16+ Best Altcoins to Invest in 2024

It’s time to start looking for the best altcoins to buy as the next Altcoin cycle is just around the corner. Now is the time to load up on some undervalued cryptocurrencies, but it can be difficult to find the right ones or to know which are the best altcoins to buy right now.

In this guide, I explore 16+ altcoin projects with the highest upside potential, covering a blend of small and large-cap projects. I’ll also reveal my research methodology when ranking altcoins, allowing you to build a risk-averse portfolio.

Our Picks for the Top Altcoins to Buy Now:

The 16+ Best Altcoins to Buy Now

The 16+ best altcoins to invest in today are ranked below:

1. Pepe Unchained – Overall best L2 altcoin offers dynamic staking rewards and charges low gas fees.
2. Crypto All-Stars – Meme platform created for staking the most popular meme coins.
3. Base Dawgz – Base Meme Coin with share-to-earn rewards and network-hopping abilities.
4. PlayDoge – New play-to-earn game, over $6M raised on presale.
5. The Meme Games – Meme coin offers 25% presale token bonuses by hosting meme races.
6. ShibaShootout – Cowboy-themed meme token offers storytelling and staking rewards.
7. Mega Dice Token – Solana-based casino token offering cashback, NFT perks, and a share of profits.
8. Doge2014 – Meme token created to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Dogecoin.
9. SpacePay – Innovative Point-of-Sale (PoS) crypto payments processing platform with Barclay’s Bank credentials.
10. Race to a Billion – Formula One predictions platform offers rewards for predicting race outcomes.
11. Solana – A legitimate ‘Ethereum Killer’ with a growing dApp and smart contract ecosystem.
12. Decentraland – Invest in the leading metaverse project, trading at a 90% discount.
13. SushiSwap – Underpriced DEX token, currently valued at just over $365 million.
14. Chainlink – De-facto Oracle ecosystem providing real-world data to smart contracts.
15. Arbitrum – Great option for investing in layer 2 solutions for the Ethereum blockchain.
16. Jupiter – SOL-based exchange token with one-month growth of over 150%.

Top Altcoins with the Most Potential – Full Analysis

My list of top altcoins to buy will now be discussed in more detail. Read on to select the best altcoin projects for your crypto portfolio.

1. Pepe Unchained – Overall Best L2 Altcoin to Buy Now

We believe that Pepe Unchained ($PEPU) is the best altcoin to purchase now in 2024. Inspired by the popular ‘Pepe the Frog’ meme, Pepe Unchained is a meme token that offers real utility. 

For starters, it is built on Ethereum’s layer-two (L2) blockchain. Therefore, the platform offloads transactions from the main chain, providing greater scalability and efficiency. Since the number of transactions on the main chain is reduced, Pepe Unchained reduces gas fees while increasing the transaction speed. 

Pepe Unchained also promises to provide double the staking rewards to $PEPU token holders. At press time, investors can stake their holdings on Pepe Unchained’s staking mechanism and generate an APY of more than 231%. 

From a total supply of 8 billion tokens, 30% will be allocated as staking rewards. All these factors are making Pepe Unchained one of the top performing altcoins in the market. In only a few months since Pepe Unchained launched $PEPU on presale, it has raised more than $8.4 million. 

20% of the 8 billion supply is being distributed for the presale. Currently, $PEPU is priced at $0.0090178 per token. Learn more about this altcoin by reading the Pepe Unchained whitepaper and joining the Telegram channel. 

Visit Pepe Unchained

2. Crypto All-Stars – Meme Coin Staking Platform, Unites all Top Meme Tokens Under One Roof

Crypto All-Stars ($STARS) is conducting the meme coin event of the century, allowing all the top meme tokens to be staked under one roof. 

Through an upcoming feature called the ‘MemeVault’, Crypto All-Stars will allow holders of the world’s most popular meme tokens to earn passive income. On the MemeVault, users can stake popular tokens such as Shiba Inu, Dogecoin, Pepe, Milady, and many more. 

