Why the Same Asset Shows Different Prices Across Sites
It's a common moment of doubt: one site shows a price a fraction different from another, and you wonder which one is 'right'. Usually both are — they're just measuring slightly different things.
Different sources, different snapshots
Prices come from exchanges, and no two exchanges are perfectly in step. A tracker that averages across many venues will land somewhere between the highest and lowest, while one pulling from a single large exchange reports that venue's last trade. Add a few seconds of caching to respect rate limits, and small gaps appear that mean nothing for anyone who isn't trading tick by tick.
When the gap actually matters
For a quick read on where an asset stands, a fraction of a percent is irrelevant. The differences start to matter only in two cases: very thin assets where venues genuinely disagree, and the exact moment of placing a trade, where you care about the price on the specific exchange you're using — not an aggregate.
What we do here
We're transparent about this on our methodology page: which sources feed each asset class, how often figures refresh, and why. If a number ever looks stuck or wrong, that page is the first place to check what you're actually looking at.
Keep reading
- What 'Market Cap' Really Measures (and What It Doesn't)Market cap is the number everyone quotes and few examine. Here is what it captures, where it misleads, and why circulating supply changes the picture.
- Reading a Candlestick Chart Without Getting LostA plain-language walkthrough of what candles actually tell you — and the three habits that stop beginners from over-reading every wick.