As a bull market sets in, investors are looking for the best crypto to ape into. In this guide, we explore some of the best crypto to buy now based on market cap and a number of other contributing factors. Plus, we cover how and where to securely buy these assets in December 2024.
Methodology
Following a months-long evaluation of leading cryptocurrency platforms, we’ve identified the best options for buying, trading, and storing your digital assets. Our rigorous assessment considered several key factors: ease of use, security, reliability, fees and surcharges, customer support, and of course, liquidity. Based on this comprehensive evaluation, some of the leading platforms that emerged as top contenders include Coinbase, YouHodler, Kraken, and OKX. Here’s some insight into why each platform is highlighted.
Coinbase:
- User-friendly interface: Coinbase is known for its user-friendly platform, making it easy for beginners to navigate and understand the trading process.
- High liquidity: As one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase offers high liquidity, ensuring that orders are executed quickly and at competitive prices.
- Regulatory compliance: Coinbase is a regulated exchange, adhering to strict compliance standards, which provides added security and transparency for users.
- Wide range of cryptocurrencies: Coinbase supports a diverse range of cryptocurrencies, allowing users to diversify their crypto portfolios.
- Mobile app: Coinbase offers a user-friendly mobile app, enabling users to trade and manage their accounts on the go.
OKX:
- Advanced trading tools: OKX offers a comprehensive suite of advanced trading tools, including margin trading, futures trading, and spot trading, catering to experienced traders.
- Low trading fees: OKX is known for its competitive trading fees, making it an attractive choice for high-volume traders.
- Strong security measures: OKX implements robust security measures, such as cold storage for crypto assets, two-factor authentication, and advanced encryption protocols.
- Wide range of payment methods: OKX supports a variety of payment methods, including bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and various cryptocurrencies.
- Global reach: OKX operates in multiple countries and supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a global user base.
Kraken:
- Robust security: Kraken is renowned for its strong security measures, including advanced encryption, two-factor authentication, and rigorous storage protocols for user funds.
- High liquidity: As one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Kraken offers high liquidity across multiple trading pairs.
- Margin trading: Kraken offers margin trading options, allowing traders to leverage their positions and potentially increase their returns.
- Reasonable fees: Kraken’s trading fees are competitive, making it an attractive option for both beginner and experienced traders.
- Customer support: Kraken provides reliable and responsive customer support, ensuring that user inquiries and concerns are addressed promptly.
YouHodler:
- Secure storage: YouHodler is primarily focused on providing secure storage solutions for cryptocurrencies, making it an ideal choice for storing our newly purchased digital assets.
- Lending and borrowing services: YouHodler offers lending and borrowing services, allowing users to earn interest on their crypto holdings or use their assets as collateral for loans.
- Multi-signature wallets: YouHodler employs multi-signature wallets for enhanced security, ensuring that funds cannot be accessed without multiple authorization keys.
- User-friendly interface: YouHodler’s platform is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to manage their crypto assets.
- Customer support: YouHodler provides reliable customer support to assist users with any inquiries or issues related to their services.
To learn more about BeInCrypto’s verification methodology, follow this link.
What are the best crypto to buy now?
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
Clocking in with a market cap exceeding $1.3 trillion, Bitcoin continues its reign supreme as the alpha crypto for any crypto portfolio. Following a prolonged bearish phase, in early 2024, it set on an upward trajectory that took it to a new all-time high of $73,750. As of June 15, 2024, the BTC/USD pair has surged nearly 255% on the yearly scale and over 784% on the five-year scale. This highlights Bitcoin’s potential for sustained growth — an aspect that has earned it the moniker “digital gold.” That is why it remains feasible to buy Bitcoin.
Where to buy
Where to trade
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Second only to Bitcoin in terms of market cap, Ethereum is another top-performing crypto investment that has proven itself as a reliable choice. With a market cap of around $418 billion as of June 15, 2024. ETH is currently up nearly 210% year-on-year. The ETH/USD pair has surged almost 1,260% on the five-year scale. The increasing popularity of Ethereum products like the ENS, high-yield staking platforms, proposals for network improvements (EIPs), and NFT-focused token standards (ERCs) are powerful indicators of Ethereum’s growing potential as one of the best cryptos to buy now.
Where to buy
Where to trade
3. BNB (BNB)
BNB is the native asset on the BNB Chain blockchain. It has regularly ranked among the top cryptocurrencies since its launch in 2017. It primarily serves two purposes:
- BNB holders get discounted fees and functionalities on the Binance exchange.
- It is the native currency for gas fees on the BNB Chain (DApps).
