With over 10,000 cryptocurrencies floating around on the market, you might be wondering “What is the best crypto buy right now?” While there’s no guaranteed strategy for finding the best cryptocurrency to invest in today, our list of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap can help you narrow down your choices.
10 top cryptocurrencies to buy right now
The top crypto to buy now by market capitalization (at the time of the most recent update) are:
These coins are currently receiving the most attention from crypto investors. Keep reading to learn why.
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
The world’s first cryptocurrency, bitcoin (BTC) was released in 2009 by a person or persons known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. It pioneered blockchain technology and gave birth to a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The network is governed by a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism that requires computers to solve cryptographic puzzles to mine BTC, verify transactions and secure the network.
Bitcoin is a widely accepted form of currency that is not controlled by any government or corporation and can be sent to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Since its release, Bitcoin has witnessed exponential growth and outperformed every asset class over the past decade.
At the start of 2010, BTC traded for less than a cent, while it currently trades for . No other asset in history has seen such explosive growth in such a short period.
Why do people think BTC has value?
Although it was designed as a peer-to-peer trustless digital payment system, many now consider it more of a store of value than a means of payment. It has even been called ‘digital gold’ due to its limited supply of 21 million coins and the difficulty involved in creating new ones.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum (ETH) was crowdfunded in 2014 by a team of software engineers and is the most used blockchain for decentralized applications (dApps).
It introduced smart contracts via a custom programming language called Solidity. Smart contracts allow for the development of automated software and applications that use the Ethereum blockchain for security.
You can think of Ethereum as a highly secure financial layer for the internet, with thousands of automated services, websites and applications that don’t need staff to operate.
One year before the network launch, Ethereum developers pre-sold ether (ETH) — the native currency of Ethereum — for about $0.31 via an initial coin offering (ICO). The price of ETH has since increased exponentially to .
ETH has become more valuable as decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols like Uniswap, Compound, Aave and over 1,000 others have been built on top of it. The rise in popularity of NFTs in 2021 also increased the number of Ethereum network users and, therefore, the price of ETH.
Ethereum currently struggles with slow transaction speeds compared to many of its competitors, although it has a robust development cycle that is set to tackle these issues.
Why do people think ETH has value?
Ether (ETH) is the native currency of the Ethereum blockchain and is used to pay for network transaction fees, known as gas. Each transaction burns (destroys) a portion of ETH permanently, reducing the supply over time. ETH can be staked (locked up) in return for earning yield.
3. Ripple’s XRP (XRP)
XRP is one of the oldest cryptocurrencies, founded in 2012 by Ripple. Ripple originally designed XRP for use in cross-border payments.
The asset became more well-known in 2017 when its price skyrocketed from less than $0.01 to a current trading price of .
Unlike blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum, where new coins are generated at set intervals via mining or staking, XRP was pre-mined, with all 100 billion tokens being created at launch.
These pre-mined tokens were distributed to individuals and companies in large quantities. Questions and concerns have been raised regarding the true decentralization of XRP, as a large majority of its tokens are held by just a few entities.
Why do people think XRP has value?
XRP is issued by Ripple, which has designed several products that are intended to use XRP. These products mainly involving cross-border payments. Some investors perceive the success of XRP as being linked to the success of Ripple.
4. Binance Coin (BNB)
Binance Coin (BNB) is the native cryptocurrency of the BNB Chain and was created by the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.
Binance Coin (BNB) came into existence in July 2017. . It was first issued on Ethereum and was initially created as a utility token that investors could use to pay for trades on Binance.
In September 2020, Binance launched Binance Smart Chain (BSC) — now called BNB Chain — on which BNB is used to fuel transactions and bestow voting rights regarding the blockchain’s governance. (12)
BNB sold for about $0.10 at its ICO and traded for as high as about $700 in 2021. It’s currently trading at .
BNB utilizes smart contracts and has an ecosystem of dApps built on its network. It operates in much the same way as competitor blockchain, Ethereum, and was designed to improve ETH’s network throughput and reduce transaction fees. Despite faster transaction times, BNB Chain has been critiqued for sacrificing decentralization to achieve this.
Why do people think BNB has value?
BNB is used to pay for transaction fees on the BNB Chain, participate in Binance exclusive token releases and receive discounted trading fees on the exchange.
Users can stake BNB to earn regular yield, which also helps reduce the supply and theoretically increase demand.
5. Solana (SOL)
Solana (SOL) is a layer-1 blockchain released in 2020 by the Solana Foundation. Much like Ethereum, Solana supports smart contract functionality and the development of dApps.
These projects include NFT marketplaces like Magic Eden to DeFi trading platforms like Raydium and Orca.