Crypto All-Stars will reward token stakers with $STARS, its native token. To incentivize the adoption of the $STARS token, Crypto All-Stars will provide a 3x increase on your normal APY, for simply holding $STARS in your portfolio. 

This altcoin can also be staked on smart contracts to generate an annual yield as high as 5,466%. Currently, $STARS is priced at just $0.00138 per token on presale. In only a few days, the Crypto All-Stars presale has raised more than $336K. 

The unique staking mechanism can make Crypto All-Stars one of the best altcoins in the coming years. Stay tuned for more project updates by reading the Crypto All-Stars whitepaper and joining the Telegram channel.

Visit Crypto All-Stars

3. Base Dawgz – Base Meme Coin with Share-to-earn Presale Rewards

Base Dawgz is a new meme coin launching on Base, the Layer-2 chain for Ethereum that’s looking to displace Solana as the #1 network for meme trading. Base Dawgz aims to follow in the footsteps of $BRETT, a recently launched meme coin that rocketed more than 120x after launching in March.

Base Dawgz is building hype for its new $DAWGZ token with a share-to-earn system that rewards early investors for spreading the word about the Base Dawgz presale. Investors can link their X accounts to the presale, then earn tokens for every post they share from the Base Dawgz X account. At the end of the presale, these tokens can be redeemed for additional $DAWGZ coins.

The $DAWGZ meme coin also has built-in utility. It’s launching simultaneously on Base, Ethereum, Avalanche, Solana, and Binance Smart Chain, so token holders will be able to move value across these networks with ease. Base Dawgz also plans to roll out staking in the future.

The Base Dawgz presale is off to an incredible start, raising more than $2.9 million in just a few months. Analysts like Jacob ‘Crypto’ Bury have already called it the next Base token with 100x potential.

Visit Base Dawgz

4. PlayDoge – New Altcoin Offering High Rewards to Players of P2E Game

PlayDoge is created as a merger between a Tamagotchi-inspired play-to-earn (P2E) game and the iconic Doge meme, players are able to earn $PLAY tokens while tending to a digital pet.

The project has now raised over $6 million with huge interest in this mobile game. Research shows the mobile gaming market could rise to a value of $665 billion by 2033. Notably, the P2E category, in particular, is currently valued at $13 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.

50%  of its 9.4 billion tokens have been allocated to the presale, with 12% being distributed through staking rewards.

As of writing this, investors can earn an APY of more than 77% through the ETH chain and 69% through the BNB chain. With strong gains from the likes of Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Floki in recent weeks, PlayDoge could be the latest dog-themed token to rally this summer. Follow PLAY on X (Twitter) and via its Telegram channel.

Visit PlayDoge

5. The Meme Games – Meme Coin Offers Gamified Presale Bonuses 

One of the top altcoins to buy in 2024 is The Meme Games ($MGMES), a platform that combines the adrenaline and the competitive spirit of the Olympics with the fun and allure of meme tokens. 

The Meme Games hosts a gamified presale bonus, where every investor can win a 25% bonus on their investment. After buying tokens on presale, investors can pick a meme coin avatar, who will compete in a randomized race against four opponents. 

Should the picked avatar win the 169m dash race, you will receive the token bonus. This entertaining race will feature popular meme coin characters such as Pepe, Dogecoin, Brett, and others, each representing a different country. 

The $MGMES altcoin can also be staked on smart contracts to earn an APY of up to 571%. In the long-term, 20% of the total 2.024 billion token supply will be allocated through game winnings and staking rewards. 

Currently, $MGMES is priced at $0.0092 per token on presale. In just a few weeks, The Meme Games has raised more than $362K. Learn more about this project by reading the Meme Games whitepaper and joining the Telegram channel. 

Visit The Meme Games

6. ShibaShootout – Wild West-based Meme Coin, Get Up To 1,000% Staking APY

ShibaShootout ($SHIBASHOOT) is a Shiba-themed meme coin that is based in the digital world of the Wild West. This innovative meme coin is a community-first platform, offering several earning opportunities to users.

