Top 10 Performing Cryptocurrencies By Market Capitalization

Cryptocurrency is one of the most popular things going on right now. The lockdown of 2020 spiked massive interest in this world, and now everyone can't get enough. 

Even as the world's economies were struggling to return to normal and fight off the lockdown-induced losses, the prices of crypto coins were skyrocketing and reaching all-time highs.

Below is a list of the best performing coins of 2021 by market capitalization.

1. Bitcoin

When you hear "crypto", what comes to your mind is undoubtedly Bitcoin. Founded in 2008 by the anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, this coin is the most popular crypto coin in existence, and its performance and value matches that claim. It has the largest number of users, and the highest market capitalization as well.

The idea of bitcoin, at the most basic level, is to be the replacement for money in the future. It is decentralized, which means it has no origin or headquarters, and cannot be controlled by any government or body - which is one of the most appealing things about crypto.

Despite the intimidating price it currently is at, Bitcoin started at 0. In 2017 it was well below $2,000 and was growing steadily, until during the coronavirus pandemic where the price shocked the entire world by soaring to around $50,000.

Bitcoin market cap: $1.04 trillion

Bitcoin value: $55,929

2. Ethereum:

While ethereum cannot compets with Bitcoin, it is a force to be reckoned with in the cryptoverse. Unlike Bitcoin that's a direct currency, ethereum is more complicated. Founded by Vitalik Buterin in 2015, Ethereum has a technological component which can run programs and operate software in a decentralized way - this makes it a very useful tool. The coin, Ether, is only half of the fun.

Ethereum wasn't left out of the fun during the pandemic, as its price has grown significantly from about $200 to over $3000.

Ethereum market cap: $400.8 billion

Ether value: $3,454

3. Binance

Launched in 2017 by the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, BinanceCoin is the world’s largest crytpo exchange by volume. The BinanceCoin is used more often on the Binance app, where users can use it to pay transaction fees on the Binance, trade for other cryptocurrencies, and pay for some goods and services. 

BinanceCoin performance history: Since launching in 2017, BinanceCoin has made a long, slow climb to about $60 a coin, before shooting upwards in February 2021. As of early May it was trading in the $640 range.

BinanceCoin market cap: $95.6 billion

BinanceCoin value: $623

4. Dogecoin

Dogecoin started as a meme, and satire, of Bitcoin. Created in 2013 by developers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, the coin has quickly developed a growing fanbase, most notable, Elon Musk. It has gone to up $0.61 after trading for less than even a penny fee months ago. With its market capitalization at $81.9 billion, it definitely is a coin to watch our for.

In early 2021, Dogecoin crossed the $0.05 threshold for the first time, then went to the moon in April, recently trading at an all-time high of $0.64.

Dogecoin market cap: $81.9 billion

Dogecoin value: $0.64

5. Ripple (XRP)

Launched in 2012 buy three developers, Ripple, is the fasten crypto coin in the market. It is especially favored by financial services providers to settle payments faster, and reduce the cost of foreign exchange.

In 2020, however, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a suite against two of the company's co-founders, with claims that they raised about $1.3 billion through unregistered coin offering. This lawsuit is yet to be settled.

XRP had been trading quite slowly, until May 2021, where it increased its pace and Rose to $1.59.

XRP/Ripple market cap: $72.3 billion

XRP value: $1.59

6. Tether (Stablecoin)

Unlike other crypto coins, Tether is a stablecoin, and a leader in tht category.   

Stablecoins are coins that are linked to fiat currencies, hence maintain the same value. This is attractive to normal investors who want to invest in crypto, without the volatility. 

The Tether coin is linked t the US dollar, and has successfully been operating on the Ethereum platform since its launch in 2015. 

One Tether coin will always be equivalent to one US dollar.

Tether market cap: $54.7 billion

Tether value: $1

7. Cardano

Cardano, founded in 2017, is another Ethereum-like contender for the top cryptocurrency crown: a blockchain platform that supports applications, systems, and real-life business use cases. It’s a promising technology but, like all the others, has a lot of catching up to do with Ethereum in terms of its network size. 

What makes Cardano unique is that it is the first blockchain platform to evolve out of a scientific philosophy and a research-first driven approach. The development team consists of a large global collective of expert engineers and researchers, and the platform was built through peer-reviewed research.

Cardano was moving slowly from $0.10 from its launch in 2017 until early 2021, when it jumped to well over a dollar and was recently trading at $1.63.

Cardano market cap: $51.9 billion

Cardano value: $1.63

8. Polkadot

Polkadot’s aim is to “enable a completely decentralized web where users are in control.” Launched in 2020, Polkadot is the flagship project of the Swiss Web3 foundation. Polkadot’s technology brings together different blockchains, enabling them to exchange information and transactions and operate together.

This crypto was trading at about a nickel until late 2020, when it surprisingly took off to $40.

Polkadot market cap: $37.7 billion

Polkadot value: $40

9. Bitcoin Cash 

Bitcoin Cash is a completely different cryptocurrency to Bitcoin. It was created by a group of developers focused on bringing down the cost of Bitcoin transactions. 

After reaching a high of nearly $4,000 back in 2018, it dropped considerably and settled to around $300-400 for the next couple of years. It soared in recent weeks to more than $1,300.

Bitcoin Cash market cap: $26 billion

Bitcoin Cash value: $1,397

10. Litecoin

Created in 2011 by Charlie Lee, Litecoin is one of the earliest Bitcoin clones, and has become a well-established crypto. It was developed with a focus on speed, efficiency, and wider initial coin distribution than Bitcoin. For example, Litecoin transactions are confirmed every two and a half minutes, which is four times more frequently than Bitcoin transactions. Another difference: Litecoin has a supply cap of 84 million coins, exactly four times Bitcoin’s — this is what makes many investors think of Litecoin as the silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

Litecoin spiked briefly over $300 in late 2017 before dipping as low as $25 in 2019. In late 2020, it climbed up again and was recently trading at $369.

Litecoin market cap: $24.7 billion

Litecoin value: $369