ICP Adoption Grows 35% as Daily Active Addresses Reach 3,860, Santiment Reports
Internet Computer (ICP) is showing signs of recovering onchain activity, with median daily active addresses increasing approximately 35% over recent months, according to data shared by market intelligence platform Santiment. The figures offer a more positive view of network participation amid criticism from rival cryptocurrency communities over the project’s adoption.
Santiment compared two measurement windows, July 24 to August 22 and September 22 to October 21, 2026. Median daily active addresses rose from 2,838 to 3,860, while the median number of new addresses increased approximately 45%, from 481 to 710 per day.
The figures suggest more addresses have been interacting with the network than during the summer period. However, address activity alone cannot establish how many unique people are using Internet Computer, how frequently they return or whether the activity translates into sustainable demand for ICP.
ICP Active Addresses Recover, but Daily Spikes Need Context
Santiment’s data show that ICP activity has increased from its summer lows, returning to a range the analytics firm associated with the first quarter of 2026. The rise in new addresses is particularly notable because it indicates that recently created addresses have become a larger part of the network’s daily activity.
October’s figures, however, show considerable variation between individual days. Santiment reported that active addresses exceeded 7,400 on both October 14 and October 21. Despite those peaks, 16 of October’s first 21 days recorded between 3,100 and 4,300 active addresses.
This difference between peak readings and the typical daily range matters when evaluating adoption. A handful of high-activity days can make a network appear more active, but sustained growth is better assessed through longer-term averages or medians, repeat usage and the number of applications generating consistent transactions.
The median is useful because it reduces the influence of unusually high or low readings. In this case, the rise from 2,838 to 3,860 indicates that the increase was not based solely on the two October spikes highlighted in Santiment’s report.
Still, active addresses are an imperfect measure of organic adoption. A single user can control multiple addresses, while automated processes and application-related activity can contribute to the totals. The data also do not reveal whether the new addresses belong to paying customers, developers, existing users creating additional wallets or participants responding to short-term incentives.
For that reason, the reported growth provides evidence of increased onchain participation, but it does not independently prove that Internet Computer’s broader adoption challenges have been resolved.
ICP Activity Remains Below Its 2025 Peak
Santiment offered a longer-term comparison that puts the recent recovery into perspective. During the peak week of early November 2025, the network averaged approximately 9,500 active addresses per day, roughly twice the latest weekly readings cited by the analytics platform.
The comparison shows that ICP has regained activity from its summer low without returning to its previous peak. The network’s recent performance is therefore best described as a recovery rather than a new high in adoption.
For ICP holders, the distinction between improving activity and sustained ecosystem growth is important. Continued increases in active and new addresses could strengthen the case that more participants are using the network. A return toward the 2025 peak would provide another benchmark, although address counts alone would not explain the quality or economic value of that activity.
Other indicators would help establish whether the recovery is translating into broader usage. These include repeat users, application activity, transaction demand, developer participation and the revenue or fees generated by network services. Such measures could help distinguish durable adoption from temporary bursts of activity.
The latest data give both critics and supporters grounds for a more measured assessment. Activity has improved meaningfully from the summer period, but the network remains below its reported November 2025 high, and the available figures do not establish how much growth is economically sustainable.
Internet Computer’s next challenge is to turn the increase in addresses into consistent, useful activity across its ecosystem. Whether the current recovery continues will become clearer as subsequent weeks reveal if the October readings represent a lasting trend or another temporary increase.
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