• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The College Investor

Student Loans, Investing, Building Wealth

  • About
  • Podcasts
  • Research
  • Contact
  • Save For College
      • How To Start

      • How To Save For College
      • How To Pay For College
      • What Is the Average Cost of College?
      • What Is A 529 Plan and Where to Open One in Your State
      • How Much Should You Have In A 529 Plan By Age
      • How To Use A 529 Plan For Private Elementary And High School
      • What Are Qualified Expenses For A 529 Plan (And What Doesn’t Count)?
      • The Best Brokers To Open A 529 Plan
      • Tools + Accounts

      • 529 Plans: The Ultimate College Savings Plan
      • 529 Plan Contribution Limits
      • Prepaid Tuition Plans | What To Know
      • Understanding And Using 529A ABLE Accounts
      • Using A Roth IRA To Save And Pay For College
      • FAFSA Deadlines for Financial Aid
      • CollegeBacker Review
      • Upromise Review
      • UNest Review
      • Other Options

      • Student Loan And Financial Aid Programs By State
      • The Guide To Military And VA Education Benefits
      • How To Fill Out The FAFSA
      • How To Find College Scholarships
      • The Best College Scholarship Search Websites
      • How To Find Grants To Pay For College
      • Pell Grants: What They Are And How To Qualify
      • Understanding Federal Work-Study
      • How To Use A 529 Plan If Your Child Doesn’t Go To College
  • Student Loans
      • Borrowing

        • How Student Loans Work
        • How To Apply For A Student Loan
        • Best Student Loans And Rates In April 2023
        • 10 Best Private Student Loans Of April 2023
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Graduate School
        • Best Student Loans To Pay For Medical School
        • Parent Loans To Pay For College
        • No-Cosigner Student Loan Options
        • Guide To Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs)
        • Best International Student Loans
      • Get Out Of Debt

        • Best Student Loan Refinance Companies In April 2023
        • Best Student Loan Repayment Plans
        • Best Student Loan Refinancing Bonuses And Promotional Offers Of April 2023
        • Student Loan Forgiveness Programs (The Complete List)
        • The Full List Of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs By State
        • Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
        • Top Student Loan Scams
        • Average Student Loan Monthly Payment
        • Average Student Loan Debt By Year
      • Reviews

        • Credible Review
        • Splash Review
        • Ascent Review
        • Citizens Bank Review
        • Commonbond Review
        • Earnest Review
        • ELFI Review
        • Laurel Road Review
        • LendKey Review
        • SoFi Review
  • Investing
      • How To Start

        • How To Start Investing in High School
        • How To Start Investing In College
        • How To Start Investing In Your Twenties For 22 – 29 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing In Your 30s For 30 – 39 Year Olds
        • How To Start Investing With $100 Or Less
        • How To Give Kids The Gift Of Stock
        • What Is Dividend Growth Investing
        • IRA Rollover Chart
      • Tools + Accounts

        • Best Online Stock Brokers
        • The Best Traditional And Roth IRA Accounts
        • The Best Robo-Advisors
        • The Best Investing Apps
        • The Best Places to Trade Options
        • The Best Places To Open A Health Savings Account
        • The Best Solo 401k Providers
        • The Best Self-Directed IRA Providers Of 2023
        • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
      • Reviews

        • Vanguard Review
        • Fidelity Review 2023
        • M1 Finance Review
        • TD Ameritrade Review 2023
        • Charles Schwab Review
        • Robinhood Review
        • Webull Review
        • Betterment Review 2023
        • Wealthfront Review
  • Earn More Money
      • Extra Income

        • 20 Best Side Hustles You Can Start Earning With In 2023
        • 54 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Money Fast In 2023
        • 100 Ways To Make Money In College In 2023
        • 80 Ways To Make Money From Home In 2023
        • 5 Quick Money Making Ideas (That Take Less Than 1 Hour)
        • 10 Interesting Ways You Can Make Money Driving
        • High-Paying Side Gigs That Earn $1,000 or More Per Month
        • The 10 Best Money-Making Apps
        • Paid Surveys: Earn Money For Giving Your Opinion Online
        • 10 Crazy Ways To Make $10,000 You’ve Never Heard Of
      • Build Wealth

