Chainlink (LINK) has made a powerful price recovery after falling to $7 in June, while its business rival, XRP, is still lagging behind.
Specifically, LINK has erased its losses for the year and moved into positive territory, now trading at $15, up 9% in the past 24 hours. This price implies a 22.3% year-to-date gain for Chainlink, which has gained 108% over the past 90 days. These strong percentage gains put LINK among the top-performing major cryptocurrencies in 2026.
Meanwhile, XRP has also recovered from its June low but is still down for the year. It is currently trading at $1.50, up 1.7% in the past 24 hours and 44% over the past 90 days. However, XRP is still down 18.35% since the beginning of 2026.
LINK Recovery Could Be a Possible Example for XRP
LINK started 2026 at about $12.19 but fell to $7.02 in June. Since then, LINK has recovered substantially. Its price has more than doubled from the June low, reaching around $15 and recovering its losses from the first half of the year.
LINK is now up 22.3% for the year compared with where it started in January. This recovery may give XRP holders an example of how another major cryptocurrency has recovered from a significant drop.
However, LINK’s recovery does not mean XRP will necessarily follow the same path. Members of the two communities have often rivaled each other, pointing to the price gains and weaknesses of the other cryptocurrency at every opportunity.
With LINK outperforming XRP, Chainlink supporters are having a field day trolling XRP holders. Meanwhile, XRP holders are hopeful that an equally substantial rebound is underway.
XRP Is Still Below Its 2026 Starting Price
XRP started 2026 at about $1.84 but fell to $0.93 in June on the Bitrue exchange. It later recovered to around $1.70 in August before dropping again.
XRP is now trading at about $1.50, which is around 18.5% below its price at the start of the year.
2026 Price Performance at a Glance
| Metric | LINK | XRP |
| Current price | $15 | $1.50 |
| 2026 opening price | $12.19 | $1.84 |
| June low | $7.02 | $0.93 |
| 24-hour change | +9% | +1.7% |
| 90-day change | +108% | +44% |
| Year-to-date change | +22.3% | -18.35% |
The numbers show that both cryptocurrencies have recovered, but LINK has recovered more vigorously. LINK is now above its starting price for 2026, while XRP is still below it.
What Would XRP Need to Match LINK’s Recovery?
For XRP’s price to recover its 2026 losses, it would need to rise from $1.50 to about $1.85, a gain of around 23.3%. While XRP pulls off this feat, LINK may even surge further.
It is worth mentioning that LINK and XRP are different assets. They have different levels of demand, liquidity, and market activity, so XRP may not follow the same path as LINK.