The de facto standard for cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin has inspired an ever-increasing army of followers and spinoffs in addition to being a trendsetter, bringing in a wave of cryptocurrencies based on a decentralised peer network.
Since there are other cryptocurrencies out there, it is crucial to research them and determine which ones are performing well in addition to Bitcoin. Here are a few other cryptocurrencies that have survived the sharp price increases and declines.
Important Takeaways
Bitcoin remains at the top of the cryptocurrency pack in terms of popularity, user base, and market capitalisation.
Ethereum and other virtual currencies are contributing to the development of decentralised financial (DeFi) systems.
It has been suggested that several cryptocurrencies have more recent characteristics than Bitcoin, like the capacity to process more transactions per second or the adoption of alternative consensus algorithms.
Cryptocurrencies: What Are They?
Let's take a moment to define "cryptocurrency" and "altcoin" before delving deeper into some of these Bitcoin (BTC) substitutes:
In its broadest sense, a cryptocurrency is any digital or virtual currency that is represented by "tokens" or "coins."
Altcoins are a group of cryptocurrencies that are modelled after Bitcoin and have occasionally attempted to pass themselves off as enhanced or altered versions of the cryptocurrency.
Cryptographic procedures (techniques and technology) that enable the creation and processing of digital currency are referred to as "crypto" in the context of cryptocurrencies. This crucial "crypto" characteristic is accompanied by a shared dedication to maintaining decentralisation; teams usually create cryptocurrencies by incorporating issuance and other control measures.
Although this fundamental component of the sector has partially diminished as cryptocurrencies have gained popularity due to legislative changes, they are nearly always created to be free from government manipulation and control.
Altcoin Types
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are meant to be used for payments, sending value (like digital currency) among users in a decentralised network. This is how a lot of altcoins—that is, coins that aren't Bitcoin or Ethereum—are categorised.
Tokens
Additionally, there are tokens based on blockchain technology that are intended to be used for purposes other than money. A token that represents a stake in a blockchain or decentralised finance (DeFi) project and is issued as part of an initial coin offering (ICO) could serve as one example. The tokens may be referred to as security tokens if they are associated with the project's or company's worth (as in securities like stocks, not safety).
Other tokens have a specific purpose or use case. Examples include Namecoin, which offers a decentralised Domain Name System (DNS) service for internet addresses, and Storj tokens, which enable file sharing over a decentralised network. We call these utility tokens.
Since all token categories often trade on cryptocurrency exchanges in a similar manner, traders and casual investors might not notice the variations, even though many cryptocurrency users today are aware of and appreciate them.
1. Ethereum
Ethereum (ETH), the first alternative to Bitcoin on our list, is a decentralised software platform that makes it possible to create and operate smart contracts and decentralised apps (dApps) free from fraud, downtime, third-party control, and intervention. Ethereum aims to establish a decentralised suite of financial goods that are open to all people worldwide, irrespective of their nationality, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.
Because people without governmental infrastructure and identity can obtain bank accounts, loans, insurance, and other financial items, this feature strengthens the consequences for citizens in some nations.
Ethereum's platform-specific cryptographic token is called ether. Ether (ETH) is utilised as an off-chain payment method, as an investment by speculators, and to compensate validators who stake their currency for their work on the blockchain.
Ethereum finally made the long-awaited switch to the proof-of-stake (PoS) validation technique on September 15, 2022. Because PoS eliminates mining incentives and improves the blockchain's scalability and efficiency, it uses less energy.
4 Although it lags well behind the leading cryptocurrency, Ethereum (ETH) has held a second-place position by market capitalisation after Bitcoin for years. On February 7, 2025, Ether's market value of around $329.5 billion was below that of Bitcoin, which was valued at $1.93 trillion, at a price of about $2,736.
2. USDT, or Tether
One of the first and most well-known stablecoins—alternative cryptocurrencies that try to lower volatility by tying their market value to a currency or other external reference point—was Tether (USDT). Since the majority of digital currencies, including well-known ones like Bitcoin, have frequently gone through times of extreme volatility, Tether and other stablecoins try to even out price swings in order to draw in consumers who may otherwise be wary.
