Top 20 Cryptocurrencies Worth Checking Out

Top 20 Cryptocurrencies Worth Checking Out

There are literally hundreds of cryptocurrencies available to buy or trade, each with their own unique spin on blockchain technology and different intended usage. This page contains our ranking of the 20 cryptocurrencies that show the most potential and are worth keeping an eye on.

This list takes into account coin value, how many coins are in use, the legitimacy of the individuals behind the creation of each coin, and its general popularity and usability.

It's important to take into account all of this information when thinking about investing time or money into a cryptocurrency. After all, a crypto coin that's worth a lot of money is of no use if it's not accepted anywhere. Likewise, a coin that has a lot of buzzes may be all smoke and mirrors if it never increases in value and is surrounded by controversy.

This information is intended to help educate our readers about the variety of choices available in the cryptocurrency field and is not meant to be interpreted as financial advice. As with all investments, those involved should take the whole responsibility for their buying and selling decisions and no one should ever spend more than they are willing to lose, especially in a market such as a cryptocurrency which is relatively new and fluctuates massively on a daily basis.

1) Bitcoin is the King of Crypto

Bitcoin may not be as technologically advanced as some of its rivals like Ethereum, but it has something that many of don't; brand recognition.

Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency and as such is well-known not only in technology circles but also by the general public. Many people choose to buy Bitcoin simply because it's likely the only crypto coin they've heard of. As a result of this popularity, more businesses now accept Bitcoin payments and it's significantly easier to convert Bitcoin to traditional/fiat money than other coins.

Bitcoin is to cryptocurrency what Apple's iPhone is to smartphones. It may not technically be the best option out there but its huge head start in the industry has resulted in a lot of support from consumers and businesses and it will be very hard to beat without significant innovation from the competition.

Top 20 Cryptocurrencies Worth Checking Out

2 & 3) Runners-Up: Litecoin & Ethereum

Litecoin and Ethereum are very solid second choices to Bitcoin and have grown a lot in popularity mostly due to Coinbase, the most popular place to buy and sell cryptocurrency online, adding them alongside Bitcoin. Both of these crypto coins feature cheaper and faster transactions than Bitcoin and many Bitcoin ATMs also support them.

Litecoin is based on Bitcoin technology but is run by different individuals that constantly upgrade it with the latest tech to help it run faster and better. Ethereum is a bit of a different beast due to it also doubling as a programing language on top of its cryptocurrency use. It's very popular with developers and major companies such as Microsoft have also expressed interest in developing Ethereum-based projects.

4 - 10) 7 Cryptocoins to Keep an Eye On

Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum may be considered "The Big Three" by most people but there are some legitimate crypto rivals on the horizon that have already gained a lot of traction and could give them a run for their money.

Here are seven with the biggest potential.

• Dash: Dash launched in 2014 as a blockchain-powered, decentralized, digital cash alternative to PayPal. From its cool logo to its apps and integration with numerous merchants and services, Dash is a cryptocurrency that aims to make the technology approachable to the average consumer.
• Monero: Monero is often referred to as "the privacy coin" due to the fact that transactions on its blockchain are significantly more difficult to track than with Bitcoin and other crypto coins. Montero's technology does make it more difficult to integrate Monero into cryptocurrency software and hardware wallets, but that hasn't stopped investors and casual users from checking it out.

• OmiseGO: OmiseGO is a financial solution based off of the Ethereum blockchain and technology. Its main purpose is to allow businesses to process payments from a variety of crypto and fiat (traditional) currencies quickly and affordable. It is already being implemented in some major businesses, such as McDonald's, in several Asian countries. There is a lot of support behind OmiseGO with an impressive list of advisors and companies such as SBI Investors and SMBC investing in it.
• Ripple: Ripple is a blockchain solution designed for major financial institutions to help increase security and transaction speed while reducing the associated fees. Over 75 major financial institutions such as Westpac, MUFG, UBS, and American Express have already begun working with Ripple.
• Zcash: This crypto coin is a direct rival to Bitcoin, Litecoin, and other traditional cryptocurrencies that aspire to become a mainstream payment option for consumers. Zcash does provide more security and privacy than Bitcoin but most people interested in such features usually prefer to use Monero.
• BCash/Bitcoin Cash: Bitcoin Cash gets a lot of publicity and is often one of the most-valuable cryptocurrencies on the market. It's important to understand though that Bitcoin Cash actually has no connection to Bitcoin, despite its name, and that it is quite a controversial coin due to many people behind its creation promoting it as "the real Bitcoin." This misinformation has resulted in new investors mistakenly buying Bitcoin Cash instead of Bitcoin and many services are now referring to it as BCash to limit the amount of confusion around it. With more and more people educating themselves on cryptocurrency, it's unclear how popular Bitcoin Cash will remain going forward.

• Steam: Steemit is a decentralized blogging platform and Steam is the cryptocurrency that's rewarded to users for posting, commenting, upvoting, and sharing content on it.

11 - 20) 10 Cryptocurrencies With Potential

These following cryptocurrencies may not have made it into our Top 10 most-interesting coins but they still have a lot of potentials and could quickly rise up the list if given the proper support.

• Dogecoin: This crypto coin is a basic coin used for making payments. The Dogecoin technology itself will have a hard time competing with the likes of Litecoin and Bitcoin but its logo, that of the popular Shiba in internet meme, has done a great job of attracting users to its platform. Dogecoin is definitely the most-fun cryptocurrency.
• Golem: Golem is projected that aims to take cloud computing and make it decentralized. Essentially entire websites and services will be hosted on users' computers and those who opt-in to provide their computer to be part of the service will be rewarded with the Golem token/coin.
• SALT: SALT is a blockchain-powered loan platform where users can deposit their various cryptocurrencies and receive a real-world money loan.  
• NEO: NEO is a Chinese cryptocurrency that has had a bit of a rough start due to mainland China's constantly changing stance of crypto coins but NEO eventually recovered and many see it as a coin that could be huge in China if the country ever bans other crypto coins.
• IOTA: IOTA is a blockchain-powered marketplace for providing and selling data. The IOTA service itself is quite niche but its crypto coin has garnered a fair bit of buzz from the crypto community.

• EOS: This cryptocurrency is a direct competitor to Ethereum and promises to process payments with zero fees, which would be a first for a crypto coin. It's unclear if EOS can compete with the massive popularity of Ethereum though.
• Stellar: Stellar is an open-source blockchain project that aims to revolutionize the banking industry with faster and cheaper international payments.  
• TRON/TRONIX: The TRON project aims to decentralize entertainment and offer a distribution method that will benefit both creators and consumers by protecting copyright and reducing costs. TRON's crypto coin is TRONIX and it, along with other coins, will be able to be used to purchase content and services on the network.  
• Civic: This secure identity database has garnered a lot of media attention due to its potential for creating a truly global database for storing and sharing personal and medical data in a secure and decentralized way. Civic has found a niche for itself in the crowded crypto space and has very few rivals.
• BitConnect: BitConnect closed down its popular lending platform in early 2018 in a pivot to be more of a source for cryptocurrency education and trading via its BitConnectX platform. Despite this shift in focus, BitConnect's cryptocurrency, BitConnect Coin, still has a large market cap plus with the continuation of the BCCPay debit card (which can use BitConnect Coin and Bitcoin to make payments via the Mastercard network), the company's continued forward momentum, and its large vocal fanbase means that the coin shouldn't be brushed aside just yet and could make a big return in the future.