Pi Network (PI) Tokenomics
Pi Network (PI) Tokenomics & Price Analysis
Explore key tokenomics and price data for Pi Network (PI), including market cap, supply details, FDV, and price history. Understand the token's current value and market position at a glance.
Pi Network (PI) Information
What Is Pi Network?
Pi Network is a cryptocurrency project and blockchain ecosystem built around the idea of making crypto mining accessible to everyone globally. Users with no technical background can still use their mobile devices to mine Pi coins with minimal energy consumption. Since its debut in 2019, the project has attracted a massive global community of users, known as Pioneers, who mine PI through participation in a social consensus model.
How Pi Network Cryptocurrency Began?
The Pi Network cryptocurrency officially began its journey on Pi Day, March 14, 2019, with a singular, ambitious mission to dramatically simplify and accelerate cryptocurrency adoption for everyone.
The project introduced a revolutionary approach to earning crypto, centered on a lightweight mobile app. This application rewards users simply for daily check-ins and creating trust circles, replacing traditional, complex barriers with unmatched simplicity. Most importantly, battery consumption is minimal. Below is a simplified timeline of Pi Coin key development stages:
- March 2019: The app launches in beta
- March 2020: Pi Testnet begins
- December 2021: Enclosed Mainnet phase begins (internal blockchain goes live)
- February 20, 2025: Open Mainnet launches
Who Created Pi Network?
The Pi Network project was founded by a core team of Stanford University graduates, combining deep expertise in computer science, social behavior, and anthropology.
The key Pi Network founders are:
- Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis: Holding a Stanford PhD in Computer Science, Dr. Kokkalis is the Head of Technology and directly responsible for the technical architecture of the Pi blockchain.
- Dr. Chengdiao Fan: A key founder with a Stanford PhD in Anthropology and Social Behavior. Dr. Fan focuses on the social utility and human-centric design of the Pi Network.
- Vincent McPhillip: Co-founder who served as Head of Community. McPhillip departed the project in 2021.
Why the Founders' Backgrounds Matter?
The founders' Stanford backgrounds were critical in shaping Pi Network. Their expertise allowed them to integrate technical innovation in distributed systems with social trust-building mechanisms, which form the foundation of Pi's consensus model.
How to Mine Pi Coin?
Mining Pi Coin is straightforward. Users simply install the Pi Network mobile app, log in, and tap the lightning icon once every 24 hours to activate mining. The process does not rely on heavy computation. Instead, Pi Network uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), a social trust model where users form security circles that help support the network's decentralized consensus.
Pi Network classifies users into several roles:
- Pioneer: A user who mines PI daily
- Contributor: Builds a security circle by adding trusted individuals
- Ambassador: Invites new users and earns rewards
- Node Operator: Runs the Pi Node application on a desktop or laptop computer to support network consensus
Mining rewards decrease as more people join, meaning early users benefit the most.
How to Obtain Pi?
Unlike other cryptocurrencies, Pi was initially obtained through mobile mining:
- Download the Pi Network app and register an account
- Tap the lightning button once per day to start mining
- Invite friends to join to increase your mining rate
- Complete KYC (identity verification) before PI can be transferred to the mainnet wallet
Today, PI is listed on major exchanges, including MEXC, allowing users to trade directly on the platform and check the Pi coin price daily:
- Sign up for an account on MEXC and complete KYC Verification
- Deposit funds using a bank card or USDT
- In the Spot trading section, select the PI/USDT trading pair to buy PI
- This shift marks Pi's transition from mining without tradability to actual circulation on the open market
Can I Buy Anything With Pi Coin?
Yes, you can spend Pi in certain cases, though mainly within the Pi community. Users have traded Pi for small items such as shirts, accessories, gadgets, and food through informal barter or community-led marketplaces. Events such as PiFest 2025, which saw over 125,000 registered merchants and 58,000 active sellers participate, show growing interest in Pi's real-world usage. However, major retailers and mainstream apps do not yet accept Pi, as adoption is still in the early stages and remains community-driven.
How to Complete Pi Network KYC?
To unlock and transfer mined PI to the mainnet:
- Install the Pi Browser app
- Create a mainnet wallet and write down the recovery phrase
- Open the KYC section in the Pi Browser app and upload your identification documents
- Complete facial recognition through the camera
- Submit your application (usually requires a small fee in PI)
Once approved, your PI balance can be migrated to your mainnet wallet.
Is Pi Network Legitimate?
Pi does not require upfront investment or fees to start mining, making it easy for anyone to begin. This sets it apart from many fraudulent crypto projects. The founders and the core team are public and visible, and the development has been continuously achieved for multiple milestones. The project is best described as a long-term, experimental approach to building a decentralized ecosystem with community-first principles. However, it is too early to declare Pi a definitive success. It is neither a get-rich-quick scheme nor a scam, but rather a slow-developing cryptocurrency project worth monitoring as it matures.
Pi Coin Price Today: Hype vs. Reality and Future Value
The question of "How much is 1 Pi coin worth?" generates immense curiosity. While speculation and peer-to-peer trades exist, a stable Pi coin price is still being established.
Current Price
Speculative Trading: Prices on centralized exchanges (including MEXC, Bitget, OKX, and Gate.io) often fluctuate around $0.24-$0.26 (as of late November 2025).
The Caveat: These prices may not fully reflect market value because trading volume remains limited compared to established cryptocurrencies. The project's development team has emphasized that building real-world utility is the priority over short-term price movements.
