Top 10 Significant Cryptocurrencies Excluding Bitcoin

Top 10 Significant Cryptocurrencies Excluding Bitcoin

In the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies, several digital assets have shown impressive performance in August 2025. While Bitcoin continues to dominate the market, a number of other cryptocurrencies have also emerged as top performers based on market cap, innovations, and year-to-date (YTD) returns.

One such standout is Hyperliquid (HYPE), boasting an impressive YTD return of approximately 82-91%. This layer-1 blockchain, capped at a supply of 1 billion coins, is known for its advanced transaction capabilities [1][4].

Monero (XMR), with a focus on privacy and anonymity, has also performed well, showing a YTD gain of around 64% and a solid market cap of nearly $6 billion [1].

XRP, with institutional partnerships and inclusion in U.S. strategic crypto reserves, has gained roughly 47-50% YTD. Its strong performance is attributed to regulatory and institutional endorsements [1][3][4].

TRON (TRX), known for its growing ecosystem, has seen a YTD rise near 32-41%, benefiting from smart contract and dApp developments [1][4].

Bitcoin Cash (BCH), with development in payment solutions, has shown around 30-36% YTD performance, maintaining its relevance in the market [1][4].

Ethereum (ETH), dominating smart contracts and DeFi, has YTD gains in the 13-36% range. Upgrades like EIP-4844 have improved gas fees and transaction speeds, bolstering its growth potential [2][4][5].

BNB, Binance’s native token, shows solid performance around 15-19% YTD [1][4].

Solana (SOL), regaining momentum with ecosystem growth in GameFi, NFTs, and DeFi, is notable for its scalability and high speed, making it a strong altcoin pick in August 2025 [2][3][5].

Other cryptocurrencies gaining interest for investment in 2025 include Chainlink (LINK) and Avalanche (AVAX), noted for their roles in oracles and institutional DeFi, respectively, though they have less prominent YTD numbers in the available data [2].

Apart from these, there are other notable cryptocurrencies. Toncoin (TON), the native token for The Open Network, has been picked up by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's brother, Dr. Nikoli Durov, after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges against it [6].

TRON's native token, TRX, is used to pay for on-chain transactions and as a payment method on exchanges [7]. As of August 12, 2025, TRX had a value of $0.34 and a market cap of $33.08 billion [8].

Cardano (ADA), an "Ouroboros proof-of-stake" cryptocurrency, aims to be the world's financial operating system by establishing DeFi products similar to Ethereum's [9]. As of August 12, 2025, one ADA traded for around $0.83, and Cardano had the tenth-largest market capitalization at $29.71 billion [10].

XRP, the native token for the XRP Ledger, was created by Ripple in 2012 as a payment system. As of August 12, 2025, XRP had a market cap of about $193.03 billion and traded at $3.25 [11].

Dogecoin (DOGE), another memecoin, is accepted as a form of payment by some major companies. As of August 12, 2025, Dogecoin's market capitalization was $35.3 billion, and one DOGE was valued at around $0.23 [12].

Shiba Inu (SHIB), a memecoin inspired by Dogecoin, rose to prominence in the fall of 2021, briefly surpassing Dogecoin's market capitalization [13].

TRON was launched in 2017 by the TRON Foundation to provide digital content makers full ownership rights through tokenization and dApps [14]. Its consensus mechanism is a tweaked version of Ethereum's proof-of-stake called designated proof-of-stake (DPoS) [15].

The XRP Ledger uses the XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol for consensus and validation, which doesn't rely on proof-of-work or proof-of-stake [16].

These cryptocurrencies represent a diverse and dynamic landscape, offering a range of opportunities for investors and users alike. As always, it's essential to conduct thorough research and consider professional advice before making any investment decisions.

[1] CoinMarketCap. (2025). Cryptocurrency Market Cap Rankings. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[2] CoinDesk. (2025). Cryptocurrency Price Index. [online] Available at: https://www.coindesk.com/price/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[3] Ripple. (2025). XRP News. [online] Available at: https://ripple.com/news/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[4] Binance. (2025). Cryptocurrency Prices. [online] Available at: https://www.binance.com/en/prices [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[5] Solana. (2025). Solana Price. [online] Available at: https://www.solana.com/price [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[6] Decrypt. (2025). Telegram's Nikolai Durov Takes Over Toncoin Amid SEC Crackdown. [online] Available at: https://decrypt.co/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[7] Tron Foundation. (2025). TRON. [online] Available at: https://tron.network/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[8] CoinMarketCap. (2025). TRON Price. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/tron/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[9] Cardano. (2025). About Cardano. [online] Available at: https://cardano.org/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[10] CoinMarketCap. (2025). Cardano Price. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/cardano/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[11] CoinMarketCap. (2025). XRP Price. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ripple/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[12] CoinMarketCap. (2025). Dogecoin Price. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/dogecoin/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[13] CoinMarketCap. (2025). Shiba Inu Price. [online] Available at: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/shiba-inu/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[14] Tron Foundation. (2025). About TRON. [online] Available at: https://tron.network/about [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[15] Tron Foundation. (2025). Consensus Mechanism. [online] Available at: https://tron.network/consensus [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

[16] Ripple. (2025). XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol. [online] Available at: https://ripple.com/insights/unleashing-the-power-of-the-xrp-ledger-consensus-protocol/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2025].

1. In the ever-evolving landscape of cryptocurrencies, Hyperliquid (HYPE) stands out with impressive YTD returns of approximately 82-91%, gaining attention for its advanced transaction capabilities.
2. Monero (XMR), focusing on privacy and anonymity, has also shown impressive growth, with a YTD gain of around 64% and a market cap of nearly $6 billion.
3. XRP, supported by institutional partnerships and regulatory endorsements, has gained roughly 47-50% YTD, making it a significant player in the market.
4. TRON (TRX), known for its smart contract and dApp developments, has seen a YTD rise near 32-41%, benefiting from its growing ecosystem.
5. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has demonstrated about 30-36% YTD performance, maintaining its relevance in the market through development in payment solutions.
6. Ethereum (ETH), dominant in smart contracts and DeFi, has YTD gains in the 13-36% range, and upgrades like EIP-4844 have bolstered its growth potential.
7. Binance’s native token, BNB, shows solid YTD performance around 15-19%.
8. Solana (SOL) is notable for its scalability and high speed, with ecosystem growth in GameFi, NFTs, and DeFi making it a strong altcoin pick in August 2025.
9. Chainlink (LINK) and Avalanche (AVAX) have gained interest for investment in 2025 due to their roles in oracles and institutional DeFi, respectively, despite less prominent YTD numbers.
10. Toncoin (TON) has been picked up by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's brother, Dr. Nikoli Durov, after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges against it.
11. TRON's native token, TRX, is used to pay for on-chain transactions and as a payment method on exchanges, with a value of $0.34 and a market cap of $33.08 billion as of August 12, 2025.
12. Cardano (ADA), an "Ouroboros proof-of-stake" cryptocurrency, aims to be the world's financial operating system by establishing DeFi products, boasting a market capitalization of $29.71 billion and trading at around $0.83 as of August 12, 2025.

Read also: