enables traders and investors to anticipate key trends and inflection points affecting digital assets. Specializing in advanced blockchain and market data, it offers unique insights into capital flows, asset fundamentals, and market sentiment for Web3 blue-chips. The platform offers a variety of economic, financial, and network metrics for the market, as well as research and reports on the industry’s state.
• Coinglass is a comprehensive platform for tracking the financial state of various markets. It monitors the crypto market and other assets, including liquidations, long and short positions, and options trades. Coinglass is ideal for professional traders.
• CryptoBubbles offers a unique service by presenting a market map in the form of bubbles. Here, you can visually track market volume changes, identify which cryptocurrencies are actively rising or falling in price, see who holds specific percentages of assets, and observe their movements.
• CryptoQuant is a robust, community-driven market data research platform that offers a wealth of insightful research from both the CryptoQuant team and its users.
• MarketCapOf lets you estimate the price of one cryptocurrency if it shared the market capitalization of another. For instance, if Ethereum had the market cap of Bitcoin, its price would be approximately $10,000.

Mission: Passive Yield

Discovering and managing the best pools for passive investment can be challenging. Here are some tools to assist you in both finding and managing these investments.

• Revert is a comprehensive explorer and user interface for AMM liquidity providers on Uniswap V2, V3, and Sushiswap. It assists investors in tracking investment efficiency and analyzing data.
• Other platforms that have functionality tailored for finding great passive yield opportunities include De.Fi and DefiLlama.

Mission: Airdrops

While airdrops aren’t as hyped as they were a year ago, they still serve as a source of passive income for many users. I’ve previously mentioned CryptoRank’s toolkit for discovering airdrops. Below are a few more platforms you can use as an airdrop hunter.

• DropsTab is a versatile tool for tracking portfolios, analyzing markets, and discovering new airdrops. Its extensive functionality allows it to replace multiple analytical tools simultaneously.
• Bankless offers a service for tracking airdrops and promising projects. It helps users select projects for engagement and lets them check any unclaimed airdrops linked to their wallet address.
• Alpha Drops is a convenient platform for tracking airdrops across various Web3 sectors. It offers a user-friendly filter that allows you to select projects by sector. Each project page provides details on available tasks, funding metrics, and the project’s stage, whether it’s in the testnet or mainnet phase.

• Potential airdrops tab on Alpha Drops
• AirdropsAlert is a website that compiles current and upcoming token airdrops, providing detailed descriptions of the steps required to participate. You can sort airdrops by various criteria, including the necessity for KYC.

Mission: Portfolio Tracking

Tracking a diverse portfolio across numerous chains, assets, and pools can be challenging. The tools below will be very helpful for managing your investments on a day-to-day basis.

• DeBank is a platform for tracking portfolios and checking wallets. It allows you to monitor all assets in your wallet, track transaction history, view historical net worth changes, and more.
• CoinStats is a portfolio tracker and analytics platform that allows users to monitor asset status across the entire market and view financial data from their wallets. It enables convenient access to transaction history across various networks, including identifying scam transactions targeting your address.
• Arkham provides powerful tools for connecting cryptocurrency activity to real-world individuals and institutions. The platform enables tracking the operations of organizations, including large institutions and government entities.

Mission: Research

As a research enthusiast, I maintain an extensive watchlist of companies that consistently publish valuable market studies, focusing on macro trends, narratives, or specific protocols. Here are some of my favorite research sources, in addition to Messari, CryptoQuant, and Glassnode.

• Delphi Digital is a research-driven firm with a global team committed to accelerating and enhancing the development of cryptocurrency. It is composed of three distinct entities—Research, Labs, and Ventures—that share a common brand and mission.

• Delphi’s featured reports
• Chainalysis is a leading blockchain analysis company providing banks, crypto firms, and government agencies with compliance and investigative tools. It offers a suite of tools for transaction tracking, risk analysis, and data visualization.

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