7 Tools to Find the Next Big Crypto Gem in 2025

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In today’s crypto landscape, the excitement around new projects has cooled to its lowest point since 2018. Most protocols offer only incremental improvements rather than groundbreaking innovation. With diminishing returns from airdrops and increasingly diluted liquidity, identifying high-potential protocols requires more than hype—it demands data-driven analysis and strategic insight.

This guide introduces seven powerful tools that help you cut through the noise and discover emerging DeFi, L1, and L2 projects with real momentum—before they go mainstream. We’ll explore how to evaluate protocols based on mindshare, onchain adoption, and smart account activity, offering actionable insights for investors and degens alike.

Whether you're hunting for the next Aave, Ethena, or Pendle, these tools will sharpen your edge in a crowded market.

Why New Projects Feel Different in 2025

The current sentiment in crypto reflects fatigue. Even during bear markets, there was more optimism than what we see today. Why?

As Mike Dudas noted, we’re seeing fewer paradigm-shifting ideas. This applies not only to DeFi but also to Layer 1 blockchains and Layer 2 scaling solutions.

👉 Discover hidden gems before they go viral with advanced analytics tools.

But within this stagnation lies opportunity. For those who know where to look, early signals of adoption and mindshare can reveal the next major player before token launch.

Key Evaluation Metrics

Before diving into the tools, understand the three core dimensions for spotting potential:

  1. Mindshare – How much attention a project receives from influencers, developers, and the community.
  2. Onchain Adoption – Real user activity, TVL growth, transaction volume, and wallet inflows.
  3. Smart Account Usage – Whether protocols are being used by automated or institutional-grade accounts (a sign of sophisticated interest).

Now let’s explore the tools that help track these signals.

1. Kaito – Track Mindshare of Non-Token Projects

Kaito offers one of the most advanced platforms for measuring crypto mindshare. While its premium subscription starts at $1,099/month (discounted to $750/month for a two-year plan), it provides a free dashboard that ranks non-tokenized projects by social engagement and influence.

Visit yaps.kaito.ai to explore top emerging protocols. The Top 20 list gets all the attention—but real alpha often hides in positions 21–50.

For example, Multipli—a yield solution for native assets like BTC, stablecoins, and RWAs—ranks high due to backing from Pantera, Sequoia Capital, and Spartan Group. With a $70.3M TVL and a likely low-circulating supply at launch, it fits the ideal "low float + high FDV" model favored by airdrop hunters.

While some critics argue Kaito may amplify hype over fundamentals, it remains an essential tool for gauging narrative momentum.

2. Dexu AI – Multi-Dimensional Social & Onchain Intelligence

Dexu AI goes beyond surface-level metrics by combining mindshare index, sentiment analysis, narrative velocity, and smart account tracking.

How to Use Dexu AI:

A standout example is Time.Fun, a platform enabling paid direct messages to crypto founders and KOLs—boosting response rates for high-value outreach. It also features a speculative layer where users bet on which figures will see surging message demand.

Backed by Coinbase Ventures and Alliance DAO, and actively used by Solana core team members, Time.Fun shows strong early indicators of future value.

👉 Uncover under-the-radar projects gaining traction with smart money.

3. 0xPPL – See What Influencers Actually Do Onchain

While others track likes and retweets, 0xPPL reveals what influencers actually do with their wallets.

This unique platform links X (Twitter) profiles to onchain addresses, showing real-time transactions—like deposits into new protocols or token swaps—by people you follow.

Key advantages:

Despite no official token announcement yet, the product's maturity suggests one could be coming. Daily updates and refined UX show strong team commitment.

4. Nansen – Deep Onchain Analytics for Smart Investors

Nansen remains a gold standard in blockchain intelligence.

Two underutilized features stand out:

A. Nansen Points System

Earn points by:

These points may play a role in future governance or rewards—especially relevant as InfoFi narratives gain traction.

B. Fresh Contract Monitoring

Use filters to spot rising protocols:

Recent discoveries include:

Also watch Steer Protocol, a cross-chain liquidity manager supporting 27+ chains and 32 DEXs. Backed by Druid Ventures and Republic Capital with $1.5M in seed funding.

5. DeBank – Follow the Smart Money

Though DeBank’s visibility has dipped since integrating with Rabby Wallet, its Web3 Social Ranking tool remains powerful.

Steps:

  1. Visit DeBank.com
  2. Click “More” → “Web3 Social Ranking”
  3. Analyze top addresses’ participation in new protocols

You’ll often find undervalued opportunities missed by mainstream discourse.

At the time of writing, one such find was LAGOON, a vault strategy provider with $70M TVL offering 9% APY on ETH deposits.

6. DeFiLlama – Filter for Airdrop Potential & Chain Momentum

DeFiLlama is essential for tracking TVL and protocol fundamentals.

Pro tips from growth lead Patrick Scott:

Strategy 1: Find Airdrop Candidates

Strategy 2: Ride Chain-Specific Waves

7. Coincarp – Monitor Early-Stage Funding Trends

Despite growing skepticism toward VCs, well-funded projects still offer better odds for generous airdrops.

Coincarp is my go-to free tool for tracking crypto funding rounds.

My filter setup:

Surprisingly, seed funding in DeFi has slowed—only 4 deals in May, 5 in April—making deep research feasible.

One promising seed-stage project: Turtle Club, a reward aggregator that gives extra yields (and TURTLE tokens) for existing liquidity mining activities—no deposit required.

Benefits:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are airdrops still worth chasing in 2025?
A: Yes—but only if you focus on protocols with real usage and strong backer support. Look for "low float + high FDV" models funded by reputable VCs.

Q: How do I verify if a protocol is truly innovative?
A: Check if it solves a new problem or enables novel use cases. Avoid simple forks unless they bring significant UX or incentive improvements.

Q: Can social metrics predict success?
A: Not alone. Combine mindshare data with onchain activity. High chatter without wallet growth is usually just noise.

Q: What’s the best way to track KOL behavior?
A: Use 0xPPL or Nansen to see actual transactions—not just tweets. Real money moves matter more than opinions.

Q: Should I trust tools like Kaito that charge high fees?
A: The paid tier isn’t necessary for most users. The free dashboards provide enough insight for early detection.

Q: Is TVL still a reliable metric?
A: Yes, but context matters. A $50M TVL means more on an emerging chain than on Ethereum. Always assess TVL relative to ecosystem size.

👉 Start analyzing tomorrow’s top protocols today—get ahead with real-time blockchain insights.

By combining these seven tools with disciplined evaluation across mindshare, onchain adoption, and smart account usage, you can uncover hidden gems before they explode in popularity. In a market starved for innovation, being early beats being loud.