These are the top 25 of the 900+ crypto currencies and crypto-assets ranked by market cap. Many are worth even more if you include the total supply of coins they have authorized.
| Coin/Token | Market cap (current price times circulating supply, in millions)* | Year-to-Date Returns | Description |
| Bitcoin | $40,520 | 260% | Since only 21 million will ever be produced, the original cryptocurrency is the best store of value but still very volatile. |
| Ethereum | $26,720 | 3,825% | A blockchain for “smart contracts” (programs that will execute contractual terms automatically), Ethereum launched the token craze. |
| Ripple | $9,980 | 4,210% | Its XRP coin has soared. Wants to disrupt the slow, opaque and pricey world of international wire transfers. It already has 75 bank partners. |
| Litecoin | $2,080 | 980% | Litecoin has long marketed itself as digital silver to Bitcoin’s gold, in part because it’s less energy-intensive, with faster block times. |
| Ethereum Classic | $1,720 | 1,395% | This coin is from the original Ethereum blockchain, which was upgraded after a $50 million hack. |
| NEM | $1,430 | 4,320% | A cryptocurrency that is popular in Japan, where banks are testing an enterprise version. Many Western crypto enthusiasts have little idea what it is. |
| Dash | $1,330 | 1,690% | Originally called darkcoin, with an emphasis on privacy, Dash touts itself as digital cash, but its average transaction size is more than $10,000. |
| IOTA | $1,120 | -35% | Bitcoin and Ethereum may be too expensive and slow for Internet of Things micropayments. IOTA could someday be in demand by Fitbits everywhere. |
| Monero | $640 | 340% | Privacy coin that aims to be a base layer for other privacy apps, such as messaging. Accepted on Dark Web marketplace AlphaBay. |
| BitShares | $630 | 6,190% | One-stop supermarket for crypto financial services, founded by controversial crypto serial entrepreneur Dan Larimer. |
| Stratis | $620 | 8,705% | A blockchain-as-a-service geared toward Microsoft platform users and targeted at enterprise customers. |
| Zcash | $470 | 2,825% | This privacy coin has beaucoup buzz: AngelList’s Naval Ravikant is on the board of its foundation, and JPMorgan Chase is using its tech in its private blockchain. |
| AntShares | $440 | 6,135% | Early blockchain ICO that wants to be China’s version of Ethereum. Its fully diluted coin value is nearly $1 billion. |
| Golem | $400 | 6,030% | Global marketplace for idle computer power could be a boon for CGI artists, AI developers, DNA scientists and many more. |
| Steem | $390 | 990% | Crypto-Reddit of sorts. Rewards users who post and up-vote popular content. Has a dubious founding team and poor token distribution. |
| Siacoin | $390 | 7,295% | Taking on Amazon S3 with decentralized file storage that’s a tenth of the cost, faster and more reliable. |
| Gnosis | $360 | 415% | Prediction marketplace that could have applications in areas as wide-ranging as art auctions and insurance. |
| Waves | $350 | 1,410% | Insiders call it a cross between Ripple and a decentralized exchange. Fuels bubble trading by making it easy for members to create their own tradable tokens. |
| BitConnect | $350 | 42,910% | Cryptocurrency portal that aggressively solicits investments and promises suckers eye-popping returns as high as 120%. |
| Iconomi | $330 | 1,245% | Investment platform for cryptocurrencies. Its Digital Asset Arrays are basically crypto-ETFs. Two have already been launched, one for ICOs. |
| Bytecoin | $330 | 3,695% | Marketed as a private, untraceable cryptocurrency designed for enterprise clients by an anonymous team. Crypto insiders say steer clear. |
| Augur | $310 | 740% | Prediction market, founded by Joey Krug, who is now also head of Pantera Capital’s new ICO fund. Striving to become a decentralized financial system. |
| Dogecoin | $280 | 1,180% | Shiba Inu-meme-inspired community born out of a joke. It epitomizes the financial resources that can be marshaled by networks. |
| Lisk | $270 | 1,870% | Decentralized blockchain version of Apple and Google app ecosystems. In 2016, it was integrated into Microsoft Azure’s blockchain-as-a-service platform. |
| Stellar Lumens | $270 | 1,595% | Sister to Ripple’s XRP, which is targeting its services–remittance, mobile money–at the unbanked. Founder had been associated with troubled Mt. Gox. |