$SHIBASHOOT token holders get voting rights, which allow them to have a say in the platform’s future. Token holders can also buy tickets and take part in lotteries to increase their holdings. Furthermore, $SHIBASHOOT can be staked on ShibaShootout’s staking mechanism, to earn an annual yield of up to 1,000%.

Through ShibaShootout’s ‘Campfire Stories’ feature, users can come together and share their most thrilling stories regarding meme coins. The top storytellers will be rewarded with $SHIBASHOOT tokens. Thus, this altcoin provides users with multiple earning opportunities.

Currently, $SHIBASHOOT is priced at $0.0198 per token on presale. In a few months since the presale launched, ShibaShootout has raised more than $930. From a total supply of 2.2 billion tokens, 770 million are being distributed for the presale. Stay tuned for more project updates by going through the ShibaShootout whitepaper and joining the Telegram channel. 

Visit Shiba Shootout

7. Mega Dice Token – Solana-based Casino Token Offering Cashback, NFT Perks, and A Share of Profits

Another altcoin to watch out for is the Mega Dice Token ($DICE). Mega Dice Casino is quite a popular platform with over 50,000 players and an average betting volume of over $50 million every month.

It recently launched a presale for its native crypto – $DICE. It’s a Solana-based token that caught investors’ attention since its launch.

Early buyers can get $DICE for only $0.069 in the ongoing presale. $DICE holders can get perks like cashback when they play at the casino, special NFTs perks, and free tokens from airdrops.

$DICE holders can also get exclusive access to events and games, rewards, and a share of the money the casino makes daily.

The platform raised over $850K in just a few weeks of launch, showing huge community support. It also has a referral commission, where you can earn 10% (with no upper limit) of the amount invested by anyone you’ve referred.

They’re offering 35% of the 420 million tokens during the presale and giving 15% away to players in airdrops.

Mega Dice also uses top-notch security protocols, is mobile-friendly, and has a strong community on Telegram. You can follow Mega Dice on X (previously Twitter) for the latest news and updates.

Visit Mega Dice Token Presale

8. Doge2014 – Doge-themed Meme Token Offers Huge Staking Rewards

Doge2014 ($DOGE2014) is a dog-themed meme coin created to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Dogecoin. Priced at $0.00027 per token during the opening presale round, $DOGE2014 is available at Dogecoin’s original price from 2014. 

Within a few days, since Doge2014 launched on presale, it has raised more than $8K. From the total 100 billion token supply, Doge2014 is allocating 60% of the supply for the presale. Early investors can stake their holdings on Doge2014’s smart contract to generate an annual yield as high as 40,000%. 

While over 27 million tokens are staked so far, the annual yield will decrease once more tokens are locked on the smart contract. In the long term, 25 billion tokens will be allocated as staking rewards. 

Doge2014 will use another 5% of the supply for marketing purposes and the remaining 10 billion tokens to maintain liquidity on exchanges. For more information, read the Doge2014 whitepaper and join the Telegram channel.

Visit Doge2014

9. SpacePay – Delivering Innovation to Point of Sale Crypto Payments

Spacepay is a UK-based FinTech company on a pioneering mission to deliver the future of innovative point-of-sale crypto payments.

From developing the world’s leading near-field communication (NFC) product for crypto payments, Spacepay is heralding a revolution in how users interact with cryptocurrency in their day-to-day lives. And that’s without digging into SpacePay’s suite of planned commercial SPY APIs.

Just imagine a simple, sleek, touchless way to use cryptocurrency in-store instead of Fiat currencies. This is the future SpacePay is delivering.

At the time of writing, the project is on the cusp of launching the highly anticipated SpacePay SPY presale, which will offer the earliest investors a significant opportunity to be amongst the first to invest in this new payments ecosystem.

Amid the hype of the presale funding round, there will be a full in-depth contract audit conducted to ensure the security of the platform, ahead of the monumental launch of the SpacePay Payment APK (the flagship product).

