Best On-Chain Analytics Tools

They present, analyze and interpret blockchain action which in turn allows investors, traders, researchers and developers to make informed decisions.

These platforms which extract data from blockchains and present it to users in easy to understand ways which include trends of whale movement, protocol health, liquidity flows, wallet behavior and beyond. In the field of crypto research on-chain info has become a base element which goes past price charts to present the in depth elements of how the market works.

Below in this analysis we look at what is today’s most used and which are the most respected on-chain analytics tools which we have at our disposal also in terms of their key features and which are the primary users of each.

Dune Notes Personal Reports and Community Dashboards.

Overview: Dune Analytics is a flexible community driven platform which has developed a wide array of tools for users to build out custom dashboards which interface with blockchain’s data in a SQL environment. It also includes data from over a dozen chains like Ethereum also in many Layer-2 networks and has a freemium model.

Key Features: Custom SQL queries: Users can query indexed blockchain tables.

Community dashboards: Thousands of dashboards created by our community of users are featured, which range from DeFi activity to NFT trends, liquidity flow, and protocol metrics.

Interactive visualizations: Results are in the form of charts, maps, and tables and dashboards are for sharing or forking.

Who It’s Best For: Researchers, developers, analysts and power users that require in depth control of the data you are looking at. Also very useful if you are after custom analytics which are tailored to particular questions or niche ecosystems.

Why It Matters: Many of the metrics which aren’t present on standard platforms for instance protocol-specific user action or custom KPI dashboards we can build right into Dune.

Nansen smart money insights and wallet tracking.

Overview: Nansen uses on chain data together with billion of labeled wallets to provide insights in how various actors transact on the blockchain. Also they are known for tracking what we may call “smart money” — wallets which in the past did well, whale action and also sector trends.

Key Features: 

Wallet labeling: Addresses are categorized by their role (eg, exchanges, funds, whales) which in turn puts the transactions in context.

Smart Money tracking: Dashboards report on our best performing wallets.

Trend and narrative dashboards: Tools for watching out new sectors like DeFi, NFTs and memecoins.

Who It’s Best For: Active traders, investors, and hedge funds that look for early signs of which way capital is moving and which sectors are trending based on the blockchain data.

Why It Matters: By putting focus on behavior instead of raw numbers Nansen is to identify what may be early signs of market movement — for example large institutional purchases or quick changes in liquidity.

Glassnode macro level market intelligence.

Overview: Glassnode is a leading player in on-chain analytics, we know them out to be experts in that field also which they do it for institutions with which they work with large scale chains like Bitcoin and also Ethereum. Also they look at a very wide range of metrics which include more than just price which in turn they use to determine network health, supply distribution and market sentiment.

Key Features: Network metrics: Indicators which we see are active addresses, realized capital, exchange flows, and supply distribution which in turn present us a more in depth look at market behavior.

Historical trends: Long term we see that analysts use historical data sets which in turn they use to compare present conditions to past trends.

Custom dashboards and alerts: Users are able to customize views which focus in on certain metrics or assets.

Who It’s Best For: Long term investors, financial analysts, and institutional researchers that require in depth macro perspective of major crypto networks.

Why It Matters: Glassnode’s metrics also put in advance of market sentiment changes and they also help to tell apart short term fluctuations from structural trends.

CryptoQuant which is the go to source for exchange and flow data.

Overview: CryptoQuant reports on exchange and market flow analysis which includes how assets move between wallets and exchanges. We see that this flow of assets is an indicator of buying/selling pressure and liquidity.

Key Features :

Exchange reserve tracking: Tracking inflows and outflows through exchange wallets.

Miner and supply metrics: Indicators of which the miner revenue and supply changes are a part affect market condition analysis.

Real-time flow alerts: Of use in identifying when a trend may be shifting based on asset movement.

Who It’s Best For: Traders and investors paying attention to macro signals from asset movement and exchange behavior.

Why It Matters: Exchange action usually comes before price action. As exchange deposits increase it may be a sign of selling pressure, at the same time growing off-exchange balances is a sign of accumulation.

Santiment On Chain Data plus Sentiment Signals.

Overview: Santiment reports on which crypto assets are talking about what and when they are talking about it in addition to the transaction action. They look at variables like dev activity, social shares and trade behavior.

Key Features:

Social sentiment data: Monitors public opinion and discussion trends.

Developer activity: Metrics related to code commit activity and protocol development.

On-chain fundamentals: Includes lots of standard chain metrics such as transaction volumes and holder distributions.

Who It’s Best For: Investors and analysts that wish to combine on chain data with market psychology and ecosystem action.

Why It Matters: Markets which are influenced by not only on chain fundamentals but also by human emotion and tools like Santiment put that out there for you.

DeFiLlama and Block explorers Quick, open source metrics.

Overview: Tools which include DeFiLlama present open source metrics for decentralized finance — especially total value locked (TVL), yield, and protocol activity.

Key Features: DeFi metrics: Protocol TVN, liquidity shifts, fees, and yield outlays.

Explorer data: Transaction records, address analysis, and contract interactions off the chain.

Who It’s Best For: DeFi professionals which include traders, developers, and researchers that are interested in open access to decentralized markets and raw chain data.

Why It Matters: These tools provide users with the ability to validate data for themselves and also to develop custom insights which do not rely solely on proprietary dashboards.

Choosing the Right On-Chain Analytics Tool

Choosing which analytics tools to use is based on your goals:

For deep custom research: Dune provides very flexible SQL dashboards.

For behavioral insights: Nansen’s in depth wallet tracking reports which smart money moves.

For macro market context: Glassnode’s in depth metrics which also present long term trends.

For flow and liquidity signals: CryptoQuant reports on exchange activity which is of great value.

For sentiment layering: Santiment uses social data.

For open data access: DeFiLlama and their community of explorers present raw data.

Some users will put together a variety of tools for instance they may use Glassnode for large scale market data and Nansen or Dune for in depth behavioral analysis to present a full picture.

Final Thoughts

On chain analytics tools have transformed how we look at blockchain markets. They go past price to report on wallet activity, protocol trends, liquidity movement, and sentiment which in turn which informs investment strategies, research, and operational decisions. As the crypto space continues to grow we see these tools becoming even more integral for anyone who requires clarity in a decentralized and data rich environment.

Disclaimer: BFM Times acts as a source of information for knowledge purposes and does not claim to be a financial advisor. Kindly consult your financial advisor before investing.