Since the inventors of Tether assert that they own one US dollar (or its equivalent) for each USDT in circulation, the price of the cryptocurrency is closely correlated with the US dollar. Instead of truly converting to conventional currency, this mechanism enables users to move money from other cryptocurrencies back to US dollars more quickly and efficiently.
This cryptocurrency, which was introduced in 2014, minimises the volatility and complexity that are frequently associated with digital currencies by enabling users to transact in traditional currencies using a blockchain network and associated technology.
At $141.4 billion in market capitalisation and $1.5, Tether was the third-largest cryptocurrency on February 7, 2025.
3. BNB, or Binance Coin
One utility cryptocurrency that can be used to pay for the costs of trading on the Binance Exchange is Binance Coin (BNB). As of February 7, 2025, its market capitalisation ranks it as the sixth-largest cryptocurrency. Users can trade at a discount if they pay for the exchange with the token.
The blockchain of Binance Coin serves as the foundation for Binance's decentralised exchange. Changpeng Zhao launched the Binance Exchange, which is one of the most popular exchanges globally.
At first, Binance Coin was an Ethereum blockchain-based ERC-20 coin. It employs a PoS consensus methodology and finally launched a mainnet. One BNB was worth about $585.9 on February 7, 2025, when Binance Coin's market capitalisation was $83.4 billion.
4. Solana (SOL)
Solana is a blockchain platform that was established in 2017 with the goal of facilitating decentralised applications (dApps). Known as a "Ethereum killer," Solana conducts a significantly higher volume of transactions per second than Ethereum. Its transaction fees are also less expensive than Ethereum's.
Smart contracts, which are necessary for executing cutting-edge applications like decentralised finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are compatible with Solana and Ethereum.
Solana (SOL) is the name of the cryptocurrency that operates on the Solana blockchain. Its price has increased significantly since its launch. On February 7, 2025, Solana was worth approximately $196.9, with a market capitalisation of $96 billion, making it the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation.
5. The USD Coin (USDC)
Another stablecoin, USD Coin, also pegs its price to the U.S. dollar using fiat-collateralized reserves, which means it holds an amount of fiat currency equal to the amount of USD Coin in circulation. The Centre Consortium, which once included Circle and Coinbase, which is no longer involved in the initiative, introduced USD Coin in 2018. Because Circle is based in the U.S., it is subject to regulation, making USDC a regulated stablecoin.
As of Feb. 7, 2025, USD Coin had a market cap of $55.9 billion and a price per coin of $1.00.
6. XRP
XRP is the native token for the XRP Ledger, which was created by Ripple in 2012 as a payment system. The XRP Ledger uses a consensus mechanism called the XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol, which doesn't use proof-of-work or proof-of-stake for consensus and validation.
Instead, client applications sign and send transactions to the ledger servers. The servers then compare the transactions and conclude whether they are candidates for entry into the ledger.
The servers then send the transaction candidates to validators, who work to agree that the servers got the transactions right and record the ledger version.
On Feb. 7, 2025, XRP had a market cap of about $136.1 billion and traded at $2.36.
7. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin (DOGE), seen by some as the original “memecoin,” caused a stir in 2021 as its price skyrocketed. The coin, which uses an image of the Shiba Inu as its avatar, is accepted as a form of payment by some major companies.
Dogecoin was created by two software engineers, Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, in 2013. Markus and Palmer reportedly created the coin as a joke, commenting on the wild speculation of the cryptocurrency market.
As of Feb. 7, 2025, Dogecoin’s market capitalization was $37.3 billion, and one DOGE was valued at around $0.252, making it the eighth-largest cryptocurrency.
SHIB
A memecoin inspired by a memecoin, Shiba Inu (SHIB), rose to prominence in the fall of 2021, briefly surpassing Dogecoin's market capitalization.
8. Tron (TRX)
The TRON Foundation launched in 2017 to provide digital content makers full ownership rights through tokenization and dApps.