More details can be found in the whitepaper tells us that the project is putting 20% of the total token supply up for grabs in presale.

• Presale project: SpacePay ($SPY)
• Raised so far: $0 – Presale Launches Soon
• Blockchain: Ethereum blockchain
• Token type: ERC-20
• Accepted payment methods: ETH, USDT, Visa & Mastercard

Visit SpacePay

10. Race to a Billion – Win Rewards for Predicting Formula One Race Outcomes

Race to a Billion ($BDJ) leverages blockchain technology to allow Formula One viewers to monetize their watching experience. 

Through Race to a Billion’s predictions platform, users can predict the top 10 racers of each F1 race and earn $BDJ tokens for successful guesses. At the end of each season, Race to a Billion also distributed a jackpot prize for the year’s top performers. 

Currently, this altcoin is priced at $0.0076 per token on presale. From a 2.5 billion token supply, 1 billion tokens are being allocated for the presale. In just a few weeks, Race to a Billion has raised more than $147K. 

To earn further rewards, investors can stake $BDJ on smart contracts to earn an APY as high as 6,250%. Another 500 million tokens will be allocated through staking pools. To learn more about this coin, join the Race to a Billion Telegram channel and follow the X page.

• Presale project: Race to a Billion ($BDJ)
• Raised so far: $147K
• Blockchain: Ethereum blockchain
• Token type: ERC-20
• Accepted payment methods: ETH, USDT, BNB, Card

Visit Race to a Billion

11. BTCBull (BTCBULL): Enter the BTCBull Presale for Over 25,000% APY Staking Rewards

BTCBull ($BTCBULL) is charging the meme coin community with a unique offer based on the next Bitcoin bull cycle. The BTCBull Presale has just started, opening with $BTCBULL priced at $0.000506 per token.

The goal of the meme token project is to foster a community of Bitcoin believers where BTCBull investors can capitalize on significant Bitcoin price increases. 

BTCBull uses a token-burn protocol that activates when Bitcoin’s price increases by another $10k. A percentage of BTCBull tokens are burnt when BTC hits $80k, $90k, and so on. This potentially boosts the meme coin’s price, giving more reason for investors to keep on to them.

Once BTC reaches $100,000 per coin, BTCBull will airdrop 10% of the entire $BTCBULL token supply to early adopters. Participating early in the BTCBull presale is crucial as distribution is based on the amount purchased during this period.

At present, token rewards are currently issued at a rate of 399.54 $BTCBULL tokens per ETH block. For more details, check out the BTCBull whitepaper and join the Telegram channel for the most recent updates.

Visit BTC Bull

12. Solana – A Legitimate ‘Ethereum Killer’ With a Growing dApp and Smart Contract Ecosystem

Solana is one of the best cryptocurrencies to buy right now. While we’ve heard the term ‘Ethereum Killer’ since the 2017 bull cycle, Solana is the most legitimate competitor. The developer community has realized that Solana offers a much better alternative to Ethereum. This is especially the case when considering fees.

Fees skyrocket when the Ethereum network is in high demand. In contrast, Solana averages just $0.00064, even when the network is busy. Solana also handles significantly more transactions per second. Transactions are also much faster. This is why an increasing number of decentralized applications (dApps) are opting for the Solana ecosystem.

This bodes very well for its native token, SOL. In the prior year of trading, SOL has increased by almost 800%. According to CoinMarketCap, SOL is trading 30% below its all-time high. Solana has a market capitalization of over $80 billion, which is about a fifth of Ethereum’s valuation.

Note: You can buy SOL on eToro from just $10. eToro is a regulated crypto broker offering fee-free USD payments.

Visit eToro

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. 

13. Decentraland – Invest in the Leading Metaverse Project, Trading at a 90% Discount

Decentraland is one of the best altcoins to invest in the metaverse niche – especially at current prices. Its native metaverse token, MANA, trades at a 90% discount from all-time highs. What’s more, Decentraland has a market capitalization of just over $1 billion. This offers an attractive valuation as we approach the altcoin season.

