Cryptos To Buy or Watch Now
We filtered cryptocurrencies by utility or store of value, alongside trading momentum and other metrics, such as seven-day performance and 24-hour trading volume.
Our momentum screen for the best cryptos to invest in or watch is in the table below, ordered by 24-hour volume. These cryptos are not stablecoins, which are pegged to stable assets, nor are they wrapped (tokenized versions that run on nonnative blockchains) or liquid staking coins, which are given in return for staking.
While watching cryptocurrencies with momentum can be exciting, it’s important to recognise that cryptos are risk-on assets.
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4 Best Cryptocurrencies To Invest In
While the table above shows momentum-driven cryptos, here is a broader selection of cryptocurrencies with utility or store-of-value thesis and a market cap greater than $5 billion. Cryptos with at least $5 billion in market cap are typically more stable with greater institutional adoption.
1. Cardano (ADA)
Market Cap: $14.04 billion
7-Day Change: -1.00%
Price News: As of 8:22 a.m. ET, the price of cardano, or 1 ADA, traded at $0.39. Cardano’s highest 52-week intraday price was $1.16 on January 17, 2025.
Cardano’s ADA token has had relatively modest growth compared to other major crypto coins. In 2017, ADA’s price hovered around $0.02. As of January 16, 2026, its price traded at $0.39, an increase of 1,701%.
Cardano:
Cardano is a “next generation” blockchain platform that aims to improve the limitations of earlier blockchains like bitcoin and Ethereum. ADA pioneered proof-of-stake validation to reduce environmental impact and support smart contracts and DApps like Ethereum.
Pros:
Energy-efficient consensus model.
Focus on real-world use cases.
Cons:
Slow rollout of features compared to rivals.
Smaller DApp ecosystem.
Market Dominance: 0.43%
2. BNB (BNB)
Market Cap: $127.29 billion
7-Day Change: 4.91%
Price News: BNB, or 1 BNB, traded at $933.50, as of 8:23 a.m. ET. The highest intraday price that BNB reached in the past year was $1,370.55 on October 13, 2025.
BNB has soared by 810,212% since CoinMarketCap started tracking it in 2017.
BNB:
Originally launched to pay trading fees on the Binance exchange, BNB has grown into a utility token used for transactions, payments and DApps within the Binance ecosystem.
As an added perk, users can get a discount on trading fees when using BNB on a Binance crypto exchange. But there’s also a utility aspect. The token can be used to pay transaction fees on the BNB Smart Chain, which supports smart contracts and DApps.
Pros:
Binance’s growing ecosystem.
Ongoing quarterly coin burns to reduce supply.
Cons:
High reliance on Binance’s success.
Regulatory scrutiny of centralized exchanges.
Market Dominance: 3.94%
3. Bitcoin (BTC)
Market Cap: $1.91 trillion
7-Day Change: 5.42%
Price News: Bitcoin stood at $95,501.88 per coin as of 8:22 a.m. ET, with its annual high being $126,198.07 on October 6, 2025.
BTC has risen from roughly $0.06 in July 2010 to around $95,501.88 as of January 16, 2026, with a staggering increase of 154,462,506%.
Bitcoin:
Created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoin is the original and most recognized cryptocurrency.
The “OG” of crypto runs on a decentralized blockchain network. The network uses an energy-intensive, proof-of-work consensus system. On the network, miners validate transactions on the chain by solving complex puzzles. For each validated block, miners earn a reward of 3.125 BTC per block, currently worth $298,443.36.
The proof-of-work consensus model is often criticized for its carbon footprint. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that crypto mining, which bitcoin uses, represents up to 2.3% of U.S. electricity consumption.
Pros:
Viewed as a “digital gold” and a store of value.
High liquidity and market stability relative to other coins.
Cons:
High energy consumption due to the proof-of-work system.
Slower transaction speed and higher fees compared to newer networks.
Market Dominance: 59.09%
4. Polkadot (DOT)
Market Cap: $3.49 billion
7-Day Change: 1.88%
Price News: Polkadot’s price was $2.11 at 8:22 a.m. ET. Its highest point in the past year came on January 17, 2025, when it hit $7.59.
Polkadot’s price when it launched in August 2020 was $2.79. Today it trades at $2.11 for a gain of -24%.
Polkadot:
Launched by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood in 2020, polkadot is designed to unify previously siloed blockchains.
Polkadot’s network facilitates the transfer of tokens and data between major chains like Ethereum and bitcoin. At the core of polkadot are parachains: customizable, independent blockchains that offload processing demand while leveraging polkadot’s security infrastructure.
Pros:
Enables confidential computing for sensitive data (such as health records).
A unique network that supports scalability and specialization.
Cons:
Complex architecture.
Still a developing ecosystem compared to Ethereum.
Market Dominance: 0.11%
