Most Important Cryptos Other Than Bitcoin – Top 15 Bitcoin Alternatives 2024

This guide discusses the most important cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. There is no denying the disruptive impact Bitcoin has brought to the financial world, which makes it one of the most important cryptos.

The legacy coin has been widely adopted as a medium of exchange, store of value, and an investment. But there are tens of thousands of other digital currencies. Some of these Bitcoin alternatives – or altcoins – have proved to be as disruptive and innovative as Bitcoin.

We’ve conducted thorough research to identify the best crypto other than Bitcoin to buy now. Our list includes both well-established crypto assets and promising newcomers, all with high potential for returns.

On top of this, we will discuss what makes them as important as Bitcoin, their past and expected price action to help you determine whether they are worth buying.

Top 15 Most Important Cryptocurrencies

Based on our research, each of the top crypto assets on our list stands out for a very specific reason which we’ve listed below. Here is a handpicked list of what our analysts consider the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin.

1. Ethereum (ETH) – The Second Most Important Cryptocurrency
2. Ripple (XRP) – Disruptive Crypto Revolutionizing the Global Finance Industry
3. Tether USD (USDT) – The Most Popular and Most Valuable Stablecoin
4. Solana (SOL) – The Best Ethereum Alternative and Fastest Growing Smart Contract Platform
5. Cosmos (ATOM) – Popular Crypto Championing an Interoperable Cryptoverse
6. Litecoin (LTC) – Best Bitcoin Alternative for Fast Payment Processing Speeds and Low Cost
7. Polygon (MATIC) – The Leading Layer 2 Protocol on the Ethereum Network
8. Dogecoin (DOGE) – The Best Memecoin to Invest In Right Now
9. Cardano (ADA) – The Most Secure Blockchain Network
10. Binance Coin (BNB) – The Most Successful Altcoin on the Binance Ecosystem
11. Toncoin (TON) – Popular Social-Media Backed Cryptocurrenc
12. Shiba Inu (SHIB) – The Most Lucrative Crypto of All Time
13. Aptos (APT) – The Fastest Blockchain Network and Solana Killer
14. The Graph (GRT) – Innovative Crypto Promising to Power the Web 3 Revolution
15. Uniswap (UNI) – The Most Popular and Most Valuable Decentralized Exchange

What are Cryptocurrencies?

A cryptocurrency is a form of digital money or virtual currency. Unlike fiat currencies which are issued and controlled by central bank or governments, cryptos run on a decentralized public ledger called a blockchain. The first cryptocurrency ever created was Bitcoin – introduced to the world in 2009 by a pseudonymous cryptographer – Satoshi Nakamoto.

Over time, other digital currencies have popped up. These are referred to as alternative currencies – or altcoins. Some of these have been designed to complement Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. Others have their activities domiciled to specific blockchain networks that are used to create future-focused decentralized apps and programs. Yet, others only serve as speculative investment assets.

Types of Altcoins

Virtual currencies can be grouped into different categories based on such metrics as usage, functionality, and design. Here, we discuss the three main types of altcoins based on their usage.

• Stablecoins: These refer to digital assets whose value doesn’t change. It is pegged on such other assets as fiat currencies or precious metals. They are used as Bitcoin alternatives in settling payments. They can also be used as a store of value during periods of high volatility. Examples are Tether USD (USDT) DMaker (DAI) and USD Coin (USDC).
• Memecoins: They are also referred to as joke currencies. They refer to digital assets that only serve as a speculative investment. They derive much of their value from hype and market sentiments. Examples of the best meme coins to buy right now are Dogecoins, Shiba Inu, Bonk, and DogWifHat.
• Tokens: Tokens refer to altcoins that are created and hosted on an existing blockchain. They are mainly used to facilitate transactions for the protocol or program hosted on the blockchain service. Take, for instance MATIC, it is the token for the Polygon layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum network.

The Best Bitcoin Alternatives in 2024 – Detailed Reviews

Now that we’ve looked at the top contenders for the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin to buy today, let’s examine them in more detail.

1. Ethereum (ETH) – The Second Most Important Cryptocurrency

Ethereum is the ultimate Bitcoin alternative. It is the second most valuable and one of the most sought after digital currency. ETH launched in 2016 and is the native coin for the Ethereum blockchain network. This smart contract platform seeks to revolutionize the internet. Like Bitcoin, however, it currently is widely adopted as a medium of exchange, store of value, and investment product.