MANA has many use cases within the Decentraland ecosystem. For instance, Decentraland users can buy plots of metaverse land with MANA. They can also upgrade their land by building real estate. Decentraland supports unlimited customization, meaning users can build their dream home.

MANA is also required to purchase in-game assets, such as apparel. Decentraland is also a play-to-earn gaming platform. Developers can build games and sell virtual experiences. Again, all payments are made in MANA. The main drawback is MANA’s recent price performance. While Bitcoin has increased by 135% in the prior year, MANA has risen by just 1%.

Visit eToro

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance.

14. SushiSwap – Underpriced DEX Token, Currently Valued at Just Over $365 Million 

SushiSwap could be a great option if you want exposure to decentralized exchanges (DEXs). This marketplace is expected to grow rapidly during the next bull run. After all, an increasing number of new cryptocurrencies are being launched – most opt for DEXs. Although Uniswap is the largest DEX by trading volume, SushiSwap’s valuation is a lot more attractive.

For instance, SushiSwap is currently valued at just over $365 million. In contrast, Uniswap trades at a 17x premium with a market capitalization of $6.5 billion. There’s little to separate the two DEXs in terms of functionality. For instance, both are built on the Ethereum network and support cross-chain capabilities.

Moreover, SushiSwap and Uniswap both charge trading fees of 0.3%. In terms of price performance, SushiSwap’s native token, SUSHI, is up 42% in the prior year. This is below par when compared to the broader market. Nonetheless, those buying SUSHI tokens today will secure a 92% discount from all-time highs.

Visit eToro

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. 

15. Chainlink – De-Facto Oracle Ecosystem Providing Real-World Data to Smart Contracts

Chainlink is an altcoin that all crypto investors should have some exposure to. It’s the de-facto leader in the Oracle industry, meaning it provides real-world data to smart contracts. This enables dApps to obtain information outside of its native network, a crucial aspect of the Web 3 sector.

Moreover, Chainlink supports blockchain interoperability. This means different blockchain networks can share data without needing a centralized third party. Chainlink’s native token, LINK, is needed to request data feeds. It’s also used to incentivize Oracle networks, ensuring that data is accurate and unbiased.

Chainlink will likely serve all sectors, including insurance, education, finance, healthcare, and aviation. Chainlink is currently valued at over $10.4 billion. While this large-cap valuation might put some investors off, the upside potential is still huge. Over the prior 12 months, LINK has increased by 145%. However, it’s still 66% down from all-time highs.

Visit eToro

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. 

16. Arbitrum – Great Option for Investing in Layer 2 Solutions for the Ethereum Blockchain 

Arbitrum is one of my top altcoin picks for layer 2 solutions. There appears to be no on-chain fix for Ethereum’s fee crisis, so layer 2s are expected to do very well during the altcoin season. Arbitrum not only reduces ERC-20 fees but it increases scalability and speed.

Arbitrum continues to attract dApps, with 281 projects currently bridged to its ecosystem. This includes Curve DAO Token, Gnosis, Dai, Uniswap, the Graph, and Wrapped Bitcoin. Overall, the Arbitrum ecosystem is valued at nearly $200 billion. What’s more, Arbitrum is renowned for its robust security and progressive development team.

Projects using Arbitrum’s layer 2 solutions pay fees in ARB. This is the token you need to gain exposure to Arbitrum’s growth. It has a market capitalization of almost $4 billion, so there’s lots of room for growth. In the prior month, Arbitrum has declined by 30%. This offers another chance to buy ARB at a huge discount.

Visit eToro

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.

Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk, and content is provided for educational purposes only, does not imply a recommendation, and is not a guarantee of future performance. 

17. Jupiter – SOL-Based Exchange Token With One-Month Growth of Over 150% 

Investors might also consider Jupiter when exploring what altcoin to buy. This is a new yet hugely popular DEX for the Solana ecosystem. It enables traders to buy SOL-based tokens without relying on third parties. Jupiter also offers a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) feature, which is unique in the DEX space.