The thought behind TRX's launch was to give developers a way to create dApps. In 2018, TRON purchased BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing program, and integrated it into the TRON blockchain. TRON has since transitioned to serving as a decentralized financial application platform.
TRON's native token, TRX, is used to pay for on-chain transactions and as a payment method on exchanges. Anyone holding TRX can apply to become a Super Representative, someone with the authority and obligation to validate transactions and create new blocks for the blockchain.
The cryptocurrency's consensus mechanism is a tweaked version of Ethereum's proof-of-stake called designated proof-of-stake (DPoS), where the network votes in the super reps.
On Feb. 7, 2025, TRX had a value of $0.23 and a market cap of $19.6 billion.
9. Toncoin (TON)
Toncoin (TON) is the native token for The Open Network, originally developed by the Telegram team. In 2020, the Telegram team abandoned the project after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges against it for an unregistered security offering.
The project was picked up by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's brother, Dr. Nikoli Durov, and development continued through the TON Foundation.
On Feb. 7, 2025, TON traded at $3.79 and had a market cap of $9.5 billion.
10. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano (ADA) is an "Ouroboros proof-of-stake" cryptocurrency created using a research-based approach by engineers, mathematicians, and cryptography experts. The project was co-founded by Charles Hoskinson, one of the five initial founding members of Ethereum. After disagreeing with the direction that Ethereum was taking, he left and later helped to create Cardano.
The team behind Cardano created its blockchain through extensive experimentation and peer-reviewed research. The researchers behind the project have written more than 120 papers on blockchain technology across various topics. This research is the backbone of Cardano.
Due to this rigorous process, Cardano stands out among its PoS peers and other prominent cryptocurrencies. Cardano has also been dubbed an "Ethereum killer" because its blockchain is said to be capable of more. That said, Cardano is still in its early stages, with a long way to go regarding DeFi applications.
Cardano aims to be the world's financial operating system by establishing DeFi products similar to Ethereum's. It hopes to provide solutions for chain interoperability, voter fraud, and legal contract tracing, among other things. On Feb. 7, 2025, Cardano had the ninth-largest market capitalization at $25.6 billion, and one ADA traded for around $0.73.
Since there are other cryptocurrencies out there, it is crucial to research them and determine which ones are performing well in addition to Bitcoin. Here are a few other cryptocurrencies that have survived the sharp price increases and declines.
Important Takeaways
Bitcoin remains at the top of the cryptocurrency pack in terms of popularity, user base, and market capitalisation.
Ethereum and other virtual currencies are contributing to the development of decentralised financial (DeFi) systems.
It has been suggested that several cryptocurrencies have more recent characteristics than Bitcoin, like the capacity to process more transactions per second or the adoption of alternative consensus algorithms.
Cryptocurrencies: What Are They?
Let's take a moment to define "cryptocurrency" and "altcoin" before delving deeper into some of these Bitcoin (BTC) substitutes:
In its broadest sense, a cryptocurrency is any digital or virtual currency that is represented by "tokens" or "coins."
Altcoins are a group of cryptocurrencies that are modelled after Bitcoin and have occasionally attempted to pass themselves off as enhanced or altered versions of the cryptocurrency.
Cryptographic procedures (techniques and technology) that enable the creation and processing of digital currency are referred to as "crypto" in the context of cryptocurrencies. This crucial "crypto" characteristic is accompanied by a shared dedication to maintaining decentralisation; teams usually create cryptocurrencies by incorporating issuance and other control measures.
Although this fundamental component of the sector has partially diminished as cryptocurrencies have gained popularity due to legislative changes, they are nearly always created to be free from government manipulation and control.
Altcoin Types
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are meant to be used for payments, sending value (like digital currency) among users in a decentralised network. This is how a lot of altcoins—that is, coins that aren't Bitcoin or Ethereum—are categorised.
Tokens
Additionally, there are tokens based on blockchain technology that are intended to be used for purposes other than money. A token that represents a stake in a blockchain or decentralised finance (DeFi) project and is issued as part of an initial coin offering (ICO) could serve as one example. The tokens may be referred to as security tokens if they are associated with the project's or company's worth (as in securities like stocks, not safety).