SOL skyrocketed from $1.33 in December 2020 to over $250 in November 2021 before crashing down to about $9 in December 2022. It currently trades at .
A large part of Solana’s success as a layer-1 blockchain and direct competitor to Ethereum is its unique proof-of-history (PoH) consensus developed by Solana founder and lead developer Anatoly Yakovenko. PoH allows for blockchain scalability as well as fast and cost-efficient transactions.
In late 2022, Solana came under scrutiny following the declared bankruptcy of crypto exchange FTX, which was directly invested in, and held a significant portion of, the SOL circulating supply.
Why do people think SOL has value?
SOL is the native coin of the network, which means it’s used to pay for transaction fees (gas) and can be staked in return for yield. It’s a common trading pair for many of the DeFi protocols or NFT marketplaces on the network.
6. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin (DOGE) was developed in 2013 by software developer Billy Markus to put some humour in the crypto space. Although it was originally released as a joke, Doge has become one of the world’s most well-recognized and popular cryptocurrencies, ranking in the top 10 projects by total market cap in recent years.
Dogecoin operates similarly to Bitcoin and Litecoin, as it was created as a clone (or “fork”) of these open-source codebases. Key differences include its uncapped total supply and fast block production time. It’s most commonly used as a payment network.
Why do people think DOGE has value?
DOGE experienced rapid growth throughout the 2021 bull cycle and was heavily promoted by crypto enthusiasts as well as eccentric billionaire Elon Musk. Musk’s company, Tesla motor vehicles, began accepting DOGE as a form of payment in 2022, further increasing its recognition as a legitimate payment coin.
7. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano (ADA) is a layer-1 blockchain that, like Ethereum, supports smart contracts and operates under a proof-of-stake consensus.
This means developers can build and deploy dApps on top of Cardano’s infrastructure.
Cardano was released in 2017 and rose to popularity almost instantly. Its instant trust and recognition by the crypto community can be partially attributed to its founder, Charles Hoskinson. Hoskinson is a notable figure in the crypto space and one of the core developers behind Ethereum.
While Cardano has a strong roadmap and team, it has fallen victim to development delays and is not considered as user-friendly as competitor networks like Ethereum or Polkadot.
Why do people think ADA has value?
ADA is the native coin of the network, which means it can be traded for other assets, used to pay for transaction fees and staked (locked up) in return for yield.
8. Tron (TRX)
Tron is a layer-1 blockchain based on a modified version of Ethereum. It’s notable for its low transaction fees, which first brought it to prominence in 2018.
It was founded by Justin Sun, who is a notable and sometimes controversial figure in the crypto space. He was also the former Chinese chief representative of XRP’s parent company, Ripple.
In 2018, Sun purchased BitTorrent and incorporated elements of the Tron blockchain into the popular uTorrent application, helping bolster the blockchain’s success. Tron also hosts several hundred decentralized applications with a strong focus on gaming and entertainment.
Why do people think TRX has value?
TRX is used to pay for transactions on Tron, and it’s used with many of the applications on the network. Large amounts must be held by nodes to keep the network secure, and coins can be staked to earn yield.
9. Hyperliquid (HYPE)
HYPE is the native coin of the Hyperliquid blockchain. The HYPE coin helps to secure the Hyperliquid network through staking. The Hyperliquid network enables native decentralised perpetual exchange, and eliminates gas fees.
When HYPE first started trading on November 29, 2024, it was priced at only $3.90, but as of today it has risen to its current price of .
Why do people think HYPE has value?
Sine HYPE launched at the end of 2024, it has grown exponentially and received a lot of focus from investors to quickly became one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation when it began trading. The network enables one-click trading and has a fully onchain order book on the Hyperliquid L1.
10. Sui (SUI)
SUI is the native coin of the blockchain network of the same name, Sui. The platform is a permissionless smart contract platform. What investors like about SUI tokens is that they can be used to pay for gas fees and staking. SUI is currently trading at .
Why do people think SUI has value?
Sui’s platform and coin are promising in the cryptocurrency space. It uses advanced technology based on the Move programming language and has a solid team founders. The Move language is specifically designed to support high-speed transactions for smart contracts.
How we chose the best crypto to buy right now: Our list of the best cryptocurrency to invest in today is based on the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization at the time of update, excluding stablecoins and liquid staking derivatives. Some of these coins have an established track record, while others are more volatile with shorter histories.
This list of the top crypto coins should be used as a starting point for further research and doesn’t represent an endorsement of any coin or project.
