Over 80% of Crypto Community Predicts New BTC All-Time High This Year: CoinGecko

Nearly 87% of crypto investors think that the price of Bitcoin (BTC) will break new all-time highs before the end of this year, according to a new CoinGecko survey, published on Sept. 16.

However, over half of surveyed investors don’t expect BTC to rise past $150,000 by year-end. Оut of 2,549 respondents, 40.1% predicted that BTC will reach between $125,000 and $150,000 by the end of the year, while 13% think Bitcoin has already peaked and won’t see a new all-time high until next year.

BTC briefly reached an all-time high just above $124,000 last month.

Another fifth of participants expect Bitcoin to hit $151,000 to $175,000 in 2025, while just under 20% are aiming even higher, forecasting prices between $176,000 to $250,000 by year’s end. Only 8% believe BTC will soar above the $250,000 mark this year.

The survey also showed that even respondents without Bitcoin holdings largely expect price gains, with nearly 83% of non-holders predicting a new high by year-end.

“While their predictions may reflect less conviction due to their lack of Bitcoin exposure, it is worth noting that both non-holder groups’ predictions still followed a similar distribution compared to Bitcoin holders,” CoinGecko wrote in the report.

Wall Street Says Higher

It’s worth noting that CoinGecko survey participants’ sentiment sharply contrasts with recent Wall Street forecasts that fueled crypto hype earlier this year.

Global asset management firm VanEck, for example, projected Bitcoin hitting around $180,000 by year end in an August report, while Fundstrat’s Tom Lee predicted that BTC could hit from $200,000 to $250,000 by the end of the year in an interview also last month.

In a July report, Citi said it sees Bitcoin around $135,000 in a base scenario, and climbing as high as $199,000 by year end in an optimistic scenario.

As far back as last September, Standard Chartered’s head of digital asset research forecasted BTC reaching $200,000 by the end of 2025, regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

Crypto Analysts Weigh In

Crypto analytics firm CryptoQuant’s head of research, Julio Moreno, told The Defiant that BTC’s price target for year-end depends on valuation models, stating: “depending on the valuation model we look at, the price of Bitcoin can increase towards $160K-$200K, at current valuation metrics.”

Moreno elaborated, “The short-term holders realized price upper band is currently at $162K, first chart. The MVRV upper price band stands at $214K. These upper price bands can move higher as the price rally, so they imply the lower end of the maximum price target.”

Shawn Young, chief analyst at MEXC Research, told The Defiant that the majority of the CoinGecko survey respondents clustering around the $125,000 to $150,000 range is a “logical, conservative outlook, echoing past cycle behavior where Bitcoin often establishes an interim peak before extending higher later.”

Young noted that the bull case of $180,000-$250,000 is also “achievable if capital rotation from traditional assets into Bitcoin deepens through Q4.” As for the bear case, Young explained that it hinges on one of two risks: prolonged ETF outflow streaks or a sharp macro shock that drains liquidity from risk markets.

“My own outlook sits between the two: a high-probability move to $125k–$150k by year-end, with a meaningful chance that bullish catalysts push us closer to $180k and more if momentum builds,” Young said.

A separate CoinGecko report from late August said that Bitcoin is breaking its usual post-halving pattern, meaning the leading cryptocurrency’s price may have peaked early. The analysts note, however, that if the August ATH doesn’t end up being this cycle’s peak, then BTC could hit a final cycle high sometime between late September and late October.