Best Crypto to Buy Now in May 2025 – Top Crypto to Invest In
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Our rankings of the best cryptocurrencies to buy now are based on a clear, data-driven method. We apply a proprietary scoring system and use Z-scores to level the playing field—so we’re comparing each crypto fairly, regardless of market cap, liquidity, or age.
Right now, the top picks are Bitcoin, Solana, XRP, Ethereum, Cardano, Dogecoin, and BNB. Bitcoin leads the list. Its price is up +18.45% in the past month, and strong ETF inflows suggest further gains by year-end. Solana has jumped +23.34% this month, driven by growing DeFi use. XRP remains steady, but institutional activity hints at a long-term upside.
Now is an opportune moment to invest in crypto, with the reversal of many of Trump’s tariffs restoring confidence across the markets.
Top Crypto to Buy Right Now
Crypto
Symbol & 24H Change
Year-on-Year Return
Current Price
Market Cap
Bitcoin
BTC +0.49%+59.38%
$110,937.00
$2.20T
Solana
SOL +3.38%+4.95%
$186.12
$96.81B
XRP
XRP +0.12%+362.29%
$2.44
$143.22B
Ethereum
ETH -0.09%-29.60%
$2,666.46
$321.91B
Cardano
ADA +2.08%+68.59%
$0.81
$28.88B
BNB
BNB +0.31%+11.38%
$684.33
$100.99B
Dogecoin
DOGE +1.11%+47.22%
$0.24
$36.62B
ℹ️ The cryptocurrency data in this table was last updated on May 23, 2025. The remaining data is updated weekly.
Best Cryptocurrencies to Invest in Today
We’ll start our in-depth reviews of the best cryptocurrencies to buy now with large-cap crypto coins that could provide the most reliable returns in the long-term. For this section, each factor in our ranking methodology was weighted, reflecting its importance in predicting success and reliability. This ensures that the crypto assets with the strongest performance across all metrics make the top of the list.
1. Bitcoin (BTC) — The Original Cryptocurrency, Known as “Digital Gold”
Bitcoin is the world’s oldest cryptocurrency and the largest by market cap by a wide margin. It’s the only cryptocurrency that’s officially recognized by many major governments, including the U.S. — it’s even used as legal tender in countries like El Salvador.
Its miner network, valued at over $400 billion, has operated flawlessly for over 15 years. It’s classified as a commodity by both the SEC and CFTC, held in sovereign reserves, and soon, part of the U.S. Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve.
Key Highlights:
- Bitcoin price as of May 23, 2025: $110,937.00
- Market cap: $2.20T
- All-time high: $111,978.00
- 24-hour price change:
BTC +0.49% - Bitcoin’s price has increased in the last week with a change of +6.73%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +59.38%
2. Ethereum (ETH) — The First Blockchain for Smart Contracts and DApp Development
Ethereum is the world’s second-largest crypto by market capitalization and the most widely used blockchain network for dApp development. The project was the first to introduce smart contracts when it launched in 2015.
Ethereum transitioned from the PoW to PoS consensus mechanism in 2022. The first spot Ether ETFs were approved in 2024 and the Pectra upgrade was just went live on May 7th 2025, promising improvements to the overall efficiency of the network.
Key Highlights:
- Ethereum price as of May 23, 2025: $2,666.46
- Market cap: $321.91B
- All-time high: $4,867.17
- 24-hour price change: ETH -0.09%
- Ethereum price has increased in the last week with a change of +2.60%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: -29.60%
3. XRP (XRP) — Network for Fast, Low-Cost Cross-Border Transactions
XRP is Ripple’s cryptocurrency for fast, low-cost international payments. It ranks third by market cap, solidified by a 2023 SEC lawsuit win that ruled XRP not a security, increasing institutional trust.
Post-victory, Ripple expanded partnerships to over 300 banks and payment firms. While lacking major upgrades, XRP’s regulatory clarity and focus on cross-border finance remain a staple in crypto’s payment infrastructure.
Key Highlights:
- XRP price as of May 23, 2025: $2.44
- Market cap: $143.22B
- All-time high: $3.92
- 24-hour price change: XRP +0.12%
- XRP price has increased in the last week with a change of +1.10%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +362.29%
4. Solana (SOL) — High Speed, Low-Fee Ethereum Competitor
Solana is a high-speed, low-cost blockchain designed to rival Ethereum. Its hybrid proof-of-history and proof-of-stake system enables rapid transactions (50,000 TPS) at fractions of Ethereum’s fees, making it a top choice for developers.
Ranked 6th by market cap, Solana increased +4.95% in the last year. Recent upgrades like Firedancer aim to boost scalability, positioning SOL for long-term growth as Web3 and DeFi adoption expands.
Key Highlights:
- Solana price as of May 23, 2025: $186.12
- Market cap: $96.81B
- All-time high: $295.40
- 24-hour price change: SOL +3.38%
- Solana price has increased in the last week with a change of +8.01%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +4.95%
5. Cardano (ADA) – Research-Driven, Sustainable Blockchain Platform
Cardano is a third-generation blockchain prioritizing peer-reviewed research, interoperability, and sustainability. Ouroboros’s proof-of-stake (PoS) system uses 99% less energy than Bitcoin’s proof-of-work, enabling eco-friendly decentralized applications.
Ranked among the top cryptos, Cardano supports smart contracts and cross-chain compatibility. Its methodical upgrades and focus on real-world use, such as voting systems, position ADA for scalable, long-term blockchain solutions.
Key Highlights:
- Cardano price as of May 23, 2025: $0.81
- Market cap: $28.88B
- All-time high: $3.10
- 24-hour price change: ADA +2.08%
- Cardano price has increased in the last week with a change of +4.69%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +68.59%
6. Dogecoin (DOGE) – The Original Community-Driven Meme Coin
Dogecoin, launched in 2013, is the original meme cryptocurrency. Initially a joke, it surged in 2020-21 after endorsements by Elon Musk and others, becoming a top 10 crypto by market cap despite lacking utility.
Dogecoin’s 2021 bull run (up 15,000%) inspired thousands of meme coins like Shiba Inu and Pepe. While volatile, DOGE remains a cultural icon, demonstrating meme coins’ power to drive speculative crypto markets.
Key Highlights:
- Dogecoin price as of May 23, 2025: $0.24
- Market cap: $36.62B
- All-time high: $0.73
- 24-hour price change: DOGE +1.11%
- DOGE price has increased in the last week with a change of +8.46%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +47.22%
7. Binance Coin (BNB) — Binance Ecosystem Utility Token
BNB is Binance‘s native token, powering the world’s largest crypto exchange. It offers 25% trading fee discounts, priority access to token launches, and fuels the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) for fast, low-cost decentralized applications.
Ranked among best utility tokens, BNB’s ecosystem spans DeFi, NFTs, and governance. Its periodic token burns reduce supply, boosting scarcity. Traders and developers rely on BNB for its versatility and Binance’s global infrastructure.
Key Highlights:
- BNB price as of May 23, 2025: $684.33
- Market cap: $100.99B
- All-time high: $792.40
- 24-hour price change: BNB +0.31%
- BNB price has increased in the last week with a change of +4.13%
- Year-over-year (YoY) return: +11.38%
Weekly Crypto Market Overview
Bitcoin has reclaimed $100,000 and is now clustering near $104,000 after a $105,525 spike. Sustained ETF inflows above $5B, plus Strive’s pending $1B BTC buy, squeeze supply. Basis doubled week-over-week, yet leverage remains below 2024 highs, leaving upside toward $110,000.
Ethereum surged 32% in two days following its Pectra upgrade, introducing smart accounts and scaling improvements. The ETH/BTC ratio rebounded, signaling renewed investor confidence. Funding rates remain moderate, suggesting further upside potential if market sentiment stays bullish. Analysts are soon watching for a possible retest of the $3,000–$3,500 range.
Altcoins saw renewed interest as capital rotated out of Bitcoin:
- Solana led inflows, while Arbitrum and Dogecoin posted significant gains.
- Polygon outpaced Ethereum in USDC activity for a second month, showing strong adoption.
- Layer 2 and meme coins continue to dominate trading volumes across major exchanges.
- Tokenization efforts gained momentum with 21Shares launching a CRO ETP on Euronext and Superstate expanding tokenized equities on Solana.
- Stripe’s stablecoin accounts for businesses in 101 countries further illustrate the accelerating shift toward blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
These developments point to growing institutional confidence in crypto-native financial products.
Looking ahead, critical events to monitor include US CPI data, China’s inflation report, and Geneva tariff negotiations. Central banks like Banxico and Riksbank may adjust policy stances, impacting global risk sentiment. Derivatives markets remain stable, but macro surprises could trigger volatility across crypto assets, particularly in leveraged positions.
What Makes a Crypto Worth Buying?
To determine what makes crypto worth buying, you need a data-driven, fundamentals-first approach. Whether investing short-term or building a long-term portfolio, evaluating each project using a clear set of criteria is critical.
Below, we break down the essential factors that separate promising cryptos from risky speculation so you can make smarter, more confident decisions.
1. It Has Long-Term Potential
When evaluating cryptos, start with long-term potential. For example, Bitcoin remains the leading store of value, while Ethereum dominates smart contract infrastructure — both are core holdings for serious investors.
Other major players show similar promise. XRP, for example, has partnered with over 2,500 financial institutions to support cross-border payments and could play a key role as a global bridge currency. Institutional and corporate adoption is also accelerating. From finance to gaming, brands are investing heavily in Web3.
2. It Has Real-World Utility
Cryptocurrency projects offering high utility, i.e., utility tokens, will likely be more sustainable in the long run since you can use the tokens within the ecosystem. This ensures long-term value and resilience and mitigates volatility.
To assess project utility:
- Evaluate adoption metrics, ecosystem growth, and developer activity.
- Ask yourself: Does the project solve a real problem or create efficiencies?
- Assess partnerships, integration potential, and tokenomics.
- Analyze the team’s expertise and transparency.
- Avoid projects with vague promises or speculative hype.
- Compare projects to understand trade-offs (e.g., Solana’s speed vs. Ethereum’s ecosystem dominance).
