#AltcoinBreakout

Surprisingly Alt coins are doing better than Meme coins

They often share code and functionality, and include coins such as Ether, Litecoin, and Dogecoin. The number of altcoins listed in cryptocurrency markets is rapidly multipling, and they can be very volatile.

Altcoin" is a combination of the two words "alternative" and "coin." The term generally includes all cryptocurrencies and tokens that are not Bitcoin. Altcoins belong to the blockchains for which they were explicitly designed.

Part of what makes specific altcoins valuable – and enticing – is the function they offer beyond BTC. The market continues to experiment with different types of altcoins. Here are some of the popular altcoins by market cap.

Litecoin (LTC). Known as the silver to Bitcoin’s gold, LTC is an upgraded version of BTC. LTC has faster block processing speed, four times the supply of BTC, and a different hashing algorithm called Scrypt.

Ethereum (ETH). ETH is a very different crypto than BTC or LTC. Ethereum is a ledger technology that users can build programs (DApps) and smart contracts on. Like LTC, is also has a larger supply and faster block processing speed.

NEO (NEO). Similar to ETH, NEO is a platform that uses smart contracts and allows for DApps. However, this altcoin is backed by the Chinese government, uses a special proof-of-stake mechanism, and uses a special asset (NeoGas) to fuel its blockchain.

Ripple (XRP). XRP is primarily known as a digital payment network that hosts a cryptocurrency. The network is used for international money transfers. XRP is not mined and uses a different consensus mechanism than traditional cryptos like BTC.