Rating Framework & Methodology

Every CryptoGrade rating comes from the same published, rules-based framework: six weighted dimensions produce a 0–100 composite score, hard gates can force exclusion regardless of score, and fixed thresholds map the composite to a grade.

Scoring dimensions

Dimension	Weight	What it measures
Tokenomics & Value Accrual	28 / 100	Supply & emissions; unlock cliffs (who gets supply, and when); float vs FDV; insider share; does the token capture value through fees, burn, or staking?
On-chain Usage & Economics	22 / 100	Active users; real (non-incentivized) volume; fees & revenue; TVL; developer activity; token burn. Separate organic usage from wash-trading and incentives.
Security, Decentralization & Durability	18 / 100	Node count & client diversity; governance; audit quality; and a track record through at least one full market cycle.
Ecosystem & Moat	12 / 100	Network effects; depth of the developer ecosystem; switching costs; competitive position versus credible rivals.
Relative Valuation	12 / 100	Peer-relative ratios — MVRV, NVT, fees-to-market-cap. Sanity checks against peers, never price targets.
Market Structure	8 / 100	Liquidity depth; spreads; realized volatility; drawdown; trend versus a long-term moving average. A risk & timing input only.

Hard disqualifying gates

Any failed gate forces a red verdict and the F | Failed grade regardless of the composite score:

• Anonymous / unaccountable team: Developers cannot be identified or held accountable.
• Unaudited or previously-exploited contracts: Code lacks credible audits or has a history of exploits.
• Unsustainable / Ponzi-like yield: Returns depend on new inflows rather than real revenue.
• Low float + high FDV + imminent unlocks: Thin circulating supply masking large pending dilution.
• Supply concentrated in insider wallets: A small number of insider wallets control most of the supply.
• Thin or wash-traded liquidity: Reported volume is shallow or artificially inflated.
• Unregistered-security / regulatory-kill profile: Structure invites an existential regulatory action.
• Custody that can freeze, mint, or seize: A central party can freeze, mint, or seize holdings.
• History of rug / abandonment / exploit: A prior rug pull, abandonment, or unresolved exploit.

Grade thresholds & position limits

Grade	Score range	Verdict	Max single position	Max grade total	Meaning
A | Prime	80–100	Green	≤60% (BTC-class) / ≤30% other	Should dominate (≥60%)	Eligible to anchor the portfolio. Score ≥ 80 with a multi-cycle track record. Own with confidence within the cap.
B | Sound	60–79	Yellow	≤10%	≤30%	Solid but not core. Own in measured size — these are supporting positions, not the foundation.
C | Speculative	40–59	Yellow	≤2–3%	≤10% (often 0)	A small, deliberate bet. Size so a total loss is survivable. Frequently best left at zero.
F | Failed	0–39	Red	0%	0%	Score below 40, or any single hard red flag. Do not own — the story is irrelevant.

Data signals

On-chain usage (TVL and 30-day DeFi fees) and developer activity (90-day commits, contributors, release recency) are blended into the Usage dimension as a bounded 60/40 analyst/data blend — live data signals inform scores but never directly change a published verdict; verdicts change only on the daily re-score.

Data as of Jul 30, 2026 — scores are re-evaluated daily and this snapshot refreshes on each site publish. The live app always shows current data.

CryptoGrade publishes transparent, rules-based crypto ratings — identical for every visitor. Educational research only; not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose your entire investment.