Ultimately, Pi's true value will depend on real-world utility, not just its exchange price.
In-Depth Token Structure of Pi Network (PI)
Dive deeper into how PI tokens are issued, allocated, and unlocked. This section highlights key aspects of the token's economic structure: utility, incentives, and vesting.
The Pi Network (PI) token model is designed to create a widely accessible cryptocurrency ecosystem, primarily through mobile mining and incentivizing network contributions. The project is currently in a transitional phase, moving from an Enclosed Mainnet to an Open Network.
Issuance Mechanism
The Pi token has a total supply capped at 100 billion PI.
The issuance mechanism is structured to incentivize network growth and security. It is based on a mining process that rewards users for their contributions, such as:
- Mobile Mining: Users can mine PI coins directly from their mobile devices without significant energy consumption.
- Network Contributions: Rewards are also based on contributions like app usage and node operation.
The mining mechanism is designed to align incentives with the project's goals of expanding the network and securing the blockchain.
Allocation Mechanism
The total capped supply of 100 billion PI is allocated between the community and the core team:
- Community Distribution: 80% of the total supply is intended to be distributed to the Pi community (Pioneers).
- Core Team Allocation: 20% of the total supply is allocated to the Pi core team.
The core team's allocation is intended to be unlocked on a gradual basis.
Usage and Incentive Mechanism
The Pi token serves as the native currency of the platform, facilitating value transfer and supporting decentralized peer-to-peer transactions. The incentive mechanism is crucial for bootstrapping the network:
- Utility: PI is used to transfer value through the platform and supports decentralized peer-to-peer transactions.
- Ecosystem Development: The network plans to create a virtual storefront where users can offer goods and services to others, with the platform app acting as a point of sale. It also plans to offer a decentralized app store to encourage developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) using the Pi Network infrastructure.
- Incentivizing Pioneers: The mining mechanism incentivizes users (Pioneers) to log in regularly and actively mine, accumulating PI before the eventual Token Generation Event (TGE) and official listing.
The overall token model is utility-driven, aiming to differentiate itself from purely speculative tokens by focusing on real-life applications like payments, remittances, and dApp interaction, supported by the efficient Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP).
Locking Mechanism and Unlocking Time
The tokenomics of Pi Network include locking mechanisms, particularly for the core team's allocation, which is unlocked gradually. Additionally, Pioneers must complete KYC verification and Mainnet migration to secure their mined PI.
Recent data indicates that token unlocks are a recurring event that can introduce volatility:
- Upcoming Unlocks: Over 215 million PI tokens were set to unlock around July 2025, with 13.3 million specifically unlocking on July 11, 2025.
- Short-Term Unlocks: In the 30 days leading up to December 10, 2025, over 182 million PI tokens were scheduled for unlocking.
- Impact: These unlocks can potentially increase selling pressure on the token.
The project has been in an Enclosed Mainnet phase, which is a transitional period before the Open Network. This phase requires Pioneers to complete KYC and Mainnet migration to secure their tokens, suggesting a form of lock-up or vesting tied to compliance and network readiness.
Information regarding a detailed, long-term vesting schedule or specific unlock dates beyond the recent events was not available.
Pi Network (PI) Tokenomics: Key Metrics Explained and Use Cases
Understanding the tokenomics of Pi Network (PI) is essential for analysing its long-term value, sustainability, and potential.
Key Metrics and How They Are Calculated:
Total Supply:
The maximum number of PI tokens that have been or will ever be created.
Circulating Supply:
The number of tokens currently available on the market and in public hands.
Max Supply:
The hard cap on how many PI tokens can exist in total.
FDV (Fully Diluted Valuation):
Calculated as current price × max supply, giving a projection of total market cap if all tokens are in circulation.
Inflation Rate:
Reflects how fast new tokens are introduced, affecting scarcity and long-term price movement.
Why Do These Metrics Matter for Traders?
High circulating supply = greater liquidity.
Limited max supply + low inflation = potential for long-term price appreciation.
Transparent token distribution = better trust in the project and lower risk of centralised control.
High FDV with low current market cap = possible overvaluation signals.
Now that you understand PI's tokenomics, explore PI token's live price!
How to Buy PI
Interested in adding Pi Network (PI) to your portfolio? MEXC supports various methods to buy PI, including credit cards, bank transfers, and peer-to-peer trading. Whether you're a beginner or pro, MEXC makes crypto buying easy and secure.
Pi Network (PI) Price History
Analysing the price history of PI helps users understand past market movements, key support/resistance levels, and volatility patterns. Whether you are tracking all-time highs or identifying trends, historical data is a crucial part of price prediction and technical analysis.
PI Price Prediction
Want to know where PI might be heading? Our PI price prediction page combines market sentiment, historical trends, and technical indicators to provide a forward-looking view.
Why Should You Choose MEXC?
MEXC is one of the world's top crypto exchanges, trusted by millions of users globally. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, MEXC is your easiest way to crypto.
Disclaimer
Tokenomics data on this page is from third-party sources. MEXC does not guarantee its accuracy. Please conduct thorough research before investing.
Please read and understand the User Agreement and Privacy Policy
Buy Pi Network (PI)
Amount
1 PI = 0.20563 USD
Trade Pi Network (PI)
HOT
Currently trending cryptocurrencies that are gaining significant market attention
TOP Volume
The cryptocurrencies with the highest trading volume
Newly Added
Recently listed cryptocurrencies that are available for trading
Top Gainers
24H crypto top gainers that every trader should look out for