Track Solana, DOGE & Altcoin Prices in Google Sheets (2026)

The Altcoin Problem: GOOGLEFINANCE Doesn't Work

Try typing =GOOGLEFINANCE("SOLUSD") into Google Sheets. You'll get a #N/A error. The same happens with DOGE, SHIB, PEPE, ARB, and virtually every altcoin. GOOGLEFINANCE only supports a handful of crypto pairs — mostly BTC and ETH against USD — and even those are unreliable and delayed.

If you need live altcoin prices in Google Sheets, you need a dedicated crypto add-on. Our full guide on how to get crypto prices in Google Sheets covers all the options, but the fastest approach is CoinTable: install it, type a formula, and get a live price.

CoinTable Supports 10,000+ Coins

CoinTable pulls data from CoinGecko's API, which means any coin listed there is available in your spreadsheet. That includes every major altcoin, most mid-caps, and thousands of micro-caps.

The core formula is simple:

=CT_PRICE("TICKER")

Replace TICKER with any coin's symbol. Here are formulas for the most popular altcoins:

Every formula returns the current USD price. To get prices in EUR, GBP, or another fiat currency, pass a second argument: =CT_PRICE("SOL", "EUR").

Build a Multi-Coin Altcoin Watchlist

A price alone isn't enough to evaluate an altcoin. You want 24h change, market cap, volume, and rank — all in one view. CoinTable provides dedicated formulas for each metric.

Step 1: Set Up Your Columns

Create a sheet with the ticker symbol in column A and formulas in columns B through F:

B2: =CT_PRICE(A2)
C2: =CT_CHANGE(A2)
D2: =CT_MARKETCAP(A2)
E2: =CT_VOLUME(A2)
F2: =CT_RANK(A2)

Step 2: Add Your Altcoins

Type one ticker per row in column A, then drag the formulas down.

Complete Watchlist Layout

Step 3: Add Conditional Formatting

Select the 24h Change column, go to Format → Conditional formatting, and set:

• Green background when the value is greater than 0
• Red background when the value is less than 0

This gives you an instant visual signal for which altcoins are pumping and which are dumping.

Tracking Altcoin Performance Over Time

A watchlist shows you the current state. To track performance over time, add a historical log.

Daily Snapshot Approach

1. Create a new sheet called "History"
2. Each day (or week), record the date and prices:

3. Use Google Sheets' built-in charting to visualize trends

If you want to automate this, set up a Google Apps Script trigger that copies current CoinTable values to the history sheet once per day.

Comparing BTC and ETH to Altcoins

You might already track Bitcoin price in Google Sheets or track Ethereum price in Google Sheets. Adding altcoins to the same sheet lets you compare performance side by side.

Relative Performance Formula

To see how an altcoin performs relative to BTC over 24 hours:

=CT_CHANGE("SOL") - CT_CHANGE("BTC")

A positive result means SOL outperformed BTC that day. Build a column with this formula for each altcoin in your watchlist and you'll quickly spot which assets are gaining ground against Bitcoin.

How to Find Any Coin's Ticker Symbol

CoinTable uses the same ticker symbols as CoinGecko. If you're not sure what symbol to use:

1. Go to CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap
2. Search for the coin by name
3. Look for the ticker symbol (usually 3-5 uppercase letters)
4. Use that symbol in your CoinTable formula

Common Gotchas

• Wrapped tokens: Use WBTC for Wrapped Bitcoin, not BTC
• Multiple tokens with the same ticker: Some obscure coins share ticker symbols. CoinTable returns the highest-market-cap coin by default
• New listings: Very new coins may take a few days to appear in CoinGecko's API
• Stablecoins: Yes, you can track them too — =CT_PRICE("USDT") returns a value near $1.00

Layer 2 and DeFi Token Tracking

A growing category of altcoins lives on Layer 2 networks and DeFi protocols. CoinTable supports these tokens just as easily as Layer 1 coins.

Popular L2 and DeFi Tokens

Tracking Altcoin Pairs Against BTC

To see how much an altcoin is worth in BTC rather than USD, divide its price by Bitcoin's price:

=CT_PRICE("SOL") / CT_PRICE("BTC")

This returns the SOL/BTC ratio. Watching this ratio over time tells you whether an altcoin is outperforming or underperforming Bitcoin — useful for deciding when to rotate between positions.

Building an Altcoin Alert System

Google Sheets doesn't have native price alerts, but you can build a simple alert system using conditional formatting and helper columns.

Step 1: Define Target Prices

Add columns for your buy and sell targets:

Step 2: Add Conditional Formatting

Apply conditional formatting to the Signal column:

• Green text for "BUY"
• Red text for "SELL"
• Gray text for "HOLD"

Step 3: Email Notifications (Optional)

For actual email alerts, add a Google Apps Script:

function checkAlerts() {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getSheetByName("Watchlist");
  var data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  for (var i = 1; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (data[i][4] === "BUY" || data[i][4] === "SELL") {
      MailApp.sendEmail("you@email.com",
        data[i][0] + " Alert: " + data[i][4],
        data[i][0] + " is at $" + data[i][1]);
    }
  }
}

Set this to run every hour via Extensions → Apps Script → Triggers.

Altcoins vs. GOOGLEFINANCE: Full Comparison

For a deeper comparison, see our article on GOOGLEFINANCE crypto limitations.

Putting It All Together

The fastest way to start tracking altcoins in Google Sheets:

1. Install CoinTable — Get it from Google Workspace Marketplace
2. Open a new sheet — Type your altcoin tickers in column A
3. Add formulas — Use =CT_PRICE(A2), =CT_CHANGE(A2), =CT_MARKETCAP(A2) in adjacent columns
4. Format the sheet — Apply conditional formatting and number formats
5. Monitor — CoinTable updates prices automatically

If you want pre-built layouts for portfolio tracking, DCA calculators, and more, check out our best crypto add-ons for Google Sheets collection.

CoinTable's free tier gives you 300 requests per month — enough to track around 15-20 altcoins with regular refreshes. The Plus plan ($5/month) bumps that to unlimited requests with auto-refresh for serious altcoin watchers.