List of cryptocurrencies
The best-known coins and tokens, who made them and what they do, in one table.
The best-known cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin (2009), Litecoin (2011), XRP (2012), Dogecoin (2013), Ethereum (2015), the stablecoins Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), and newer networks such as Cardano, Solana, Avalanche and Polkadot. They differ in who created them, how they're secured and what they're designed to do.
Major cryptocurrencies by year
A reference list of the best-known cryptocurrencies, oldest first: who made each one, how it's secured and what it's for. It isn't a ranking or a recommendation. Prices change constantly, so this list leaves them out.
| Year | Name | Ticker | Created by | How it's secured | What it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Bitcoin | BTC | Satoshi Nakamoto (pseudonym) | Proof of work (SHA-256) | The first cryptocurrency: scarce digital money, often called digital gold |
| 2011 | Litecoin | LTC | Charlie Lee | Proof of work (Scrypt) | A faster, lighter version of Bitcoin for payments |
| 2011 | Namecoin | NMC | Vincent Durham (pseudonym) | Proof of work | One of the first Bitcoin spin-offs, built for decentralized names |
| 2012 | Peercoin | PPC | "Sunny King" (pseudonym) | Proof of work and proof of stake | The first coin to use proof of stake |
| 2012 | XRP | XRP | Jed McCaleb, Arthur Britto and David Schwartz; Ripple co-founded with Chris Larsen | XRP Ledger consensus (no mining) | Fast, cheap transfers and payments between currencies |
| 2013 | Dogecoin | DOGE | Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer | Proof of work (Scrypt) | Started as a joke based on the "Doge" meme; now a large, widely traded coin |
| 2014 | Monero | XMR | Open-source community | Proof of work (RandomX) | Privacy: hides senders, receivers and amounts |
| 2014 | Stellar | XLM | Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim | Stellar Consensus Protocol | Payments and moving money across borders |
| 2014 | Dash | DASH | Evan Duffield | Proof of work plus masternodes | Quick everyday payments |
| 2014 | Tether | USDT | Tether Ltd. (founded by Brock Pierce, Reeve Collins and Craig Sellars) | A token on many blockchains | The largest dollar stablecoin |
| 2015 | Ethereum | ETH | Vitalik Buterin and co-founders | Proof of stake (since 2022) | Runs smart contracts: home of most tokens, DeFi and NFTs |
| 2016 | Ethereum Classic | ETC | Community that kept the original chain | Proof of work | The original Ethereum chain, without the 2016 DAO bailout |
| 2016 | Zcash | ZEC | Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn and team | Proof of work (Equihash) | Optional private transactions using zero-knowledge proofs |
| 2017 | Bitcoin Cash | BCH | Split from Bitcoin by a group of developers and miners | Proof of work (SHA-256) | A Bitcoin fork with bigger blocks for cheaper payments |
| 2017 | Cardano | ADA | Charles Hoskinson | Proof of stake (Ouroboros) | A smart-contract platform built on peer-reviewed research |
| 2017 | Tron | TRX | Justin Sun | Delegated proof of stake | Smart contracts; a major network for moving USDT |
| 2017 | BNB | BNB | Binance (Changpeng Zhao) | BNB Chain validators (proof of staked authority) | Binance exchange's token and its own blockchain |
| 2017 | Chainlink | LINK | Sergey Nazarov and Steve Ellis | A token on Ethereum and other chains | Feeds outside data, like prices, into smart contracts (an "oracle" network) |
| 2018 | USD Coin | USDC | Circle (launched with Coinbase) | A token on many blockchains | A dollar stablecoin backed by cash and short-term Treasuries |
| 2019 | Algorand | ALGO | Silvio Micali | Pure proof of stake | Fast smart-contract platform from an MIT cryptographer |
| 2020 | Solana | SOL | Anatoly Yakovenko | Proof of stake with proof of history | Very fast, cheap transactions; popular for trading and meme coins |
| 2020 | Avalanche | AVAX | Emin Gün Sirer and team | Proof of stake | A network of fast, connected blockchains |
| 2020 | Polkadot | DOT | Gavin Wood | Nominated proof of stake | Connects separate blockchains so they can work together |
| 2020 | Shiba Inu | SHIB | "Ryoshi" (pseudonym) | A token on Ethereum | A meme coin inspired by Dogecoin |
Not sure about the terms? See coin vs. token, proof of work and proof of stake.
Famous failures and frauds
Some of the best-known names in crypto history are warnings:
- OneCoin (from 2014): Sold as a cryptocurrency but had no real blockchain: a Ponzi scheme that took billions and kept collecting money for years. Its founder, Ruja Ignatova, disappeared in 2017 and was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
- BitConnect (2016–2018): Promised huge daily returns from a "trading bot." It was a Ponzi scheme and collapsed in January 2018.
- PlusToken (2018–2019): A wallet app promising high returns, mainly in China and South Korea; one of the largest crypto Ponzi schemes ever.
- TerraUSD and LUNA (2022): An algorithmic stablecoin that lost its $1 peg in May 2022, wiping out tens of billions of dollars.
- FTT (2022): The token of the FTX exchange. It collapsed with FTX in November 2022; founder Sam Bankman-Fried was later convicted of fraud.
- Petro (2018–2024): Venezuela's government-launched, supposedly oil-backed coin. It never worked as a currency and was shut down in 2024.
Almost every one of these promised high or guaranteed returns. Check any opportunity with the scam checker.
How many are there?
Thousands are actively traded and millions of tokens have been created, most of them abandoned. See how many cryptocurrencies are there.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of cryptocurrency?
Payment coins like Bitcoin and Litecoin, smart-contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana, stablecoins like USDT and USDC, privacy coins like Monero, and tokens such as meme coins built on other networks.
What was the first cryptocurrency?
Bitcoin, launched in January 2009.
Where to next
Sources
- List of cryptocurrencies (Wikipedia)
- Tether (Wikipedia)
- XRP Ledger history (xrpl.org)
- Ruja Ignatova, Ten Most Wanted (FBI)
- Samuel Bankman-Fried sentenced (US Department of Justice)
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.