Other tokens have a specific purpose or use case. Examples include Namecoin, which offers a decentralised Domain Name System (DNS) service for internet addresses, and Storj tokens, which enable file sharing over a decentralised network. We call these utility tokens.
Since all token categories often trade on cryptocurrency exchanges in a similar manner, traders and casual investors might not notice the variations, even though many cryptocurrency users today are aware of and appreciate them.
1. Ethereum
Ethereum (ETH), the first alternative to Bitcoin on our list, is a decentralised software platform that makes it possible to create and operate smart contracts and decentralised apps (dApps) free from fraud, downtime, third-party control, and intervention. Ethereum aims to establish a decentralised suite of financial goods that are open to all people worldwide, irrespective of their nationality, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.
Because people without governmental infrastructure and identity can obtain bank accounts, loans, insurance, and other financial items, this feature strengthens the consequences for citizens in some nations.
Ethereum's platform-specific cryptographic token is called ether. Ether (ETH) is utilised as an off-chain payment method, as an investment by speculators, and to compensate validators who stake their currency for their work on the blockchain.
Ethereum finally made the long-awaited switch to the proof-of-stake (PoS) validation technique on September 15, 2022. Because PoS eliminates mining incentives and improves the blockchain's scalability and efficiency, it uses less energy.
4 Although it lags well behind the leading cryptocurrency, Ethereum (ETH) has held a second-place position by market capitalisation after Bitcoin for years. On February 7, 2025, Ether's market value of around $329.5 billion was below that of Bitcoin, which was valued at $1.93 trillion, at a price of about $2,736.
2. USDT, or Tether
One of the first and most well-known stablecoins—alternative cryptocurrencies that try to lower volatility by tying their market value to a currency or other external reference point—was Tether (USDT). Since the majority of digital currencies, including well-known ones like Bitcoin, have frequently gone through times of extreme volatility, Tether and other stablecoins try to even out price swings in order to draw in consumers who may otherwise be wary.
Since the inventors of Tether assert that they own one US dollar (or its equivalent) for each USDT in circulation, the price of the cryptocurrency is closely correlated with the US dollar. Instead of truly converting to conventional currency, this mechanism enables users to move money from other cryptocurrencies back to US dollars more quickly and efficiently.
This cryptocurrency, which was introduced in 2014, minimises the volatility and complexity that are frequently associated with digital currencies by enabling users to transact in traditional currencies using a blockchain network and associated technology.
At $141.4 billion in market capitalisation and $1.5, Tether was the third-largest cryptocurrency on February 7, 2025.
3. BNB, or Binance Coin
One utility cryptocurrency that can be used to pay for the costs of trading on the Binance Exchange is Binance Coin (BNB). As of February 7, 2025, its market capitalisation ranks it as the sixth-largest cryptocurrency. Users can trade at a discount if they pay for the exchange with the token.
The blockchain of Binance Coin serves as the foundation for Binance's decentralised exchange. Changpeng Zhao launched the Binance Exchange, which is one of the most popular exchanges globally.
At first, Binance Coin was an Ethereum blockchain-based ERC-20 coin. It employs a PoS consensus methodology and finally launched a mainnet. One BNB was worth about $585.9 on February 7, 2025, when Binance Coin's market capitalisation was $83.4 billion.
4. Solana (SOL)
Solana is a blockchain platform that was established in 2017 with the goal of facilitating decentralised applications (dApps). Known as a "Ethereum killer," Solana conducts a significantly higher volume of transactions per second than Ethereum. Its transaction fees are also less expensive than Ethereum's.
Smart contracts, which are necessary for executing cutting-edge applications like decentralised finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are compatible with Solana and Ethereum.
Solana (SOL) is the name of the cryptocurrency that operates on the Solana blockchain. Its price has increased significantly since its launch. On February 7, 2025, Solana was worth approximately $196.9, with a market capitalisation of $96 billion, making it the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation.
