CoinGecko Logo PNG
Because exchange-reported trading volumes need verification, CoinGecko closely monitors the quality of market data. Behind the CoinGecko logo is a service that uses its Trust Score system to evaluate trading platforms. The system considers liquidity, cybersecurity, and other indicators to assess different aspects of an exchange’s operations.
CoinGecko was launched in April 2014 by Malaysian founders TM Lee and Bobby Ong, who had met in Singapore in late 2013. Both were interested in crypto and saw a gap in market data. Existing platforms offered limited metrics or unreliable figures, while CoinGecko started with $100 and tracked only 20 coins.
From the start, CoinGecko was built to be more than a price tracker. Alongside price, trading volume, and market capitalization, it measured GitHub activity, community growth, liquidity, and other non-financial indicators. This set it apart from CoinMarketCap, founded a year earlier and focused mainly on price data.
The founders refused venture capital after watching many funded crypto startups disappear during the 2015–2016 bear market. Based in Kuala Lumpur, they kept costs low and ran the company themselves for the first four years. After the 2018–2019 downturn, CoinGecko began hiring. In May 2019, it launched Trust Score after Bitwise told the SEC that about 95% of reported crypto trading volume was fake. Trust Score ranked exchanges by web traffic, order book depth, and trading activity, with Trust Score 2.0 following in September 2019.
In April 2020, Binance bought CoinMarketCap for about $400 million, raising questions about a major exchange owning market data. Owning market data. Part of the audience moved to CoinGecko as an independent alternative. In 2021, it became one of the ten most visited financial websites and published the “How to DeFi” books. In January 2023, Trust Score 3.0 added exchange reserve data after FTX’s collapse.
Meaning and History
What is CoinGecko?
This aggregator and research tool for cryptocurrency data offers real-time information on prices, trading volumes, market capitalization, and other metrics for thousands of digital assets. It ranks cryptocurrencies based on market capitalization, developer activity, community growth, and liquidity. The platform offers portfolio management, price alerts, and analytical tools for researching crypto projects. The aggregator prioritizes transparency, combats inaccurate trading volumes, and promotes accurate market data, making it a valuable resource for beginners and experienced digital currency traders.
2014 – 2025
The name CoinGecko came from a search for an available .com domain and an animal that could serve as a friendly mascot. TM Lee and Bobby Ong, who founded the cryptocurrency data and analytics service in April 2014, considered two available options, CoinGecko and CoinTeddy. They rejected CoinTeddy because a teddy bear suggested a “bear market,” a period of declining prices. The team chose the gecko, which became the basis of the visual identity. The name combined the words “coin” and “gecko.”
CoinGecko’s first logo, introduced in 2014, depicted a gecko inside a coin. The brand guidelines described the character as a friendly guide to the complex world of cryptocurrency. Its welcoming expression came from a smile drawn as a thin curved line. The gecko’s head faced right, with a long neck extending upward from the bottom of the circle. A white ring and a dark gray pupil formed its large eye, while a small white dot represented a nostril.
A green rim surrounded the coin’s yellow interior, which contained the gecko’s head. A white highlight followed the upper-right arc. Beside the emblem, the CoinGecko name appeared in dark gray, upright sans-serif lettering. The capital “C” and “G” distinguished the two words within the combined name.
2025 – today
For CoinGecko’s 11th anniversary, CoinGecko introduced the gecko as a friendly companion to help users navigate the cryptocurrency world. The phrase “Your Crypto Companion” expressed this idea. The update debuted on April 7, 2025, after 11 years of using the previous emblem. It covered both CoinGecko and its sister service, GeckoTerminal, bringing their designs closer through a shared visual-identity project.
The logo retained the green head and yellow circle. The outer rim and white highlight, which had given the coin a glossy appearance, were replaced with flat color. The nostril and mouth line were removed, the face’s contours were softened, and the green became richer. The eye was made smaller, and the dark pupil was redrawn with white highlights. The name “coingecko” now appeared in dark, compact lowercase letters. A curve in the “k” resembled a gecko’s tail, connecting the wordmark to the animal in the emblem.
The core palette included Gecko Green, nearly black Moon Night, and white Moon Light. Supporting colors included light and dark greens, yellow, orange, light blue, purple, and pink. Lillian Hii led the design work at CoinGecko.
Two mascots served as user companions. Gekko represented CoinGecko, while Rex represented GeckoTerminal. Artist Karen Eugene Hong developed them in 2024, handling art direction, illustration, and character stories. Gekko was conceived as a playful, tech-loving friend who could be trusted with data. Rex was an analyst focused on finding new market opportunities. An illustration style guide was created to support future work with the characters.
The updated identity was introduced in an animated film by the Ukrainian studio and action. A small gecko’s journey through the cryptocurrency world illustrated the idea of a companion guiding the user. Olya Kapys served as art director, and Teimur Bzikadze was the lead animator. Vlad Zhelikhovskyi handled 3D modeling and animation, while Andriy Savdieiev handled music and sound design.