How to find the best cryptocurrency to invest in today
When choosing the best cryptocurrency to buy right now, you need to keep on top of what’s happening in the market each day. The tools in this guide are a good starting point but should be used as just one part of your decision-making process. Here are some other ways to find the top crypto to invest in:
News. Keeping up to date with the latest news is a cornerstone of any investing strategy and helps make sense of movements in the market. You can follow dedicated outlets like CoinDesk and Cointelegraph for daily cryptocurrency reporting or sign up to crypto newsletters like Bankless or The Defiant for a more curated experience.
Research reports. Knowing what the market is going to do before it happens is every investor’s goal. You can get ahead by reading industry reports like Messari’s annual review and forecast as well as Finder’s price prediction surveys.
Sentiment analysis. Analyzing how other investors are feeling about specific coins or events in the market can help you spot trends and decide whether to take action. Social media sentiment analysis can be an effective way of tracking what others are saying about a given topic.
Technical analysis.Technical analysis refers to the tools and techniques used by traders to analyze price charts. You’ll find most of the tools necessary for technical analysis on any major cryptocurrency exchange, or you can use a popular service like TradingView. Technical analysis has a steep learning curve and takes years to master, so consider taking a professional trading course.
Where to buy the top cryptocurrency now
Use our table to compare cryptocurrency exchanges based on features like the number of coins available, payment methods and fees. Select Go to site if you’re ready to create an account.
5 of 8 results
Finder Score for crypto exchanges
To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Supported coins, account fees and features across 28 cryptocurrency trading platforms are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score, the better the exchange—simple.
Our picks for the best crypto to buy right now are BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, BNB, DOGE, ADA, TRX, AVAX and SHIB.
That said, zeroing in on the best cryptocurrency to invest in today for you depends on whether your sights are set on short- or long-term goals.
Short-term investments are hard to pick. Use historical data, news and social media sentiment to make sense of price movements. Keep in mind that price spikes are usually followed by corrections that bring prices back down. So, your strategy should let you profitably exit before the market turns.
If you’re investing over the long term, consider “blue-chips” like bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), which have a relatively well-tested track record. These coins have been adopted by financial institutions around the world and have utility beyond speculative investing.
Bottom line
While no coin is guaranteed to be the top crypto to buy right now, we’ve written this guide to the best cryptocurrency to invest in today to help you choose based on your individual goals and strategy, but it’s not investment advice. It’s up to you to research the markets and form your own trading plan.
If you’re still new to cryptocurrency, you can find plenty of guides on trading, coin profiles and more in our cryptocurrency hub.
FAQs about the best crypto to buy right now
As of the time of writing, the top market cap cryptos are bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP and Solana. But the best cryptocurrency to invest in today, or any time, depends on your individual goals. By monitoring news and social media sentiment and doing some technical analysis, you may be able to spot trending coins in time to capitalize and make a profit.
As of the time of writing, the top market cap cryptos that are trending in Canada include bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Dogecoin. Bear in mind that cryptocurrency markets are global. This means that much of the market data you see on these coins is a snapshot of trading activity across the world, and the best cryptocurrency picks may be fairly consistent across various countries.
It's worth noting that some countries have attempted to ban privacy coins from being traded on local exchanges. In the US, the SEC has opened investigations into individual coins like Tether USDT and Ripple XRP.
Cryptocurrency trading profits are calculated based on your entry and exit price. The difference between these is the profit or loss. Therefore, determining which cryptocurrency is most profitable is nearly impossible, as it boils down to your individual trading circumstances.
Cryptocurrency is widely considered a high-risk and volatile investment. You should seek personalized advice from a professional financial advisor before deciding whether or not to invest. Be wary of social media influencers and peer pressure to buy, and make sure you fully understand the risks before you get started.
Sources
Was this content helpful to you?
Thank you for your feedback!
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by
Angus Kidman
as part of our
fact-checking process.
James Edwards was the global cryptocurrency editor at Finder. He coordinates a distributed team of journalists to help further Finder's mission of helping people make better financial decisions.
He has been using Bitcoin since 2013 and began working in the industry in 2017. He takes pride in boiling down complex topics into language his parents can understand.
His expertise has seen him called on to report at events such as TechCrunch Disrupt, CoinDesk Consensus and IBM Think and has coordinated a vast number of high-profile interviews with the industry's brightest minds.
He is a regular contributor to Nasdaq, The Street and is frequently called upon for market commentary in Australia and abroad.
See full bio
Billy Endres was a cryptocurrency writer for Finder. His background in software development helped open the door to the world of decentralised technologies, financial markets and technical writing.
See full bio
Billy's expertise
Billy
has written
9
Finder guides across topics including:
Web3 and decentralised technologies
Front-end development
Cryptocurrency futures trading and technical analysis
Learn how to buy Litecoin in Canada with our simple step-by-step guide and tips on what to know before you get started.
Advertiser disclosure
Finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which Finder receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. Finder compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
What is the best crypto to buy right now?