This enables investors to DCA their positions at their preferred intervals. This starts from just one minute up to a month. The smart contract will make the respective swaps automatically, so it’s completely passive. Jupiter also supports limit orders, bridging tools, and perpetual swaps.

These innovative features are reflected in the Jupiter price. Its native exchange token, JUP, has increased by over 150% in the prior month. Moreover, Jupiter has a market capitalization of $2 billion. This is much lower than other exchange tokens like BNB. However, the main drawback is that less than 14% of the JUP supply is currently in circulation.

Buy JUP on MEXC

What is an Altcoin?

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies in the market. Every single one – apart from Bitcoin, is an altcoin. Over time – especially during bull cycles, altcoins often outperform Bitcoin by many multiples. This is because Bitcoin has already secured a mammoth market capitalization.

For example, consider that Bitcoin is valued at over $1 trillion. In contrast, some altcoins have a market capitalization of several million dollars. This enables altcoin investors to target much higher growth. It’s important to know that most altcoins are built on other networks. For example, altcoins on the Ethereum network are ERC-20 tokens.

A much smaller percentage of altcoins have their own priority blockchain. These are typically the most valuable. Examples include BNB, Solana, Cardano, Dogecoin, and Avalanche. Ultimately, the best approach to altcoin investing is to diversify, as knowing which tokens will blow up can be challenging.

Why Invest in Altcoins?

I’ll now take a much closer look at why altcoins remain popular with investors. This will help you assess whether altcoins are right for your portfolio.

Potential for Explosive Growth

The main attraction of altcoins is their potential for explosive growth. This is due to the market capitalization. As mentioned, Bitcoin is already valued at over a trillion dollars. While Bitcoin’s long-term future is bright, it’s unlikely to achieve 100x gains in any single bull cycle.

This isn’t the case with altcoins. Depending on the valuation, altcoins can blow up by over 100x in a matter of weeks. This often happens when an altcoin begins trending on social media and/or major media publications. Dogwifhat is a great example of what a successful altcoin investment looks like.

While dogwifhat is simply a meme coin with no utility, it has witnessed unprecedented gains since launching in November 2023. The first recorded price of dogwifhat was $$0.000001366. Dogwifhat hit an all-time high of $4.85 in March 2024. So, had you invested from the get-go, you’d be looking at gains of over 355 million percent.

And it’s not just small-cap meme coins that can yield substantial returns. Take Solana, which has increased by over 800% in the past year – even though it’s already a billion-dollar project. On a longer time frame, Solana is up over 22,000% since its 2020 inception.

Invest in Projects Before They Become Mainstream

The altcoin space is similar to investing in a startup. You can buy brand-new tokens while the project is still young. As an early investor, you’ll usually secure a very attractive entry price. This translates to a low token price and a micro-cap valuation. As the project achieves its roadmap goals, its valuation should increase.

This is because new buyers are encouraged to invest, once they see the project is making waves. For example, 5th Scape is a brand-new crypto startup from the VR and AR niche. It has developed a proprietary VR headset. This can be used when playing 5th Scape games, which are unique to the ecosystem.

5th Scape hasn’t launched on crypto exchanges yet as it’s currently in presale. This means investors can buy its native token at the best price possible.

Just remember that most altcoins will fail – no matter how innovative their products or services are. This is why the most successful altcoin investors will diversify. Put otherwise, if you’ve only got $1,000 to invest – avoid putting it all into one altcoin. Instead, consider spreading the investment across multiple projects.

Altcoin Season is Approaching 

Altcoin season is one of the most exciting periods in the crypto space. It occurs during the Bitcoin bull market. Capital flows gradually leave Bitcoin and begin entering altcoins. This results in many altcoins experiencing parabolic growth. As each cycle passes, altcoin season becomes bigger. There is no exact science on when the altcoin season should start.

Instead of trying to time the markets, investors should fuel their portfolios with cheap altcoins. This will position investors nicely for when the altcoin cycle eventually begins. According to TradingView data, the altcoin market peaked at $303 billion in the 2017 bull market.

