Crypto Project Review Sites So Sketchy, You’d Think They Were Funded by the Projects Themselves

You didn’t lose money because your coin was trash, you trusted a 5-star rating from a site built in 2018 and never updated again.
In a space where “DYOR” is gospel, most people’s research ends at “CoinBureau said it’s good.”

Nah. That’s not research. That’s fandom.

There’s a whole ecosystem of crypto review platforms, some legit, some paid PR in disguise.
Some break projects down like forensic nerds.
Some slap a rating like it’s Yelp for scams.

Here’s how to cut through the shillfest.
AceofCrypto’s tangoed with the biggest names in the space.
Scored ‘em, roasted ‘em, and pulled no punches.
You’re welcome.

Do yourself one, read the full reviews before you go on these crypto project review sites.

You’ll Need These Review Platforms (Yeah, Even If You Think You Know It All)

A good review site is your first defense against vaporware and rugpulls.
You wanna know the team? Tokenomics? Roadmap? Is it even real?
These platforms pretend to help you do that.
Some do. Most just give vibes and a bunch of “Top 10 ICOs” from 2017.

Here’s a few 

Crypto Project Review Sites That Might Actually Help You Not Get Scammed

Hit these sites if you wanna know what’s coming up.
Screw the influencers.
Don’t ape in on rugpulls
Think like an Ace. 

1. ICObench – The Rotten Tomato of Crypto Projects

They rate ICOs. That’s it. Welcome to 2017.
It’s like digging through Blockbuster to find Netflix.

Why It Slaps:

• Massive archive of ICOs, even the ones that disappeared faster than your ex during a market crash. 
• Ratings come from “experts,” influencers, and serial startup founders (red flag? maybe) 
• Still somehow alive in 2025 

Why It Sucks:

• Reviews are ancient. Most projects haven’t updated since 2018 
• 80% of “top-rated” coins are dead or in hiding 
• Looks like it was coded during the ICO boom. Oh wait… it was 

Ace’s Tip: Use it as a graveyard tour. Check what hype looked like in 2017 and don’t repeat it. Never trust a 4.8 rating from a platform that hasn’t rated anything new since BitConnect.

2. Messari – The Wall Street Nerd’s Playground

Imagine Bloomberg had a lovechild with a DAO. That’s Messari.
It’s serious. It’s nerdy. It’s actually useful.

Why It Slaps:

• Deep fundamental analysis and real-time financials 
• Feels like a real analyst made it, not some influencer with a referral link 
• Pro-tier dashboards that make your spreadsheet cry 

Why It Sucks:

• Premium features gatekeep the good stuff 
• Interface feels like homework unless you actually like doing homework 
• Not beginner-friendly, more like a CFA prepping for a DAO 

Ace’s Tip: Use it when you’re tired of hopium and want cold, hard metrics. If the tokenomics look like Enron with a DAO label, run.

3. CoinGape Reviews – News Site Trying to Be a Critic
 

CoinGape writes reviews like BuzzFeed writes politics.
Technically informative, but mostly just keywords in disguise.

Why It Slaps:

• Fast, SEO-juiced reviews, you’ll find what you need 
• Covers trending tokens, even microcaps before they blow up 
• Looks polished and scrollable 

Why It Sucks:

• Reads like paid PR half the time 
• Zero critical insight, everything is “promising” and “game-changing” 
• No accountability if a project rugs a week later 

Ace’s Tip: Skim for names, tickers, and maybe links. Then do real research elsewhere. If CoinGape says “X project is the future,” they probably got paid $500 to say that.

4. Revain Projects – The Yelp of Web3, But Sketchier

Anyone can leave a review. Even the founder. And his mom. And his 9 wallets.
Decentralized reviews = decentralized accountability.

Why It Slaps:

• Huge volume of user reviews, both fans and haters show up 
• Tries to be transparent with review scores 
• Community-based grading for the anarchists 

Why It Sucks:

• Review quality is a joke, half are bot-written, half are shill spam 
• Projects review themselves. Yes, really. 
• You’ll leave dumber if you believe the 5-star flood 

Ace’s Tip: Only scroll this when you’re high or bored. Want real insight? Look elsewhere. Want to laugh at projects giving themselves a 5.0 for “Innovation”? This is your place.

5. CoinBureau – The YouTube University of Crypto

The guy’s got a British accent, a beard, and a cult following.
CoinBureau is what happens when research becomes entertainment.

Why It Slaps:

• Solid research, good summaries, and solid editing 
• Great for getting a macro picture of what a coin does 
• YouTube + blog combo works for visual learners 

Why It Sucks:

• Doesn’t go too deep, stops at “this project looks promising” 
• Plays it safe, rarely calls out scams unless it’s obvious 
• Feels more like a brand than a raw review 

Ace’s Tip: Watch it like Netflix. Learn the surface, then dig deeper. Don’t take investment advice from a guy whose voice makes scams sound trustworthy.

When “DYOR” Isn’t Enough

Every cycle, people get smoked because they trusted a 4.5-star review site.
But most of these platforms don’t get punished when they’re wrong. You do.
So start with these platforms, sure.
But don’t stop there.

• Just because a project has a whitepaper doesn’t mean it’s white hat 
• Just because it’s “decentralized” doesn’t mean you can’t get rugged 
• And just because a site lists it as “hot” doesn’t mean your wallet will be after 

The 5 Dumbest Mistakes I See With Project Reviews

1. Believing star ratings like it’s Amazon Prime Day 
2. Thinking “top 10 projects of 2023” means anything in 2025 
3. Not checking if the project is even still alive 
4. Mistaking paid posts for actual journalism 
5. Watching one CoinBureau video and going all-in 

Ace’s Review Stack (2025 Edition)

This is what I run when I actually wanna know if a project is hot, mid, or about to rug:

• Messari – My main squeeze. When I want data and no fluff. 
• CoinBureau – For quick takes while I eat breakfast. 
• ICObench – Historical laughs. Nothing more. 
• Revain – When I need comedy in the form of 200 bot-written reviews. 
• CoinGape – For catching hype early, then validating elsewhere. 

Don’t Let The Project Reviews Play You

You dodged rugs.
You rode presales.
You even turned down an airdrop because the site looked fishy.

But then you took a project’s “review score” at face value and lost it all.
Don’t be that guy. Or girl. Or DAO delegate.

Stay sharp. Read between the stars.
AceofCrypto out.
Check the source. Check your bias. Then check the bag.