Additionally, it is also a faster and cheaper alternative to Ethereum for deploying and using DApps. BNB has a market cap of over $90 billion and is up 252% year-on-year as of June 15, 2024. If you bought HODLing BNB for the past five years, you would have already accumulated a net profit of more than 1,884%.
Where to buy
Where to trade
4. XRP (XRP)
XRP’s been around the crypto space since 2012, and it’s still a popular pick for investors. With its growing list of uses and strategic partnerships, XRP still finds ample room in the investment strategies of the average savvy user.
XRP is the seventh-largest crypto by market cap ($26+ billion) as of June 15, 2024. Its price has marginally decreased — just around 1% — compared to where it stood a year ago. However, the surge is nearly 97% on the five-year scale.
Where to buy
Where to trade
5. Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin was born out of a meme as a practical joke but eventually established itself as a cryptocurrency for serious investors. It occupies the eighth spot in the rankings of top cryptos by market cap ($20+ billion). Unlike assets like Bitcoin, DOGE doesn’t have a cap on the maximum possible supply. Ye, DOGE has witnessed sharp growth, to the tune of 233% year-on-year. However, if we go further into the past, the DOGE price has surged by a whopping 155,555% since its launch in 2015.
Where to buy
Where to trade
6. Solana (SOL)
Solana stands out as a smart contracts platform with an innovative architecture that shatters transaction speed barriers. It claims to have the ability to process thousands per second while keeping costs rock-bottom.SOL’s price further reflects heightened activities on the network. It has increased by nearly 1,035% in the past year and by 69,047% since April 2020.
With over $66 billion in market cap as of June 15, 2024, this leading altcoin stands at the fifth spot on the list of best crypto to buy now.
Where to buy
Where to trade
7. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano, a relative newcomer with a hefty $14 billion market cap as of June 15, 2024, focuses on sustainability alongside impressive scalability and smart contract capabilities. ADA, the native asset on Cardano, coped with the prolonged bear market last year and has so far managed to give a decent ROI of just under 142% year-on-year. On the five-yearly scale, it has increased by almost 444%.
Where to buy
Where to trade
8. Tether (USDT)
With a market cap exceeding $112 billion as of June 15, 2024. Tether (USDT) is the largest stablecoin and the third-largest crypto overall. As a stablecoin, its value is always pegged to $1 USD, which enables investors to take refuge in it whenever they want to avoid the volatility of the crypto market. Widely accepted across exchanges, USDT usually acts as a bridge between traditional currencies and the crypto sector.
Where to buy
Where to trade
9. Avalanche (AVAX)
Having been through a lean patch for several months, AVAX finally started building momentum towards Q4 2023 and has not stopped since. It is currently ranked #10 in the list of top cryptocurrencies by market cap (over $11.7 billion) as of June 15, 2024. AVAX saw a staggering 262% increase in price in the past year and a staggering 648% increase since its launch in 2020. This positive trend is expected to continue over the foreseeable future, considering that transactions and web3 activity led by smart contracts are consistently rising. These factors combine to make AVAX one of the best cryptos to buy now.
Where to buy
Where to trade
All figures used in this listicle are based on verified CoinMarketCap data from June 18, 2024.
| Cryptocurrency | Market cap | Mechanism | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | $1.30T | Proof-of-work | Store of value |
| Ethereum (ETH) | $418B | Proof-of-stake | Smart contracts |
| Binance Coin (BNB) | $90B | Proof-of-stake | Smart contracts |
| XRP (XRP) | $26B | Proof-of-work | Payments |
| Dogecoin (DOGE) | $20B | Proof-of-work | Meme coin |
| Solana (SOL) | $66B | Proof-of-history | Smart contracts |
| Cardano (ADA) | $14B | Proof-of-stake | Smart contracts |
| Tether (USDT) | $112B | N/A | Stablecoin |
| Avalanche (AVAX) | $11.7B | Proof-of-stake | Smart contracts |
Best crypto to buy now: An overview
- Bitcoin: The first cryptocurrency and the largest cryptocurrency by market cap. It is primarily a payment ledger that has secured use as a store of value.
- Ethereum: Is a virtual machine that allows developers to create decentralized applications. It has also become the settlement and foundational layer for other blockchains.
- BNB: As the proprietary blockchain of Binance, it is also one of the most popular smart contract platforms. BNB chain is an Ethereum clone that can support Ethereum-compatible applications.
- XRP: XRP is the proprietary coin of the XRP blockchain and the company Ripple Labs. It is primarily meant for remittances and to be used as bank money.
