Better Buy After the Rebound: Chainlink or Bitcoin? One Is Up 13% This Month.
Chainlink has been outpacing Bitcoin in the recent crypto rebound, but a shorter road to recovery and billions in institutional demand may make one coin a far more compelling buy right now.
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Chainlink (CRYPTO: LINK) has outperformed Bitcoin in the recent market rebound, rising 13% in the 30 days leading up to October 15, 2026, versus Bitcoin’s 8% gain (CRYPTO: BTC). This has left potential investors wondering which coin is the better buy—Chainlink or Bitcoin.
However, Chainlink still has considerable distance to cover to reach its previous highs. Currently trading at $12.54, Chainlink is about 76% below its May 2021 record high of $52.70.
In contrast, Bitcoin is trading at approximately $82,159 as of October 16, around 35% below its all-time high of $126,080 from October 6, 2025. So, after this rebound, which cryptocurrency offers new buyers a better chance of a full recovery?
Chainlink Made CME’s New Index, but With a Small Weight
Chainlink operates as an oracle network, providing essential external data, such as asset prices, to blockchains that can’t access data outside their own system. This capability is vital for applications like lending platforms, which rely on accurate price feeds to evaluate their collateral, and they pay for this data using LINK tokens.
On August 31, 2026, CME Group (NASDAQ: CME | CME Price Prediction) and CF Benchmarks introduced the CME Emerging Crypto Index—a ten-coin benchmark that excludes Bitcoin and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). While the index includes Chainlink, its weight distribution is skewed. Coins like BNB (CRYPTO: BNB), XRP (CRYPTO: XRP), Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), and Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) account for about 93% of the index, leaving the remaining six coins, including Chainlink, with just 7.3% of the total weight.
Currently, no futures are listed for this index, meaning funds have no investment vehicle to track it. The index’s first rebalance is set for December 2026, and a potential futures launch could be a major catalyst for investment in Chainlink.
Chainlink ETFs Stalled While Bitcoin ETFs Swung Both Ways
Recently, spot Chainlink ETFs—funds that hold LINK and trade on stock exchanges—saw a surge, pulling in about $9.5 million on October 9, their largest inflow since at least mid-September, according to SoSoValue. An additional $1.2 million came in on October 12, bringing the total net inflows to around $179.6 million.
However, this buying momentum stalled, with no new inflows recorded on October 13 and 14. As of October 14, these Chainlink funds held about $220.5 million in total net assets. In comparison, spot Bitcoin ETFs boasted a much higher figure of about $104.8 billion.
Bitcoin ETFs experienced substantial inflows, with nearly $999 million coming in on September 21, and remained positive in every session from September 17 to September 29, with Bitcoin ending September at $83,556, up from August’s close of $78,563.
However, October has seen more erratic Bitcoin flows. Funds experienced outflows of about $487.1 million on October 7 and $261.5 million on October 14, though total net inflows since the launch still stand at around $57 billion.
Bitcoin Needs a Much Smaller Rally to Reach Its Record
At its current price of $12.54, Chainlink needs a remarkable 320% increase to rebound back to its all-time high of $52.70. Conversely, Bitcoin, trading at about $82,159, requires a 53% gain to reach its record high of $126,080.
| Coin | Price (as of Oct. 16, 2026) | Record High | Gain Needed | $1,000 at Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chainlink | $12.54 | $52.70 | 320% | $4,203 |
| Bitcoin | $82,159 | $126,080 | 53% | $1,535 |
Chainlink has greater upside potential if it fully recovers; $1,000 could potentially grow to about $4,203 if it reaches its all-time high. However, it would need to more than quadruple from its current value and still trade below the $18.06 it reached on October 15, 2025.
On the other hand, Bitcoin has already risen 43% from June 2026’s closing figure of $58,524 to its September close, showing how quickly it can regain value once institutional investment returns.
Is Chainlink or Bitcoin the Better Buy After the Rebound?
In conclusion, we believe Bitcoin is the more appealing buy after this rebound. Its shorter path back to its all-time high, along with significantly higher fund demand, makes it the stronger option. Yet, Bitcoin must first surpass its October high of $87,249 and attract ETF inflows similar to its September levels. A decline below the October low of $80,315 could jeopardize much of its recent recovery.
While Chainlink’s 30-day gain is commendable, it still faces hurdles. Its ETFs need to regain steady inflows, CME may need to list futures, and LINK must recover past $18.06 before its record high comes into focus. Our stance may shift if Chainlink ETFs see renewed inflows through the rest of October and LINK closes above $18.06 before the December rebalance.
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Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst who's spent nearly a decade making blockchain understandable—no easy task when most whitepapers read like fever dreams. He writes for 24/7 Wall St., covering Bitcoin, altcoins, and crypto market analysis for investors. Before crypto, he was a tech writer (back when explaining "the cloud" was peak innovation). Since 2018, he's written for CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, The Block, Cryptonews, Zypto, Rain, and more—basically anywhere people want crypto news without the headache. Sam runs MacLabs Marketing, a content agency for crypto brands tired of sounding like AI wrote their website. He also publishes free crypto education on his site for Web3 enthusiasts who think "gas fees" is a typo. When he's not writing or staring at charts, Sam's either: - Watching anime (currently convinced One Piece has better tokenomics than most altcoins) - At the gym sculpting himself into a Greek god - Listening to the music your mum warned you only bad boys listen to Connect: LinkedIn | Email | MacLabs Marketing
