Logarithmic scale
A scale where each mark is worth ten times the one before: a rise from 1 to 10 looks the same as one from 1,000 to 10,000.
On a normal chart, each mark adds the same amount: 0, 20,000, 40,000… On a logarithmic one, each mark multiplies: 1, 10, 100, 1,000…
It's useful when something has grown enormously. Bitcoin went from $0.09 in July 2010 to $79,950: on the normal scale, the early years are squashed against the floor and look flat. On the logarithmic one you can see they also had huge rises and falls.
On a logarithmic scale, the same vertical distance is the same percentage: a 50% drop looks just as big in 2013 as in 2022.
The axis shows the logarithm of the price, with labels in the original value. A straight line on a logarithmic scale is growth at a constant rate; on a normal scale, that same line is a curve that shoots up.
It misleads the opposite way from the normal scale: recent rises, huge in dollars, look modest. It's worth looking at both.
Normal scale
Logarithmic scale
Try it yourself
Switch the scale and see how the same bitcoin chart changes.
Normal scale: each mark adds the same amount. The 85% drop that began in 2013 barely shows; the 77% drop that began in 2021 looks huge.
Where you see it in Compass
- Simulator · SimulateIn Simulate and Look ahead, a button switches between normal and logarithmic scale.
- The best day of the weekIn “The best day of the week”, too.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
When should you use a logarithmic scale?
When something grows many times its value, like bitcoin or the stock market over decades. It lets you compare moves from different eras in percentage terms.
Why does bitcoin seem to rise less on a logarithmic scale?
Because each mark is worth ten times the one before: going from 10,000 to 100,000 takes up the same space as going from 1 to 10.
Calculated and reviewed by Compass. Sources, checks and method
Figures with data as of October 26, 2026. Educational content. Not financial advice. Past results don't guarantee future results.