        • 40 Best Passive Income Ideas To Build Wealth In 2023
        • 3 Ways To Make $50,000 Per Year Without Working With Passive Income
        • How To Become A Real Estate Investor With Just $500
        • 15 Best Online Business Ideas
        • Residual Income: 7 Super Smart Ways to Build It
        • The Most Common Multiple Income Streams
        • How To Become A Real Estate Mogul With Only $10,000
      • Reviews

        • Fundrise Review
        • RealtyMogul Review
        • FarmTogether Review
        • AcreTrader Review
        • Swagbucks Review
        • Survey Junkie Review
        • TopCashback Review
        • DoorDash Review
  • Personal Finance
      • Banking

        • 10 Best High Yield Savings Accounts Of April 2023
        • 10 Best Money Market Accounts Of April 2023
        • 10 Best Free Checking Accounts In April 2023
        • Best Bank CD Rates Of April 2023
        • 10 Best Business Checking Accounts In April 2023
        • Best Online Banks Of April 2023
        • Best Credit Unions Nationwide Of April 2023
        • Best College Student Checking Accounts Of April 2023
      • Insurance

        • Best Life Insurance Companies
        • Renters Insurance
        • Car Insurance
        • Pet Insurance
        • Umbrella Insurance
        • Disability Insurance
        • Tuition Insurance
        • Travel Insurance
      • Credit Tools

        • Best Budgeting Apps
        • Cash Advance Apps
        • How To Get A Free Credit Score Report
        • Best Credit Monitoring Services For 2023
        • Debt Settlement: Inside The Secret World
        • Credit Repair Explained: Should You Pay For Help?
        • Best Personal Loan Companies And Lenders
        • Online Loan Companies To Borrow From Home
      • Tax

        • Best Tax Software
        • Free Tax Software
        • IRS Tax Refund Calendar
        • Common IRS Questions and Errors
        • Federal Tax Brackets
        • Capital Gains Tax Brackets
        • 401k Contribution Limits
        • IRA Contribution Limits
        • HSA Contribution Limits
  • Awards
  • Search
Home » Investing » Cryptocurrency » The Top 10 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies To Invest In

The Top 10 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies To Invest In

Updated: March 27, 2023 By Robert Farrington

At The College Investor, we want to help you navigate your finances. To do this, many or all of the products featured here may be from our partners. This doesn’t influence our evaluations or reviews. Our opinions are our own. Any investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. The College Investor does not offer investment advisor or brokerage services, nor does it recommend buying or selling particular stocks, securities, or other investments. Learn more here.Advertiser Disclosure

There are thousands of financial products and services out there, and we believe in helping you understand which is best for you, how it works, and will it actually help you achieve your financial goals. We're proud of our content and guidance, and the information we provide is objective, independent, and free.

But we do have to make money to pay our team and keep this website running! Our partners compensate us. TheCollegeInvestor.com has an advertising relationship with some or all of the offers included on this page, which may impact how, where, and in what order products and services may appear. The College Investor does not include all companies or offers available in the marketplace. And our partners can never pay us to guarantee favorable reviews (or even pay for a review of their product to begin with).

For more information and a complete list of our advertising partners, please check out our full Advertising Disclosure. TheCollegeInvestor.com strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. The information in our reviews could be different from what you find when visiting a financial institution, service provider or a specific product's website. All products and services are presented without warranty.

Popular Cryptocurrencies

With all of the cryptocurrencies available, how does an investor decide which one to invest in? ICOs can be problematic and some coins simply vanish. In fact, the SEC has really started cracking down on ICOs and the companies that offer them.

Even with the huge fluctuations in price, people are still interested in investing in cryptocurrencies. It's risky - you could lose everything or see your value sliced 90% overnight. But it can also pay off handsomely.

In this article, we vetted 10 of the most popular cryptocurrencies by current use and potential. These cryptocurrencies have been around for a while as well. It doesn’t mean they can’t disappear at some point but they don't appear to be fly-by-night scams either.

