Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, or more broadly a non-leading coin within a specific market category.
- Also known as
- Alternative Coin
Altcoin is short for "alternative coin." In the most common usage, it means any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. In narrower market commentary, it can mean any coin that is not the dominant asset in a category, such as a smaller smart-contract platform or payment coin.
Altcoins include payment coins, smart-contract platforms, privacy coins, stablecoins, governance tokens, exchange tokens, and memecoins. Some introduce useful technical experiments; others are mainly speculative or short-lived.
Altcoins often have higher volatility, thinner liquidity, and greater project-specific risk than the largest crypto assets. Evaluating tokenomics, custody, supply unlocks, security, and real usage matters more than relying on a ticker or narrative.
Related terms
Explore connected entries beyond the alphabetical index.
Bitcoin (BTC)
→The first widely adopted cryptocurrency, using proof of work and an issuance schedule capped near 21 million BTC under current rules.
Ethereum (ETH)
→Ethereum is a proof-of-stake smart contract blockchain; ETH is its native asset used for gas, staking, and settlement.
Altseason
→A market phase when many altcoins outperform Bitcoin and attract rising liquidity, attention, and trading volume.
Market Capitalization
→A sizing estimate calculated by multiplying an asset's reference price by its reported circulating supply.
Token
→A transferable or accountable unit defined by a blockchain protocol, smart contract, or application ledger.
Shitcoin
→A derogatory label for a cryptocurrency viewed as low-quality, scammy, unserious, or lacking durable utility.