While Bitcoin was shaking up the finance industry, Ethereum was decentralizing every other world industry. It hopes to decentralize the finance industry by introducing DeFis and dApps. It also hopes to shake up the global art and ecommerce industries with non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Not forgetting that Ethereum is also the base layer for the web 3 – the new iteration of the World Wide Web.

The ETH token is worth buying today because it has solid fundamentals and has performed exceptionally well. By the time it peaked in November 2021, the altcoin was up by more than 1630000%. During the next market cycle, some optimists expect it to rally by more than 500% to break above $15,000. This makes it one of the best cryptos to buy for beginners.

Don’t Miss: US SEC Approves 8 Spot Ethereum ETFs

2. Ripple (XRP) – Disruptive Crypto Revolutionizing the Global Finance Industry

Ripple promises to be the most disruptive technology of the 21st century to the banking industry. It seeks to replace SWIFT as the most preferred payment and communication system for the global finance industry. The top 10 crypto has made significant strides towards this and has already onboarded tens of popular global finance/banking industry players.

It also promises to play a key role in the global shift towards cryptos via CBDCs. At the time of writing, for example, 10+ central banks and governments are leveraging Ripple Ledger technology to create CBDCs. Examples of these are Colombia, Palau, Hong Kong, and Montenegro. The number of brands, finance industry operators, and governments partnering with Ripple has been rising steadily.

Going into the next bull run, note that its XRP tokens are still trading below their 2018 highs. This makes it one of the most undervalued cryptos to buy today. By the end of 2025, some analysts and forecasters expect XRP to have rallied by more than 10x to break above $5.

3. Tether USD (USDT) – The Most Popular and Most Valuable StableCoin

Tether is the third most valuable digital currency. It is also the most popular and most traded stablecoin. It can be viewed as a tokenized dollar because its value is pegged to the dollar. For every, USDT ever mined, its developers claim to hold one USD (or cash equivalent). We must, however, point out that there has been a lot of controversy about Tether’s lack of transparency with regards to its USD holdings.

Unlike all the other cryptocurrencies that we will discuss in this post. USDT doesn’t serve as an investment. Rather, it serves as a store of value during period of high volatility. For example, you may convert your Bitcoin or other altcoins to USDT during periods of volatile price fluctuations. It also readily accepted as a medium of exchange because of its speedy transaction processing and low fees.

Read More: USDC vs. USDT: Which Stablecoin is the Better Option?

4. Solana (SOL) – The Best Ethereum Alternative and Fastest Growing Smart Contract Platform

Solana is the most popular and by far the most successful of Ethereum-killer. By Ethereum killer, we refer to smart contract enabled blockchain networks that were designed to compete with and replace Ethereum. These were designed to solve the transaction cost and scalability issues that continue to face the Ethereum network.

Like Ethereum, it has created a blockchain network that seeks to decentralize the internet. It, too, is home to disruptive technologies and programs like DeFi, dApps, Web 3, and NFTs. They too are designed to disrupt different sectors of the global economy. But unlike Ethereum, the Solana blockchain has faster transaction-to-finality speeds and friendlier transaction charges. These make it more developer friendly.

At the time of writing, Solana is the fifth most valuable cryptocurrency. It has consistently posted exceptional performance by maintaining an overall uptrending price action since its launch. Solana has also proved its resilience by surviving the FTX exchange collapse, a lengthy bear market, and frequent network downtimes. It is also poised to be one the biggest beneficiaries of the upcoming bull market with potential 10x gains.

5. Cosmos (ATOM) – Popular Crypto Championing an Interoperable Cryptoverse

Cosmos is an equally important cryptocurrency because it seeks to solve the biggest problem facing the crypto-verse. Note that while the different blockchains share multiple similarities, they are structurally different. This is evidenced by the variations of consensus mechanisms used to verify transactions and secure these networks.

Bitcoin uses proof-of-work while Ethereum recently switched to the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. This makes it impossible to share data between blockchains. Cosmos sought to address this challenge by coming up with the InterBlockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. This creates interoperable blockchain by allowing for sharing of data between these networks.

In addition to interoperability, Cosmos has also come up with the Cosmos SDK. The tool makes it possible for anyone – regardless of their profession – to build on the blockchain. You can also create and deploy blockchains and dApps using this tool – even if you don’t know how to code. This makes Cosmos and its ATOM tokens one of the most promising cryptos.