5. The USD Coin (USDC)
Another stablecoin, USD Coin, also pegs its price to the U.S. dollar using fiat-collateralized reserves, which means it holds an amount of fiat currency equal to the amount of USD Coin in circulation. The Centre Consortium, which once included Circle and Coinbase, which is no longer involved in the initiative, introduced USD Coin in 2018. Because Circle is based in the U.S., it is subject to regulation, making USDC a regulated stablecoin.
As of Feb. 7, 2025, USD Coin had a market cap of $55.9 billion and a price per coin of $1.00.
6. XRP
XRP is the native token for the XRP Ledger, which was created by Ripple in 2012 as a payment system. The XRP Ledger uses a consensus mechanism called the XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol, which doesn't use proof-of-work or proof-of-stake for consensus and validation.
Instead, client applications sign and send transactions to the ledger servers. The servers then compare the transactions and conclude whether they are candidates for entry into the ledger.
The servers then send the transaction candidates to validators, who work to agree that the servers got the transactions right and record the ledger version.
On Feb. 7, 2025, XRP had a market cap of about $136.1 billion and traded at $2.36.
7. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin (DOGE), seen by some as the original “memecoin,” caused a stir in 2021 as its price skyrocketed. The coin, which uses an image of the Shiba Inu as its avatar, is accepted as a form of payment by some major companies.
Dogecoin was created by two software engineers, Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, in 2013. Markus and Palmer reportedly created the coin as a joke, commenting on the wild speculation of the cryptocurrency market.
As of Feb. 7, 2025, Dogecoin’s market capitalization was $37.3 billion, and one DOGE was valued at around $0.252, making it the eighth-largest cryptocurrency.
SHIB
A memecoin inspired by a memecoin, Shiba Inu (SHIB), rose to prominence in the fall of 2021, briefly surpassing Dogecoin's market capitalization.
8. Tron (TRX)
The TRON Foundation launched in 2017 to provide digital content makers full ownership rights through tokenization and dApps.
The thought behind TRX's launch was to give developers a way to create dApps. In 2018, TRON purchased BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing program, and integrated it into the TRON blockchain. TRON has since transitioned to serving as a decentralized financial application platform.
TRON's native token, TRX, is used to pay for on-chain transactions and as a payment method on exchanges. Anyone holding TRX can apply to become a Super Representative, someone with the authority and obligation to validate transactions and create new blocks for the blockchain.
The cryptocurrency's consensus mechanism is a tweaked version of Ethereum's proof-of-stake called designated proof-of-stake (DPoS), where the network votes in the super reps.
On Feb. 7, 2025, TRX had a value of $0.23 and a market cap of $19.6 billion.
9. Toncoin (TON)
Toncoin (TON) is the native token for The Open Network, originally developed by the Telegram team. In 2020, the Telegram team abandoned the project after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges against it for an unregistered security offering.
The project was picked up by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's brother, Dr. Nikoli Durov, and development continued through the TON Foundation.
On Feb. 7, 2025, TON traded at $3.79 and had a market cap of $9.5 billion.
10. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano (ADA) is an "Ouroboros proof-of-stake" cryptocurrency created using a research-based approach by engineers, mathematicians, and cryptography experts. The project was co-founded by Charles Hoskinson, one of the five initial founding members of Ethereum. After disagreeing with the direction that Ethereum was taking, he left and later helped to create Cardano.
The team behind Cardano created its blockchain through extensive experimentation and peer-reviewed research. The researchers behind the project have written more than 120 papers on blockchain technology across various topics. This research is the backbone of Cardano.
Due to this rigorous process, Cardano stands out among its PoS peers and other prominent cryptocurrencies. Cardano has also been dubbed an "Ethereum killer" because its blockchain is said to be capable of more. That said, Cardano is still in its early stages, with a long way to go regarding DeFi applications.
Cardano aims to be the world's financial operating system by establishing DeFi products similar to Ethereum's. It hopes to provide solutions for chain interoperability, voter fraud, and legal contract tracing, among other things. On Feb. 7, 2025, Cardano had the ninth-largest market capitalization at $25.6 billion, and one ADA traded for around $0.73.
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