In the 2021 bull market, it peaked at over $1.5 trillion. Today, the total value of all altcoins is just over $1.1 trillion. This means the market needs to increase by about 35% just to get back to 2021 levels. After that, some altcoin price predictions believe unparalleled heights will be reached.

Easy to Create a Diversified Altcoin Portfolio

There are thousands of altcoins to choose from, making it difficult from an analysis perspective. However, this also makes it simple to create a highly diversified portfolio. You’d only need one of your altcoin picks to explode to see a sizable return on investment.

For example, suppose you want exposure to layer 1 altcoins; these typically do well during bull markets. Instead of just investing in Solana, you might also consider BNB, Cardano, Avalanche, Cosmos, Aptos, Sui, and Sei. In the metaverse space, you might consider Decentraland, the Sandbox, and Axie Infinity.

Building a meme coin portfolio also requires diversification. You might consider brand-new meme coins like PlayDoge, Base Dawgz, and Mochi. In addition to established meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. Ultimately, failing to diversify can be risky, as you’re putting all of your eggs into one altcoin basket.

How Many Altcoins Are There?

There are a significant number of altcoins in the market. I mentioned earlier that there are ‘thousands’ to choose from, as this mirrors what CoinMarketCap tracks.

However, the reality is that millions of altcoin tokens have been created. For instance, there are over 450,000 tokens on the Ethereum network alone, as per BitPay data. The vast majority are worthless; they have no trading volume or active holders.

Crucially, anyone can create an altcoin. There are now online platforms that allow beginners to launch an altcoin in under 10 minutes. This includes a fully-fledged smart contract.

How to Find the Best Altcoins to Buy

Finding the best altcoins with the most potential is challenging. Most altcoin investors – especially complete beginners, will lose money. This is often because they don’t know where to look. Or what signs to look out for.

Fortunately, there are some best practices that you can follow. Let’s take a closer look at how to build a successful altcoin trading portfolio.

Look for Trending Presales

If you’re looking to buy the best new altcoins before they become mainstream, presales might be the best option. You can invest in a project before it begins trading on exchanges.

This is like investing in a stock IPO before its NASDAQ or NYSE listing. I should, however, note that presales carry the most risk.

Explore Birdeye to Find Micro-Cap Gems

Using Birdeye is another strategy to find the best altcoins to buy. This data aggregation platform tracks altcoins that trade on decentralized exchanges. It covers the leading network standards, including Ethereum, Base, Solana, BNB, and Arbitrum. You can see which altcoins are trending, and which projects have seen the biggest gains and losses.

I would suggest clicking on the ‘Find Gems’ button. You’ll then have access to some useful filters. For example, you can filter altcoins by the number of token holders. You can then change the market capitalization. For instance, you might only want to see altcoins valued between $1 million and $10 million. Other useful filters include 24-hour views, watchers, and volume.

Importantly, only invest in a micro-cap altcoin if its liquidity is locked. This means the liquidity pool cannot be drained by the developer. This is a common scam in the altcoin space – so tread with caution.

Assess Which Crypto Narratives Are Hot 

There is often a particular narrative during the altcoin season. Each narrative can last for days, weeks, or months. It depends on how much buying pressure there is. Once a narrative has reached its peak, a new one begins. For example, during the prior bull market, some of the most popular altcoins were decentralized finance (DeFi), play-to-earn (P2E) games, and metaverses.

The narrative in recent months has been AI and Solana meme coins. In my view, the next big narratives will be Base network and real-world asset (RWA) tokens. Both of these niches are showing strong signs, so they’re well-primed for altcoin season. P2E and AI will likely stick around too.

Once you’ve determined which narratives to invest in, make sure you’re diversified. Nobody can predict which specific altcoins will blow up – so it’s best to have exposure to multiple projects within each narrative. Just don’t buy too many altcoins, as this can be difficult to manage.

