A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Typically it does not exist in physical form (like paper money) and is also typically not issued by a central authority. Instead, there’s decentralized control.
Cryptocurrencies have not only had an impact on the world’s expectations surrounding money. They’ve also continued to evolve since the first Bitcoin block was mined back in 2009. Since then, thousands of unique cryptocurrencies have appeared.
Of these, Bitcoin remains the most popular. Some economists, including several Nobel laureates, have characterized it as a speculative bubble.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 10 tools that let you monitor changes in the prices of cryptocurrencies. Hopefully there will be something of interest here for anyone interested in monitoring and trading cryptocurrencies.
Our rating chart captures our verdict. All of the software is free and open source.
cointop and markets are no longer under development but are still functional.
Let’s explore the 10 cryptocurrency tools at hand. Click the links in the table below to learn more about each tool.
| Track Cryptocurrencies | |
|---|---|
| Ghostfolio | Wealth management software built with web technology |
| rotki | Privacy-focused portfolio tracking, accounting and tax reporting |
| cg | Command-line access to prices, rankings and detailed market data |
| cryptofetch | Terminal-based tool in the style of neofetch |
| Open Crypto Tracker | Private portfolio tracker with holdings, prices and performance insights |
| Cryptonose | Desktop application that keeps track of significant price movements |
| tick-tock-tui | Terminal interface for viewing the latest Bitcoin network data |
| Digital Assets | Cryptocurrencies prices and statistics |
| markets | Track stock, currency, and cryptocurrency |
| cointop | Monitor cryptocurrencies in the terminal |
This article has been updated to reflect the changes outlined in our recent announcement.
 Explore our comprehensive directory of recommended free and open source software. Our carefully curated collection spans every major software category.This directory is part of our ongoing series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. It features hundreds of detailed reviews, along with open source alternatives to proprietary solutions from major corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. You’ll also find interesting projects to try, hardware coverage, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful open source Linux program that we haven’t covered yet? Let us know by completing this form. |
Historic comments are retained
I really don’t understand how cryptocurrencies really work.