- Dogecoin: Dogecoin is the first meme coin that was created as a joke. It has since become the largest meme coin and one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap.
- Solana: This is a high-throughput blockchain that supports the creation of decentralized applications (Dapps).
- Cardano: Cardano is a smart contract platform that takes a slow and steady approach to network upgrades, favoring an academic approach.
- Tether: Is the most popular stablecoin that tracks the price of the United States Dollar (USD). It is most popular on Ethereum and Tron, but exists on many other blockchains.
- Avalanche: While primarily a high throughput smart contract platform, Avalanche is also a hub for creating subnets.
How we chose the best crypto to buy now
With thousands of cryptos available, our aim was to: present mostly well-established assets, perform well in bear and bull markets, and have proven track records rather than shining the light on “get rich quick” speculative ventures.
We meticulously considered several key factors while curating this list of the best crypto to buy now. Here’s a rundown of the key factors we considered while making this list:
- Accessibility: We prioritized cryptocurrencies that are readily available across various centralized and decentralized exchanges. The ability to trade directly with fiat currency is also a plus because it ensures a smooth buying and selling experience.
- Market validation: Every cryptocurrency featured in this list boasts a top-20 ranking in market capitalization. While not a sole quality indicator, a large market cap signifies significant community interest. These established coins are also less susceptible to manipulation, as significant capital is needed to move the market.
- Sector leaders: We highlighted primarily those projects that are frontrunners in their respective areas and represent the rich diversity within the blockchain and crypto space. This includes categories like proof-of-work vs. proof-of-state consensus mechanisms, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), layer-2 scaling solutions, and even meme coins.
- The guiding hands: Transparency around the development team and their credentials is a hallmark of any reputable crypto project. Active development is another key metric. Projects that consistently innovate and adapt were more likely to catch our eye. While anonymity isn’t necessarily an absolute disqualifier — Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s creator, remains anonymous — it does raise a cautionary flag at times.
How to buy cryptocurrencies
If you have never bought crypto before, the steps may seem a little extensive at the beginning. However, it’s not really that different from investing in traditional assets such as stocks. Here’s a rundown of the process without delving into the technical nitty-gritty.
Choosing your platform
You have two options to choose from:
- Cryptocurrency exchanges: These platforms offer a wider variety of cryptocurrencies and are usually better suited for users with some experience. However, with growing competition, more and more exchanges these days are focusing on making their platforms suitable for new users as well. Coinbase, Binance, OKX, Bybit, and YouHodler are leading examples of crypto exchanges following that trend.
- Cryptocurrency brokers: Designed for a broader audience, brokers offer user-friendly interfaces but may have limited crypto selections. Robinhood and SoFi are popular choices for beginners. Beware, though — some brokers may restrict users from moving their crypto holdings elsewhere.
Setting up your account
Once you’ve chosen your platform, the next step is to create and verify your account. While not all platforms ask you to go through the KYC (Know Your Customer) process, it is becoming increasingly common as an industry standard. Most prominent platforms have a mandatory KYC requirement to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. Depending on the platform, you might need to submit identification documents like a driver’s license or passport.
Funding your account
Before you can buy crypto, you’ll need to deposit funds. Most platforms allow you to link your bank account or use a debit card for deposits.
Placing your order
Storing your crypto
Cryptocurrency exchanges are not always the most secure storage option. That is why you should ideally consider transferring your crypto stash to a non-custodial wallet for enhanced security. There are two main wallet types:
- Hot wallets: These are convenient, online wallets accessible via your computer, phone, or tablet. However, their internet connection makes them more susceptible to theft.
- Cold wallets: Unlike hot wallets, cold wallets are not always connected to the internet. This makes them less vulnerable to malicious elements such as hackers or malware. Keep your key secure, though. While cold wallets are usually extremely secure, losing your key could mean losing your crypto forever.
Be strategic when buying crypto
With any investment, understanding the long-term potential is crucial. For instance, Bitcoin has established itself as a reliable store of value. Similarly, Ethereum has a verifiable track record as the go-to platform for smart contracts, NFTs, metaverse coins, etc. Such versatile utility underlines its potential as an investment choice. Beyond these giants, there are several high-potential crypto projects with promising outlooks. Take XRP, for example, which has partnered with over 200 banks, proving its potential for mainstream adoption.
While this guide provides a glimpse into the best crypto to buy now as of December 2024 and offers insights into reputable platforms for buying, storing, and trading these assets, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all recommendation to invest. Conduct a thorough risk assessment and consider factors like your financial situation and risk tolerance before choosing to invest.
Frequently asked questions
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