Vesting Schedule
By Menno — 13 years in crypto, 3 bear markets survived, zero paid promotions
Last updated: March 2026
A vesting schedule is a timeline that determines when allocated tokens gradually become available. Common in crypto projects for team, investor, and advisor allocations — typically lasting 1-4 years with monthly or quarterly unlocks.
Vesting is a mechanism where tokens are released to their holders gradually over time rather than all at once. This prevents early investors and team members from dumping all their tokens immediately after launch.
A typical vesting schedule might look like: - 6-12 month cliff: no tokens released during this initial period - 24-48 month linear vesting: tokens release monthly or quarterly after the cliff
For example, "12-month cliff, 36-month linear vesting" means: nothing for the first year, then equal monthly releases for the next 3 years.
As an investor, understanding vesting matters because: 1. Large upcoming unlocks can create sell pressure 2. A project where insiders are still vesting is generally healthier than one where all tokens are already unlocked 3. The percentage of circulating supply vs total supply tells you how much dilution to expect
Alpha Factory's Vesting Tracker lets you monitor unlock dates across your portfolio.
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