6. Litecoin (LTC) – Best Bitcoin Alternative for Fast Payment Processing Speeds and Low Cost

At its core, Litecoin is a lighter version of Bitcoin. Its developers envisioned it to be the ultimate Bitcoin killer as it solves the core challenges facing Bitcoin. These are low transaction to finality speeds and high transaction processing fees. For example, while Bitcoin only confirms a block every time minutes, Litecoin confirms a block every 2.5 minutes.

Like Bitcoin, it serves no other purpose other than exist as a medium of exchange. However, it too has been adopted as an investment product and a store of value. We must, at this point, mention that Litecoin isn’t as popular or as valuable as Bitcoin. Or as its original investors envisioned when it launched more than decade ago.

Much of Litecoin’s woes trace back to 2017 and one of its creators – Charlie Lee. He attempted to rug-pull the project by selling all his LTC holdings at the height of the 2017/2018 bull market. While the project survived and Charlie eventually returned to working at Litecoin Foundation, the project hasn’t been the same again. In 2021, for example, LTC only recorded marginal gains above its 2017 highs.

The same cannot be said of Bitcoin, which more than tripled its 2017 highs. Ethereum, on the other hand, almost grew its 2017 highs five-fold. Today, optimistic investors bank on Litecoin’s resilience, solid fundamentals, and obedience to market trends to catapult LTC to new price record. By the end of this market cycle, these expect LTC to have grown 10x to break above $1000.

7. Polygon (MATIC) – The Leading Layer 2 Protocol on the Ethereum Network

Polygon is not a blockchain network. Rather, it is a scaling solution on the Ethereum network. However, we still list it among the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin because of the role it plays in this network. Polygon uses optimistic and zero-knowledge (ZK) rollups to increase transaction speeds and reduce transaction costs on Ethereum.

Today, it is by far the most popular and most valuable layer-2 protocol on Ethereum. This significance has also made it one of the top 20 most valuable cryptocurrency projects out there. Today, most on-chain and off-chain brands are looking to build on Ethereum leverage layer-2 protocols like Polygon. This ensures they enjoy Ethereum’s security while reducing transaction fees and speeds.

Among top brands that have built on Ethereum while leveraging Polygon include Adidas, Google, Reddit, Starbucks, Nike, MasterCard, and Adobe. Moving forward, we expect more brands to join this bandwagon, further popularizing Polygon. In readiness for this, Polygon is upgrading its programs. It is also rebranding its tokens from MATIC to POL. This should be enough to make the next 100x crypto.

8. Dogecoin (DOGE) – The Best Memecoin to Invest In Right Now

Dogecoin is the most valuable cryptocurrency and a consistent feature among the top 10 cryptos. It is also one of the most popular meme coins out there – with an online community of more than 6 million followers. DOGE is also older and more resilient than any other joke currency out there. Created in 2013, it has survived multiple harsh bear markets.

Several key factors informed our decision to feature it among the most important cryptocurrencies. First is the fact that its adoption has skyrocketed. Today, brands like Tesla let you buy merchandise with DOGE. The number of individuals and stores that accept DOGE as payment for goods and services has also been on an uptrend.

We also feature it here because it promises to be one of the most sustainable cryptos out there. The claim is backed by its proven resilience. It also has the backing of the largest group of crypto influencers and celebrities like Elon Musk.

These are constantly driving hype and attention to the coin and are committed to making it the best future crypto. This popularity is even expected to help DOGE break parity with the US Dollar this market cycle.

9. Cardano (ADA) – The Most Secure Blockchain Network

Cardano is the most secure cryptocurrency out there. It is the only blockchain network in the crypto-verse whose design and code is peer-reviewed. Note that like Solana, Cardano is a supposed Ethereum killer. It also mirrors virtually all the innovative crypto programs and projects on the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems.

However, before Cardano integrates crypto technology into its network, it has to be peer-reviewed. This explains why it hasn’t been quick as quick to implement many innovative crypto projects. On the flipside, this approach to growth helps its avoid such challenges as network downtime that plaque Solana.

Today, Cardano has integrated all the important crypto technologies and programs into its ecosystem. This, alongside its proven resilience and obedience to market trends, is expected to continue driving up its value. This market cycle will be the first time Cardano will participate in the bull run as a fully functional blockchain.

During the 2021 bull market, Cardano hadn’t even integrated the smart contract feature. During this market cycle, ADA is expected to be among the top performers. By the end of 2025, for example, optimists are confident that it will have rallied by more than 1500% to double its current all-time high.

