Bitcoin pioneered the cryptocurrency market, and ever since then more and more altcoins have been appearing. There are currently over 16 million bitcoins in circulation, each one worth over $1,000, making it the most valuable cryptocurrency there is. Still, bitcoin’s supply is ridiculously small, if we compare it to some of the most widely available cryptocurrencies.
5. Siacoin
Sia is a decentralized storage marketplace, in which buyers rent space from sellers. Data within the network is stored across multiple hosts, so no single host holds a significant piece. Furthermore, the data is encrypted using keys that only the uploader holds. Essentially, the platform’s goal is to take away power from centralized cloud storage providers, and give it back to users. Transactions within the Sia network are enabled by Siacoin, a decentralized, blockchain-powered, proof-of-work cryptocurrency. There are currently 23 billion SC in circulation, and each is worth $0.000332.
4. Mintcoin
Mintcoin is an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency. It’s a proof-of-work, proof-of-stake hybrid, as it had an initial mining period that is now over. Coins are now generated through minting – this means those who hold mintcoins in their wallets will generate more coins, currently at a 5% interest rate. Since mintcoin isn’t mined anymore, it is a green, energy saving alternative. There are currently 24 billion mint in circulation. One mint if currently worth $0.000040.
3. Ripple
We’ve mentioned Ripple, an open-source payments system and a digital currency used within that network, before in our article on the 5 most innovative cryptocurrencies. Ripple is a pre-mined cryptocurrency that has already been adopted by a few major financial institutions, and there are currently 37 billion XRP in circulation, each one worth $0.005836, leading to a market cap of $216 million – Ripple is currently the third biggest cryptocurrency there is.
2. Dogecoin
Dogecoin started off as a joke, in late 2013. The community, however, made dogecoin a thing and soon enough, this decentralized peer-to-peer currency, became one of the biggest altcoins for a while, until it’s price crashed. It uses the Shibu Inu dog from the Doge meme as its mascot, and the available supply is of 108 billion doge, each one of them worth $0.000204.
The community, where dogecoin’s true value is at, has done some pretty spectacular things. For example, it has in the past set up fundraisers for athletes, and helped create two water wells in a town in eastern Kenya. As if that wasn’t enough, it has also created a very entertaining video:
1. Bytecoin
According to CoinMarketCap, there are currently over 182 billion bytecoins in circulation, and bytecoin miners receive roughly 65,000 BCN every 120 seconds as a reward. This proof-of-work cryptocurrency is easy to mine on an average computer, and offers zero-fee transactions, as well privacy and security. Right now, one bytecoin isn’t worth a lot – $0.000054 – but the team truly believes things will change. If so, bytecoin would be a great investment, as the return on investment would be incredible if one coin reaches a value of just $0.01.
According to a Reddit thread, a few years ago bytecoin used to be accepted on the deep web. Nowadays, we’re unaware of any websites accepting the cryptocurrency.
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