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The main cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum: Solana, XRP, BNB and more

Which are the main cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin and Ethereum? Leaving stablecoins aside, the largest cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin and Ethereum on 27 October 2026 were BNB, XRP and Solana, followed by Tron, Zcash, Hyperliquid, Dogecoin, Cardano and Avalanche, according to CoinGecko. Each runs its own blockchain with a different purpose: payments, applications, trading or privacy.

Key takeaways

How to read the ranking

Rankings sort cryptocurrencies by market capitalization: the current price multiplied by the number of coins in circulation. It is a useful measure of size, but it does not say how many coins may be issued in the future or how easy it is to trade large amounts. Many sites also show the fully diluted value, which counts every coin that will ever exist.

Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC also appear near the top of the lists. They are covered in a separate guide because they are designed to keep a stable price, not to grow in value. The figures below come from CoinGecko on 27 October 2026 and are rounded.

Market capitalization on 27 October 2026

Largest cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin (about 1,625 billion dollars) and Ethereum (about 287 billion dollars), excluding stablecoins:

BNB

BNB was created in 2017 by the Binance exchange and is the native currency of BNB Chain, a blockchain compatible with Ethereum's smart contracts. It pays transaction fees on that network, gives discounts on trading fees at Binance and is used in many applications built on BNB Chain. Part of the supply is regularly destroyed (burned) to reduce the total over time. Its value is closely tied to the activity of the Binance ecosystem.

XRP

XRP is the native currency of the XRP Ledger, launched in 2012. The ledger does not use mining: a network of validators agrees on transactions every few seconds, with very low fees. It was designed for payments and currency exchange, and the company Ripple uses it in cross-border payment services for financial institutions. All 100 billion XRP were created at launch, and a large part is held by Ripple and released over time.

Solana

Solana is a high-speed blockchain launched in 2020. It combines proof of stake with a timekeeping technique called proof of history, which lets the network order transactions quickly. Fees are usually a fraction of a cent, which made Solana popular for trading applications, payments, stablecoins and new tokens. The network suffered several outages in its early years; its developers have worked on reliability since then.

Tron

Tron is a blockchain launched in 2018 with its native currency TRX. Its main use today is moving stablecoins: in mid October 2026 about 93 billion dollars of USDT circulated on Tron, more than on any other network, according to DefiLlama data reported by Crypto Briefing. Low fees make it common for transfers in many emerging markets. USDT on Tron (TRC-20) is a different token from USDT on Ethereum (ERC-20), and the two must not be confused when sending funds.

Zcash and Hyperliquid

Zcash, launched in 2016, is a privacy-focused currency. Like Bitcoin it has a 21 million cap and uses mining, but it can hide sender, receiver and amount using zero-knowledge proofs. Privacy coins are restricted on some regulated exchanges.

Hyperliquid is a blockchain built around a trading platform for perpetual futures and spot markets. Its token, HYPE, launched in November 2024, is used for fees, staking and governance. Its rise shows how quickly the ranking can change: a token can enter the top ten within two years.

Dogecoin

Dogecoin was created in 2013 as a joke based on an internet meme, and it became one of the most traded cryptocurrencies. It uses proof of work, like Bitcoin, but has no maximum supply: about 5 billion new DOGE are issued every year. It is used for tips and small payments, and its price is strongly driven by social media and market sentiment.

Cardano and Avalanche

Cardano, launched in 2017, is a proof of stake blockchain developed with an emphasis on academic research and formal methods. ADA has a maximum supply of 45 billion coins and is used for fees, staking and governance. On 27 October 2026 Cardano was eighteenth on CoinGecko, down from the top ten it held in earlier years.

Avalanche, launched in 2020, is a network of interconnected blockchains. Its C-Chain runs Ethereum-compatible smart contracts, and companies and institutions can create their own chains with custom rules, which has made it a base for tokenization projects. AVAX has a maximum supply of 720 million.

Other names you will see

Further down the rankings are projects with specific roles: Chainlink supplies external data, such as prices, to smart contracts; Litecoin is one of the oldest Bitcoin variants; Stellar focuses on payments; Monero on privacy; Sui and Toncoin compete as fast application platforms. Thousands of other tokens exist, and many of them have very little trading activity.

How to compare them

Risks and the Club

Altcoins are generally more volatile than Bitcoin and Ethereum, and some projects depend on a single company or a small group of holders. Rankings change, and coins that were once in the top ten have dropped far behind. Investing involves the risk of losing capital. This guide is educational and is not personalized investment advice.

For accredited investors who want to use crypto in private markets, Unicorn Club accepts BTC, ETH, USDT and USDC (ERC-20) for its pre-IPO club deals; the guide on how to invest in pre-IPO companies with crypto explains the process.

Frequently asked questions

What is an altcoin?

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. The term is often used for coins other than Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Why are USDT and USDC missing from this list?

They are stablecoins designed to stay at one dollar, so they are covered in the stablecoin guide even though their market capitalization is among the largest.

Is market capitalization the same as the money invested?

No. It is the latest price multiplied by the coins in circulation, so it can rise or fall a lot even with modest trading.

Does a low price mean a coin is cheap?

No. Price depends on how many coins exist. Dogecoin costs a few cents because there are more than 150 billion coins in circulation.

How often does the ranking change?

Continuously. Positions below the first two shift frequently, so always check the date of the data.

Related guide

Sources

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