10. Binance Coin (BNB) – The Most Successful Altcoin on the Binance Ecosystem

Binance Coin is the fourth most valuable digital currency today. It is hosted on the Binance Smart Chain and is the utility token for the Binance Exchange. You can settle your crypto trading fees on Binance with BN coins and stand to receive a 25% fee discount. It can also be staked on the exchange or third-party platforms for a chance at a competitive rewards.

Today, Binance coin’s use cases extend beyond passive investing and settling crypto trading fees. Its resilience and exceptional past performance make it one of the best stores of value. The fact that it is deflationary and is affiliated with a strong brand in the crypto world makes it the best future crypto. In turn, all these make BNB one of the most popular Bitcoin alternatives.

11. Toncoin (TON) – Popular Social-Media Backed Cryptocurrency

Toncoin is the native crypto of The Open Network. This is a layer-1 blockchain network created by the ultra-popular social media platform – Telegram. The blockchain network was created in 2018 and but the TON coin was only introduced to the open markets in late 2022. The coin is used to facilitate transactions within the TON network but has also become a popular crypto investment.

A number of factors make it one of the most popular Bitcoin alternatives. First is the backing of one of the most popular anti-censorship media platforms. It also has a huge and organic community of followers and potential users. This community is largely made up of the more than 1.5 billion Telegram users across the world.

At the time of writing, TON is one of the best-performing altcoins of the season. Even at the height of the bear market, the cryptocurrency has posted an ROI of more than 1500%. This has not only proved its readiness to break out but has also helped it list among the 15 most popular digital assets. We also expect its adoption as a payment method by individuals and brands to catapult its value to newer heights.

12. Shiba Inu (SHIB) – The Most Lucrative Crypto of All Time

Shiba Inu is the most lucrative cryptocurrency of all time. It achieved this fete during the 2021 bull run when it rallied by more than 85 million percent. Much of this was made possible by the burning of close to 50% of SHIB tokens in circulation at the time. Today, the top memecoin has been aggressively burning SHIB tokens with as much as 76 billion of these having been burned in 2023.

In addition to burning cryptos, the Shiba Inu team has also been expanding its ecosystem. It has integrated multiple programs aimed at growing SHIB’s use cases and value. These include NFT projects, a decentralized exchange, more meme coins, a play-to-earn gaming platform, a metaverse, and the Shibarium layer-2 protocol. All these are aimed at raising SHIB’s use cases and triggering its value gain.

Shiba Inu features among the best Bitcoin alternatives because of its high ROI potential. It appeals the most to high risk investors looking to 10x their capital during this bull run. This value gain will be made possible majorly by SHIB’s resilience and obedience to market trends.

13. Aptos (APT) – The Fastest Blockchain Network and Solana Killer

Aptos is a smart contract platform and layer-1 blockchain network whose mainnet launched in October 2022. It is christened the Solana Killer because it was created to solve the challenges facing Solana. Note that Solana is already one of Ethereum’s most competitive blockchain network. But it faced serious downtime challenges and negative sentiment from association with FTX exchange.

Aptos sought to provide a stable Ethereum alternative. We must, however, mention that Aptos did more than address the downtime challenges. It also came up with the fastest blockchain network with a theoretical transaction processing speed of more than 150,000 TPS. Aptos is also more upgradable and configurable, traits that it hopes will make it developer friendlier – especially among web 3 campaigners.

APT tokens are also worth buying because launched at the height of the 2022/2023 bear market. This implies that it is grossly undervalued. Even then, it has proved its resilience and readiness to explode by attempting several breakouts. Its ROI has already exceeded 1000% and is expected to grow by a possible 10x this market cycle.

14. The Graph (GRT) – Innovative Crypto Promising to Power the Web 3 Revolution

The Graph is an indexing protocol for querying data on such networks as Ethereum. It also hopes to launch on other EVM-compatible blockchains like Solana and Avalanche. The Graph promises to charge one of the most impactful revolution to the Web 3 and dApp world. It hopes to achieve this by making it possible for developers to access more accurate data for creating smart contracts.

When GRT tokens launched in late 2020, their price started pumping almost immediately. It rallied by more than 2400% in less than three months to peak above $2.88. At the time of writing, however, GRT is trading close to 90% below the 2021 peak levels. This indicates that, given its potential, GRT is one of the most undervalued cryptos worth buying right now.