Here's our list of the most popular cryptocurrencies, that make it easy to invest in crypto. You might also look into cryptocurrency savings accounts.

Before we dive in, it's important to note that to look at, use, and transact in crytpo, you need a digital wallet. We recommend Coinbase because it's free, has a great app, and they give you a bonus for making your first trade. Check it out. Or, check out this list of the most popular crypto investing platforms.

Table of Contents
1. Bitcoin
2. Ethereum
3. Tether (USDT)
4. Litecoin
5. Ripple (XRP)
6. BNB
7. Solana
8. Polygon (MATIC)
9. Monero
10. Cardano

1. Bitcoin

most popular cryptocurrencies: bitcoin

Still dominating in market cap and popularity, Bitcoin isn’t going anywhere soon. It still makes all the headlines and is what most people think about when they hear the word cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin has turned into the go to cryptocurrency for traders. But for investors, who can hold through the volatility, they see advantages to bitcoin as well. Once 21 million bitcoins have been mined, no new coins will be created ever. 

Looking at it from a supply/demand stand point, long-term investors stand to gain. Plus, Bitcoin is the base currency that you need to purchase if you want to end up getting some of the other currencies on this list. You can't simply buy many of these others with USD - you need BTC.

Bitcoin is one of the easiest cryptocurrencies to invest in. Just open a Coinbase account and get started >>

2. Ethereum

most popular cryptocurrencies: ethereum

Ethereum was initially seen as the cryptocurrency that could shove bitcoin off of its thrown as the dominant currency. It didn’t work out that way but Ethereum holds a solid #2 by market cap.

Ethereum did provide a few enhancements over bitcoin. Namely smart contracts and 5X higher transactions per second (TPS) than bitcoin.

If you're curious about Ethereum, check out our guide on How To Invest In Ethereum. Ethereum is also easily available to invest in on Kraken.

3. Tether (USDT)

most popular cryptocurrencies: tether

Tether is a stablecoin that has grown to be one of the most popular cryptocurrency options out there. Unlike other coins and tokens on this list, Tether is always pegged to be $1. However, it does fluctuate and has been known to drop below a dollar for short periods of time.

What makes Tether popular is that it can earn interest rewards via staking, which not only allows you to have a stablecoin, but earn a little interest.

4. Litecoin

most popular cryptocurrencies: Litecoin

Litecoin has similarities in its infrastructure to bitcoin. Litecoin’s transaction fees are far less, at around $0.35 per transaction. Just like Ethereum, Litecoin also has higher TPS than bitcoin.

Litecoin has an $81 million cap on coins that can be mined. This means Litecoin could potentially see steady increases in price, depending on future demand. Litecoin is currently ranked at #5 by marketcap so it isn’t a slouch by any means.

Check out our guide on How To Invest In Litecoin. Litecoin is also easily investable on Coinbase.

5. Ripple (XRP)

most popular cryptocurrencies: XRP

Ripple is more than just an exchange of value. It helps make cross border financial transactions more efficient. By working with financial institutions, Ripple lowers currency exchange rates and provides for real-time exchange rates.

Before Ripple, banks often had to use intermediaries for cross border transactions. These were expensive and could takes days to complete. Ripple has greatly improved efficiencies in how cross border transactions operate.

For an investor, this shows that Ripple is providing real value in the world beyond the basic store or exchange of value premise.

Check out our guide on How To Invest In Ripple XRP. XRP is also easily investable on Coinbase.

6. BNB

most popular cryptocurrencies: BNB

BNB is the token created by Binance to facilitate transactions on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Beyond being a governance token, BNB allows you to cheaply facilitate BSC transactions.

But beyond the transactions fees for the BSC, BNB coin also is tradable and can be used for collateral for different projects and services.

BNB is available on Binance, but all other exchanges (like Kraken) also allow you to trade the coin. It's also supported by hardware wallets like Ledger.

7. Solana

most popular cryptocurrencies: solana

Solana is a growing competitor to Ethereum with hundreds of projects relating to DeFi and Web3 emerging on the platform. It's focusing on being a faster and cheaper alternative to ETH, while still allowing smart contracts and other features.

Solana also has been growing in popularity for use in NFTs and other projects online. However, as it's use and applications have improved, so has the price.

Check out our guide on How To Invest in Solana.

8. Polygon (MATIC)

most popular cryptocurrencies: polygon

Polygon is a Layer 2 solution to Ethereum that makes transactions both faster and cheaper. Polygon is built on top of Ethereum, and is designed to help it scale. It supports payments, NFTs, and more.

The Polygon Token trades under MATIC. This token is used to govern the network, as well as pay transaction fees.

Unlike ETH or BTC, Polygon transactions are very low cost, which is one of the biggest benefits of the platform.

Almost every major cryptocurrency exchange supports Polygon.

9. Monero

most popular cryptocurrencies: monero

Like Zcash, Monero focuses on anonymity of transactions in the blockchain. Both cryptocurrencies use different algorithms to accomplish this. Of the two, Monero is more technically advanced when it comes to completely hiding any trace of a transaction.

Monero is also older than Zcash and wasn’t derived from bitcoin. Monero has a large following among users wanting to keep their transactions private, even from regulators.

For investors, they’ll need to stay on top of how Monero handles future regulations. If it can successfully navigate regulation, it stands to come out on top of the privacy cryptocurrencies.

Check out our guide on How To Invest In Monero here.

10. Cardano

most popular cryptocurrencies: cardano

Cardano allows for sending and receiving of digital funds. It’s more than just a cryptocurrency though, it’s also a platform for decentralized apps. It was built by a global team and has the goal of providing broad scale use of financial transactions (think VISA).

Cardano is currently ranked #6 by market cap. This shows great interest in the cryptocurrency. For investors, Cardano has a big mission but also lots of developers, which bode well for its future.

Check out our guide on How To Invest In Cardano here.

Final Thoughts

Remember, investing in any cryptocurrency is highly speculative. All of these currencies provide some value, but at the end of the day, you're only betting on price. You're hoping that someone else will pay more for the investment than you did.

Be sure that you are only committing funds that you are comfortable losing.

If you're interested in any other cryptocurrencies, we'd love to hear about. Share your picks, and more importantly the "why", in the comments.

Robert Farrington
Robert Farrington

Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page, or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.

He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared towards anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.

He has been quoted in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox, ABC, NBC, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, or other advertiser and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comment Policy: We invite readers to respond with questions or comments. Comments may be held for moderation and are subject to approval. Comments are solely the opinions of their authors'. The responses in the comments below are not provided or commissioned by any advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any company. It is not anyone's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Subscribe
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of

I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Featured Exchanges

>  Gemini (recommended)
>  Uphold (recommended)
>  Binance (recommended)
>  Coinbase
>  eToro
>  Kraken

Featured Crypto-Savings

>  Crypto.com (recommended)
>  KuCoin  (recommended)
>  Outlet
>  Nexo

Popular Tokens

>  Bitcoin BTC
>  Ethereum ETH
>  Solana SOL
>  Litecoin LTC
>  Stellar XLM
>  Monero XMR
>  Cardano ADA
>  Dogecoin DOGE

More On Cryptocurrency

  • 10 Best Crypto Exchanges & Platforms Of April 2023
  • The Top Crypto Savings Accounts
  • Best Crypto Bonus Offers And Promotions In April 2023
  • Best Cryptocurrency Wallets
  • The Top 10 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies To Invest In
  • How To Invest In Cryptocurrency
  • Best Crypto And NFT Tax Software For 2023

Footer

Who We Are

The College Investor is an independent, advertising-supported financial media publisher, focusing on news, product reviews, and comparisons.

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Press & Media

About

  • About
  • Our Team
  • Podcast
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • How We Make Money
  • Archives

Social

Copyright © 2023 · The College Investor · Privacy Policy ·Terms of Service · DO NOT Sell My Personal Information

wpDiscuz