Pi Network Price Prediction as PI Outperforms Bitcoin Ahead of Ninth Protocol Upgrade

Pi Network price is up by 4.71% today, July 30, to trade at $0.082 at the time of writing. PI is among the few gainers in the crypto market today as it outperforms Bitcoin, which is down by 0.74 at the time of writing.

The ongoing gains come ahead of the seventh protocol upgrade on the network, dubbed Protocol 26, that will go live on August 11.

Upcoming Network Upgrade Fuels Pi Coin Gains

Pi Coin price has moved from $0.078 to $0.082 after the core team announced that mainnet node operators have until August 11 to upgrade to Protocol 26. The gains come despite most crypto prices moving lower after a hawkish FOMC speech by the Federal Reserve Chair, Kevin Warsh.

The trading volumes have also increased by 17% per CoinMarketCap data, suggesting that the gains could be coming from a surge in buying pressure.

The Protocol 26 upgrade will occur two weeks after Protocol 25 went live on July 25. The PI Core team also says that it will be the second-to-last upgrade on Pi Network.

“With 8 successful upgrades completed over the past few months, these final two upgrades will bring the network up to date with the latest protocol features, improvements, and functionality,” the statement read.

Still, these upgrades are drawing criticism, with one user saying that they are getting more attention than the price of Pi Network that has dropped by 97% from the February 2025 high of $2.98.

Pi Network Price Prediction Amid Rising Parallel Channel

Pi Network price is moving within a rising parallel channel. This channel usually suggests that the momentum is bullish, as buying pressure pushes the price up.

Pi Coin is also testing resistance at the upper trendline of this channel at $0.084. If it closes above this resistance, it will confirm that a strong upward trend is underway.

The RSI reading of 62 also supports a bullish long-term Pi Network price forecast. The RSI line that is tipping north also suggests that bulls are gaining strength.

If the buying pressure continues, Pi Network price could rise to the psychological resistance of $0.10. The last time that Pi Coin traded at this price was on July 20.

This bearish thesis will weaken if the price of Pi Coin drops below the support at the middle Bollinger band of $0.079. Such a move could push the price to the lower band of $0.074.

Ongoing Token Unlocks Could Detail Rally

Data from PiScan shows that there will be 128 million Pi token unlocks in August 2026. These tokens are worth $10 million at the current Pi Network price.

These tokens will enter the market at a time when demand is low, and this could derail the gains that are occurring ahead of the last two upgrades on the network.

A similar drop occurred in July 2026 when 103 million Pi Coins entered the market, and this pushed the price of the token to an all-time low of $0.070 on July 14.