Moving forward, a number of factors will help the undervalued crypto rebound and race to new heights. First, its rebound will be triggered by the upcoming bull run for 2024/2025. Web 3, DeFi, and dApp ecosystems are also expected to continue thriving, which creates further demand for GRT tokens.

15. Uniswap (UNI) – The Most Popular and Most Valuable Decentralized Exchange

Uniswap is the most popular and most used decentralized exchange around. It started as a protocol on the Ethereum blockchain but has since extended support to such other networks as the Binance Smart Chain. Since its launch in 2018, it has facilitated crypto transactions worth more than $1.5 Trillion. It has also been integrated by more than 300 on- and off-chain brands and programs.

Its revolutionary approach to crypto trading makes it one of the most important cryptos other than Bitcoin. It provides a safe and censorship-free platform for crypto investors and trades. In addition to facilitating trades, Uniswap exposes you to passive crypto investing through liquidity farming. The platform is also constantly listing new coins, exposing you to the next 100x cryptos before they explode.

UNI is one of the best tokens to buy today because it has a promising future. Further, it has consistently done well over the past and proved its resilience. It also mirrors the market trends and is expected to rebound and rally to a new high during this bull market. But even more importantly, Uniswap is worth buying because it is grossly undervalued – at more than 80% of its 2021 peak prices.

Why are Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin Important?

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and their underlying blockchains are important for a number of reasons. First, they are important because by decentralizing the finance industry, they remove bureaucracies around money. They make peer-to-peer and cross border transfers convenient, cost friendlier, and faster.

By decentralizing the internet, cryptos and blockchains like Ethereum are opening up virtually every aspect of the economy. Both make it possible for anyone to invest and earn passively through the different DeFi programs. They also revolutionize governance by introducing DAOs and also make it possible for brands and individuals to tokenize their art/inventory and sell it online.

When they serve as an investment, cryptos introduce us to a new investment product. Unlike all other investment classes, however, all digital currencies are the only assets that give you absolute control over your assets. They have also proved to be more lucrative that any other investment class out there.

The Bottom Line – Most Important Cryptos Other Than Bitcoin

Despite thousands of competitors, Bitcoin is still the most popular cryptocurrency out there. There, however, have emerged serious alternatives that promise to be as good as the legacy crypto. These promise to change different aspects of the world – from finances to art and even governance. In addition to their innovativeness, these cryptos are also highly profitable investments.

Want to invest in any of the best Bitcoin alternatives? Start by registering a crypto trader account with eToro, fund this account, and open a buy order.

References:

1. https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/the-history-of-bitcoin
2. https://cointelegraph.com/news/palau-advances-cbdc-with-ripple-in-phase-2-of-psc-program-launch
3. https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/04/11/montenegros-central-bank-to-develop-cbdc-pilot-with-ripple/
4. https://u.today/ripple-to-help-hong-kong-build-cbdc-official
5. https://thefintechtimes.com/central-bank-of-colombia-to-pilot-cbdc-project-on-ripples-xrp-ledger/
6. https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/11/02/a-year-after-sam-bankman-frieds-downfall-solana-and-other-ftx-holdings-are-flying-high/
7. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/20/litecoin-founder-charlie-lee-sells-his-holdings-in-the-cryptocurrency.html
8. https://www.blockchain-council.org/blockchain/polygon-technology-top-10-partnerships-depicting-the-rise-of-layer-2-ethereum-scaling-solution/
9. https://decrypt.co/resources/cardano
10. https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/vitalik-buterin-burns-410-trillion-shiba-inu-tokens-sending-shib-price-up-by-40-202105170339
11. https://medium.com/aptoslabs/the-aptos-vision-1028ac56676e

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Author: Wajeeh Khan

Wajeeh Khan is a financial researcher and writer with 7 years of experience. He has immense exposure to a range of financial assets, including stock, cryptocurrencies and forex - and is particularly well-versed in asset valuation, analysis, and portfolio management. Since 2016, Khan has worked with notable online platforms within financial journalism, including Invezz, Trading-Education, Dog of Wall Street, and News Break. All in all, he has written, editted, and published over 7,000 articles, guides, and market insight. Online casinos started as a hobby for Khan in 2018. But in only two years, it had already become another niche that he started actively researching. Over the past three years, he has written a diversified set of content around gambling for clients from all over the world. Academically, Khan has a Bachelor's in Economics and a Master's degree in Finance. He's also completed a bunch of courses on digital journalism and financial markets at large.

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