Always Have Exposure to Layer 1 Protocols

I mentioned earlier that layer 1 protocols always perform well during bull cycles. Especially those that have entire ecosystems. For example, Ethereum and Solana enable developers to build dApps. Transactions within each dApp must be settled in ETH and SOL, respectively. This enables Ethereum and Solana to grow organically as more dApps are built.

That said, Ethereum and Solana are already large-caps, so some of you might want exposure to layer 1 protocols with smaller valuations.  For instance, Sei, Sui, and Fantom are valued at around $2 billion. These projects could be worth significantly more once altcoin season begins.

There are also layer 1 protocols valued at under a billion dollars. This includes Chia, Chromia, WAX, Aleph Zero, and Casper. Once again, this is where diversification can help. Spread your capital over multiple layer 1 protocols with varying valuations. You can always move money around if you lose interest in a particular protocol.

Potential Risks of Investing in Altcoins

I’ve explained that altcoin season can generate significant wealth. Unfortunately, the opposite can also happen. Some crypto investors will lose vast sums in the coming months, so the risks should not be understated.

First, remember that altcoin prices rise and fall. Even during altcoin season, some projects will fail. This means you could lose some or even all of your original investment. The latter is more likely if you end up investing in a crypto scam. For example, many newly launched tokens aren’t legitimate.

The ‘developer’ will aim to scam as many people as possible. They can do this in various ways, but the most common is to drain the liquidity pool. This means there is no liquidity for holders to sell their tokens, meaning they’re now worthless. Another scam is to adjust the altcoin’s smart contract.

For example, the developer might restrict token sales, meaning investors can no longer cash out. They could also issue new tokens, and then dump them on the open market. I’ve also seen altcoin scams that suddenly add a huge tax. For instance, 99% of the token sale will be taxed and transferred to the scammer’s wallet.

Another mistake that beginners make is assuming an altcoin will always recover. However, many well-known altcoins trade at small fractions of their prior highs. For example, XRP’s all-time high was achieved in 2018. Ultimately, risks can be reduced through diversification, dollar-cost averaging, and in-depth research.

Conclusion

In summary, I’ve revealed the top altcoins to invest in for the next bull cycle. I’ve covered a broad range of niches, including meme coins, decentralized finance, metaverses, Oracles, and Base network tokens.

My overall top altcoin pick is Pepe Unchained, a new meme token built on Ethereum’s layer-two blockchain. This altcoin offers huge passive income-earning opportunities through its staking mechanism. It also reduces gas fees while reducing the overall speed of transactions.

Visit Pepe Unchained

FAQs

What are altcoins?

Altcoins are cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. There are thousands of altcoins in the market, ranging from multi-billion dollar projects to micro-caps.

What are the best altcoins to buy?

Some of the best altcoins to watch are Pepe Unchained, Crypto All-Stars, Base Dawgz, and PlayDoge. These are presale altcoins that are yet to launch on crypto exchanges.

Which new altcoins have the most potential?

Pepe Unchained is an altcoin with huge potential. This meme-inspired coin project has raised over $8.4 million in the first few months of its presale.

What is the difference between altcoins and cryptocurrency?

All altcoins are cryptocurrencies. The only cryptocurrency that isn’t an altcoin is Bitcoin.

Should I buy altcoins or Bitcoin?

Most investors will own Bitcoin and a portfolio of altcoins. This offers a balanced approach to crypto investing.

Where to buy altcoins?

New altcoins usually trade on decentralized exchanges like Pancakeswap or Uniswap. Established altcoins like Solana and Ethereum trade on centralized exchanges, such as eToro, Kraken, and Binance.

References

1. Memecoin Billionaires Are Back With Bets on Being the ‘First Idiot In’ (Bloomberg)
2. Crypto Total Market Cap Excluding BTC (TradingView)
3. ERC-20 Tokens: What They Are and How They Are Used (BitPay)
4. Why Decentralised Finance (DeFi) Matters and the Policy Implications (OECD)
5. What Are the Most Popular Crypto Scams to Watch For in 2024 (Time)