There are thousands of crypto assets, but most fall into a handful of categories. Below you'll find the major coins and tokens: what each one is, which network it runs on and what it is used for. There are no prices or predictions here, only how each asset works.
The native asset of its own blockchain, used to pay fees and secure the network through mining or staking. Examples: BTC, ETH, SOL.
A token designed to hold a steady value, usually 1 US dollar. It is backed by cash and bonds (USDT, USDC) or by crypto collateral (DAI).
The governance or fee token of a scaling network built on top of another chain, often Ethereum. Examples: ARB, OP, POL.
A token that gives holders a vote on a decentralized finance protocol, and sometimes a share of its fees. Examples: UNI, AAVE.
A community- and culture-driven token, usually with little built-in utility. Prices are extremely volatile. Examples: DOGE, SHIB, PEPE.
A token that represents another asset on a different chain or in a staking position, for example WBTC (Bitcoin on Ethereum) or stETH (staked ETH).
A token standard is the technical template a token follows on a given network. The same stablecoin can exist in several standards, and you must send and receive it on the matching network.
| Standard | Network | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERC-20 | Ethereum and EVM chains | Fungible tokens | USDT, USDC, UNI, LINK |
| ERC-721 / ERC-1155 | Ethereum and EVM chains | NFTs and multi-tokens | Digital collectibles, game items |
| BEP-20 | BNB Smart Chain | Fungible tokens (ERC-20 compatible) | USDT (BEP-20), CAKE |
| TRC-20 | Tron | Fungible tokens | USDT (TRC-20) |
| SPL | Solana | Fungible tokens and NFTs | USDC (Solana), JUP |
| Jetton | TON | Fungible tokens | USDT (TON) |
| BRC-20 / Runes | Bitcoin | Experimental token formats on Bitcoin | Community tokens |
The first cryptocurrency, created by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Its fixed supply makes many people treat it as "digital gold" and a long-term store of value.
A programmable blockchain that hosts most of DeFi, NFTs and stablecoins. ETH pays gas fees and secures the network through staking. Ethereum moved from mining to Proof of Stake in 2022 ("The Merge").
The largest dollar stablecoin by supply. It is issued by Tether and backed by reserves such as US Treasury bills. It is widely used for trading and cross-border transfers.
A dollar stablecoin issued by Circle and backed by cash and short-term US Treasuries, with regular reserve attestations. It is popular in DeFi and payments.
A decentralized dollar stablecoin created by the Maker protocol (now Sky). It is minted against locked crypto collateral rather than bank deposits. Sky has also launched an upgraded version called USDS.
Created by the Binance exchange. BNB pays fees on BNB Smart Chain and gives trading-fee discounts on Binance. Part of the supply is regularly burned.
A high-throughput blockchain known for fast confirmations and very low fees. It hosts busy DeFi, NFT and meme-token markets.
The native asset of the XRP Ledger. It is designed for fast, cheap cross-border payments and uses a consensus protocol instead of mining. Ripple is the company most associated with it.
A research-driven blockchain that uses the Ouroboros proof-of-stake protocol. ADA can be staked straight from a wallet without locking funds.
A blockchain that carries a large share of all USDT transfers because fees are low. TRX pays for network resources (bandwidth and energy).
The native coin of The Open Network. The design came from Telegram, and the network is now run by an independent community. It is tightly integrated with Telegram mini-apps.
A platform with fast finality and support for custom chains (L1s/subnets). Its C-Chain is EVM-compatible, so Ethereum wallets like MetaMask work with it.
A network that connects specialized blockchains (parachains) under shared security. DOT is used for staking, governance and buying blockspace.
One of the oldest altcoins, built as a lighter, faster version of Bitcoin. It uses the Scrypt mining algorithm and has 2.5-minute blocks.
A 2017 fork of Bitcoin that raised the block size limit to make everyday on-chain payments cheaper.
A sharded proof-of-stake blockchain with human-readable account names (like alice.near) and a focus on usability and AI-related applications.
A high-performance blockchain from Mysten Labs that uses the Move programming language and an object-based data model.
A Move-based layer 1 built by former members of Meta's Diem blockchain project. It focuses on parallel transaction execution.
A payments network for fast, low-cost transfers and tokenized currencies. It uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol.
The hub of the Cosmos ecosystem of independent, interconnected blockchains that talk to each other through the IBC protocol.
A public network that uses hashgraph consensus instead of a traditional blockchain. It is governed by a council of large organizations.
The token of the Polygon ecosystem. It replaced MATIC in 2024 and is used for gas on Polygon PoS and for staking.
The governance token of the Arbitrum DAO, which oversees Arbitrum One, one of the largest Ethereum rollups. Gas on Arbitrum is paid in ETH, not ARB.
The governance token of the Optimism Collective and the "Superchain" of OP Stack rollups, which includes OP Mainnet and Base.
A decentralized oracle network that feeds real-world data, such as asset prices, into smart contracts. LINK pays node operators and is used for staking.
The governance token of Uniswap, one of the largest decentralized exchanges. Holders vote on protocol upgrades and treasury use.
The governance token of Aave, a leading decentralized lending protocol where users supply assets to earn interest or borrow against collateral.
The native token of Hyperliquid, a blockchain built for an on-chain perpetual futures exchange. It is used for staking and fees on the network.
Started as a joke based on the "Doge" meme and became one of the best-known cryptocurrencies. About 5 billion new DOGE are issued every year, with no cap.
A dog-themed ERC-20 meme token that grew into an ecosystem with its own DEX and a Layer 2 network called Shibarium.
A frog-meme token on Ethereum with no formal utility or roadmap. It is a typical example of a purely community-driven meme coin.
An ERC-20 token backed 1:1 by bitcoin held with a custodian. It lets BTC be used in Ethereum DeFi. Similar tokens include cbBTC and tBTC.
A token you receive when you stake ETH through Lido. It earns staking rewards while staying tradable and usable in DeFi.
Before you buy or accept any token, answer these questions. They filter out most scams and misunderstandings: