One coin at a time
Coin Profiles
There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, and the noise around them is deafening. These profiles cut through it — a plain-language look at each major coin: what it actually is, what it’s for, and the honest risks. No price predictions, no hype, no “next 100x.” Just what the coin is and isn’t.
A note on these profiles: a coin being listed here is not a recommendation to buy it. Inclusion just means it’s well-known enough that a beginner is likely to encounter it and want to understand it. Every profile includes the honest risks. This is education, not financial advice — always do your own research.
Start here: the two foundations
- Bitcoin (BTC) — The original cryptocurrency, and still the one everything else is measured against.
- Ethereum (ETH) — The “world computer” that powers smart contracts, DeFi, and much of crypto.
Other major coins
- Solana (SOL) — The fast, low-cost platform — and its history of outages and volatility.
- XRP — The payments-focused coin tied to Ripple, and its now-resolved legal saga.
- Stellar (XLM) — The payments-focused network sharing a co-founder with XRP, with a non-profit governance model.
- Cardano (ADA) — The research-driven, “slow and careful” smart-contract platform.
- Avalanche (AVAX) — The fast, low-cost smart-contract platform with its “subnets” feature.
- Polkadot (DOT) — The project built to connect many blockchains so they can work together.
- Toncoin (TON) — The Telegram-linked network — its big reach, and its dependence on one app.
- TRON (TRX) — A major rail for moving stablecoins — and its centralization and controversy.
- Polygon (POL) — The Ethereum-scaling network — and its MATIC-to-POL token change.
- Chainlink (LINK) — The “oracle” network that feeds real-world data to smart contracts.
- Litecoin (LTC) — The veteran “digital silver” payment coin, and the relevance question.
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — The 2017 Bitcoin fork — born from the block-size debate, and what happened to its peer-to-peer-cash vision.
- BNB — Binance’s own coin: what it’s used for, and the honest risks of owning it.
Privacy coins
- Monero (XMR) — The leading privacy coin — how it hides transactions, and the regulatory and delisting pressures.
- Zcash (ZEC) — The other major privacy coin, with optional shielded transactions and zero-knowledge proofs.
Stablecoins & memecoins
- Tether (USDT) — The largest stablecoin and the “digital dollar” of trading — plus its reserve questions.
- USD Coin (USDC) — The regulated, transparency-focused dollar stablecoin — and its 2023 depeg.
- Dai (DAI) — The decentralized stablecoin from MakerDAO — and its transition to USDS via the Sky rebrand.
- Dogecoin (DOGE) — The original joke “memecoin,” and a lesson in hype-driven value.
- Shiba Inu (SHIB) — The #2 memecoin, and the “cheap coin” supply illusion.
More coin profiles are on the way, each following the same honest format: what it is, what it’s for, and the risks.
New to crypto? Build the foundation first.
Before comparing coins, it helps to understand the essentials. Start with the Basics, learn what an altcoin is, and think through which crypto a beginner might buy first.