Since the launch of Bitcoin, thousands of alternative cryptocurrencies, also known as altcoins, have emerged in order to expand on or improve Bitcoin's features. On this page, you’ll learn what altcoins are, the difference between Bitcoin and altcoins, what BTC dominance is, and explore various types of altcoins.
If you're comparing altcoin performance or potential altcoin investments, this page will give you a clear overview of the most significant non-Bitcoin assets shaping the crypto market today.
| Name | Ticker | Market Cap Rank | Price ($) | Price change (24h) | Market Cap | Total Volume | ATH | Change from ATH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| steth | #0 | $1656.9 | 4.38% | $14.97B | $11.15M | $4932.89 | 66.38% | |
| wsteth | #0 | $2053.31 | 4.36% | $7.47B | $11.88M | $7256.02 | 71.70% | |
| syrupusdc | #0 | $1.17 | 0.02% | $1.29B | $1.53M | $1.17 | 0.04% | |
| jlp | #0 | $3.38 | 3.32% | $771.72M | $3.28M | $5.99 | 43.46% | |
| bnsol | #0 | $76.82 | 5.36% | $712.42M | $890.14K | $297.96 | 74.22% | |
| tbtc | #0 | $62124 | 3.30% | $309.21M | $1.2M | $125646 | 50.51% | |
| susdai | #0 | $1.092 | 0.03% | $296.02M | $926.93K | $1.19 | 8.01% | |
| steakusdc | #0 | $1.093 | 0.00% | $246.26M | $0 | $9.22 | 88.14% | |
| oseth | #0 | $1768.6 | 4.29% | $238.71M | $93.52K | $5206.8 | 66.02% | |
| hype | #10 | $62.09 | 7.97% | $13.81B | $676.11M | $76.7 | 19.06% | |
| Project | Score | Followers | Top followers | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bitcoin might’ve kicked off the crypto revolution, but it’s far from the only player in the game. Everything that came after and isn’t Bitcoin is usually called an "altcoin." The term simply blends "alternative" and "coin," and that's exactly what these digital assets aim to be: alternatives.
What are altcoins in crypto? Altcoins come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some, like Bitcoin, have their own blockchains, but the majority are born from something called a "fork." Essentially, a fork happens when an existing blockchain splits off to create a whole new network. This often happens because developers or communities can't agree on how the original blockchain should work, and so they create a new coin with its own set of rules.
Take Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin SV (BSV), for example - both of these came from Bitcoin after some heated debates about things like transaction speed and block sizes. Then there's Ethereum Classic (ETC), which was created when the Ethereum community split following the DAO hack. It’s a bit of a soap opera, but that’s how some of these altcoins come into play!
In addition, many of them introduce innovations to the broader crypto altcoins ecosystem, such as new consensus methods that enable faster transaction processing – for example, Cardano’s use of Proof of Stake to reduce energy consumption, Solana’s high-speed consensus model, or Monero and Zcash offering privacy-focused transactions. Such innovations offer new possibilities in the crypto space. That's altcoins market cap is a useful indicator of the diversity and growth of the market.
Bitcoin dominance is the conditional indicator that measures Bitcoin’s market share relative to the total cryptocurrency market. As the first and largest cryptocurrency by market cap, Bitcoin has remained the dominant asset, making this metric a key reference for traders and analysts. It is calculated by dividing Bitcoin's overall market capitalization by the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin dominance helps assess where the market is and where it is heading. It plays a role in identifying two key market phases: Altseason and Bitcoin Season. Altcoins season occurs when altcoins outperform Bitcoin, while Bitcoin Season is when BTC regains dominance. High BTC dominance signals investor preference for Bitcoin as a safer bet during market uncertainty.
Periods of sustained capital inflow into sectors like Solana altcoins or DeFi projects can hint at a shifting tide, helping investors spot the best altcoins for the next bull run early. Tracking altcoin price movements during these phases can provide valuable insights.
As of 2025, the best altcoins by market capitalisation include:
There are a lot of varieties of altcoins due to their flavors and categories. We prepared for you the most common and widespread ones, and what they are intended for:
As more investors, businesses, and governments join the crypto rush, new coins continue to emerge — including innovative sectors like AI altcoins, which are gaining traction for their use of artificial intelligence technology. Whether you're chasing innovation, financial freedom, or portfolio diversity, identifying promising altcoins to buy and selecting the best altcoins to invest in requires due diligence. So, how to find altcoins with strong potential?
Before investing, understand the risks involved. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile, and scams are common. Here are some steps to help you choose the best option: