Blog | Cryptocurrency

Pi Network in 2025: Real Profits or Just Market Hype?

Understanding Pi Network’s Promise vs. Reality

summary

• Pi Network launched in 2019 to make crypto mining accessible through a mobile app.

• It moved to an Enclosed Mainnet in December 2021 and opened its network in February 2025.

• Today, Pi trades at a low price with very limited liquidity and exchange support.

• For investors, Pi is more of a lesson in speculation and engagement risk than a proven wealth opportunity.

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What Is Pi Network?

If you're wondering what the Pi Network is, and what relevance it has for crypto investors, the Pi Network is a mobile-first cryptocurrency project designed to make crypto mining accessible to everyday users.

But what exactly does that mean?

Unlike Bitcoin, Pi doesn’t require powerful hardware and mining rigs that burn a lot of energy. Their slogan is: and time to produce a very tiny amount of BTC.

Instead, users “mine” PI tokens by tapping the app daily. That’s it. It’s a simple system meant to simulate proof-of-work participation without real energy costs.

Their hero headline is: “The First Digital Currency You Can Mine on Your Phone.”

This very easy concept attracted millions of users worldwide, and very quickly Pi became one of the largest retail communities in crypto.

Still, community size doesn’t always equal financial strength.

Pi’s whitepaper explains that this model is engagement-based, not energy-intensive like Bitcoin. This means that the survival of the network is heavily dependent on how popular it is and how much users continue to engage with the app on a daily basis. That difference is incredibly important when evaluating Pi’s long-term sustainability.

In December 2021, Pi moved to an Enclosed Mainnet, where tokens existed but couldn’t be freely traded outside the ecosystem.

That left many early miners holding tokens without a clear way to realize value.

On February 20, 2025, Pi finally launched its Open Network, making external transfers possible. This was a turning point, but not the end of the story.

(Image Source: CoinMarketCap)

Pi Network’s Trading Reality

Today, Pi’s price appears on aggregators like CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap. The latest chart shows PI trading around $0.34, with a market cap that looks impressive on paper, but is paired with extremely low daily volume.

Rumors are that Pi Network is losing user engagement due to Remittix becoming a new favorite in the PayFi sector. This is the problem when your network is heavily reliant on user engagement versus proof-of-work utility.

Low liquidity means these numbers don’t reflect real buying and selling pressure. This is why many investors call Pi’s market cap an illusion.

Trading PI is also limited to a very small number of exchanges, and official warnings from the Pi Core Team urge users to avoid fake or IOU markets.

Still, it’s very early for Pi Network. There is the potential for it to grow as more milestones are achieved, but there is also a chance that it may continue to lose users over time. That’s the challenge with engagement; even social media influencers struggle to hold attention, and Pi is asking people to stay active on an app that doesn’t offer entertainment.

The gap between the community being hyped and excited compared to actual trading opportunities is why Pi remains controversial.

For long-term investors, this can easily raise more questions than provide answers.

Pi’s Regulatory Red Flags

Pi has faced warnings in some countries, like the authorities in Vietnam, who made it clear that using Pi as a payment method is illegal under their local law. That doesn’t mean Pi is banned, but it does mean its use is restricted.

The Bybit CEO even went as far as calling Pi a scam in 2023, and cited prior warnings in China. Supporters argue that Pi is a legitimate experiment and that it is still finding its footing.

Truth be told, Pi is neither a proven success nor a confirmed scam. It’s a project that is currently in motion, and all new projects, especially in the crypto space, are subject to risks.

These controversies highlight why you must separate the rumors from verifiable facts. Crypto adoption isn’t uniform, and it changes from one jurisdiction to another.

The Pi Network Engagement Dilemma

One of Pi Network’s greatest strengths, which is its massive community, is also its greatest weakness.

On the surface, you can think they’re successful when millions of people download an app and tap a button daily. But true success in crypto doesn’t come from daily taps; it comes from sustained utility over time and a reliable, transparent, and secure network.

The problem is that engagement has a shelf life. Social media influencers with millions of followers struggle to hold attention, and they at least offer entertainment to their adoring or loyal fanbase. Pi is asking people to engage with an app that doesn’t provide financial returns yet. That’s a steep hill to climb.

If Pi can transition from simple daily engagement to offering actual utility, such as payments, partnerships, or integrations, then it could survive long-term. Without that, the risk is that its community will shrink over time, and with it, the token’s value.

Without real utility, even the largest crowd will eventually drift away.

The Lesson for Crypto Investors

Pi Network’s story is less about whether PI will “moon” and more about what it teaches us about liquidity and speculation.

A token with billions in theoretical market cap but only tens of thousands in daily volume shows why you can’t just trust headline numbers.

Liquidity is king.

A project with millions of app users doesn’t guarantee value unless those tokens move freely and find real-world demand.

Utility is what matters. Hype will always die eventually; utility is long-term.

For an investor, Pi is a lesson that teaches patience, due diligence, and recognizing risks. With investments in new, untested areas, it’s better to approach it as an experiment rather than a wealth plan.

Avoid “get-rich-quick schemes” and pie-in-the-sky ideals.

Quick Facts About Pi Network

Category	Details
Launch Year	2019
Enclosed Mainnet	December 28, 2021
Open Network	February 20, 2025
Current Price (Sep 2025)	~$0.34
Market Cap (Reported)	~$2.77 billion
Daily Volume	~$28,000
Max Supply	100 billion PI
Mining Method	Mobile app, engagement-based (not Proof-of-Work)

Final Thoughts

Pi Network is, in theory, a great idea. It taps on the pain point for those who feel they missed the boat on BTC before it became big and simplifies the path to building crypto tokens.

The problem is that part of the reason BTC has value is because it’s hard to mine and acquire new tokens. It also has a limit on the amount of tokens it will even produce.

As of 2025, Pi remains speculative; it’s an experiment in KYC-gated crypto. That doesn’t mean it’s worthless, but it does mean being cautious is important.

If you choose to get involved, do it for the learning experience, not because you expect life-changing wealth. Crypto history is full of projects that looked huge but failed to deliver.

(Disclaimer: This article is not financial advice and is intended for educational purposes only. It is important to conduct thorough research and only invest an amount that you are comfortable potentially losing. For personalized financial advice, consult a professional.)