In essence, you should focus on projects solving real problems backed by strong fundamentals and adoption. This approach minimizes risk and increases the chances of long-term returns.
3. Its Market Cap Aligns With Your Goals and Risk Profile
Market capitalization reflects a cryptocurrency’s value and helps you gauge risk and growth potential:
You should also assess market cap in relation to utility, circulating supply, and adoption. High market caps without real-world use cases could signal speculative bubbles.
Lastly, compare fully diluted valuations (FDV) to understand token supply inflation risks. This way, you can use the market cap to filter projects matching your risk tolerance and investment horizon.
4. The Project Is Unique and Stands Out
Always check how much competition a crypto project has. With over 14.9M tokens being tracked on CoinMarketCap and more launching daily, standing out is tough.
Take Ethereum. It’s the smart contract leader but faces constant pressure from “Ethereum Killers” like Cardano, which offers lower fees and faster speeds but hasn’t achieved the same adoption.
The same applies to meme coins. Many “Doge Killers” claim they’ll surpass Dogecoin, but few bring anything original. When one meme coin gains traction, dozens of clones usually follow.
Another good example is the DePIN sector. Render Network gained traction by solving a real problem — decentralized GPU rendering. But RenderX tried to ride the wave without offering any real innovation and quickly faded.
The bottom line? Always assess whether a project brings something new or just mimics what’s already working.
5. It Fits Current Crypto Trends and Narratives
Trends should not be discounted when deciding which crypto to buy today. Investing in trending cryptos, sectors, or narratives could be hugely beneficial if the timing is good, or disastrous if the trend is no longer popular.
If you spotted these trends early, you could have positioned yourself for massive returns. According to Messari’s 2025 Crypto Theses report, RWA, AI, and DePIN projects will likely dominate in 2025.
These sectors could produce the next wave of breakout projects, making them key areas to watch. Ensure you cash out before trends die.
6. Its Tokenomics and Incentives Are Sustainable
A crypto project’s tokenomics can make or break its long-term viability. You want to know precisely how the token is used, who benefits from holding it, and whether the supply and reward structures are built for growth or just hype.
Sustainable tokenomics reward long-term holders, fuel ecosystem growth, and help prevent death spirals when hype fades. If the incentives aren’t carefully designed, the project’s value may erode, regardless of how promising it looks on paper.
7. It Prioritizes Transparency and Regulatory Compliance
No matter how innovative a project is, it’s a red flag if it operates in the dark or skirts regulations.
While many crypto tokens operate in gray areas of legal law, some actively work to align with local laws, which reduces the risk of sudden delistings or enforcement actions.
Ask yourself:
- Is the team publicly known and accountable?
- Are the developers active in the community?
- Are smart contracts audited and results published?
- Does the project comply with KYC/AML standards (if relevant)?
- Does the project regularly publish updates, audits, or financial reports?
- Is there a legal entity or jurisdiction behind the token?
Projects prioritizing compliance and openness in a maturing market are more likely to survive and scale, making them safer long-term investments.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy Cryptocurrency?
The cost of buying cryptocurrency depends on a few key factors:
- The coin’s market price
- Transaction fees
- Platform spreads
First, each cryptocurrency has a real-time market price. For example, Bitcoin is trading at $110,937.00 and Ethereum at $2,666.46.
But that’s just the starting point. Most exchanges charge fees. Centralized ones like Coinbase, Binance, and MEXC charge anywhere from 0 to 1% as maker and taker spot trading fees. There’s also the spread (the difference between buy and sell prices), which subtly increases your cost.
Some platforms like Robinhood offer “zero commission” trades, but often bake the cost into unfavorable spreads. On decentralized exchanges (DEXs), like Uniswap, you’ll pay a gas fee instead, usually $1–$50+ for Ethereum, depending on network congestion.
So, buying $1,000 of crypto could cost anywhere from $1 to $50+ in fees, depending on how and where you buy. Advanced users sometimes batch transactions or use Layer 2s like Arbitrum to cut costs significantly.
Methodology: How We Rated the Best Cryptos to Buy
To curate this list of the best cryptos to buy, our crypto analysts collectively dedicated over 300 hours to research. They evaluated factors like historical performance, long-term potential for growth, current price, utility, and security. Here’s how we researched and weighted each criterion. For more information, please read our full research methodology.
Market Performance (25%)
- We assessed the crypto’s price movement over the past week to 12 months, considering both short-term and long-term trends.
- We examined the cryptocurrency’s overall market value, which reflects its position and significance in the market.
Utility and Use Cases (20%)
- We examined how cryptocurrency is used in real-world scenarios, considering whether it has unique features or applications that set it apart.
- We evaluated the underlying technology and recent innovations contributing to the cryptocurrency’s utility.
Community and Adoption (15%)
- We analyzed the activity level on social media, forums, and community platforms, as a colorful and engaged community often indicates strong support.
- Since higher adoption rates suggest a broader ecosystem, we examined how widely merchants, businesses, and other users accept cryptocurrency.
Development Team (15%)
- We investigated the development team’s track record and reputation. We don’t want to put down newcomers’ crypto projects, but experience and success in previous projects enhance credibility.
- We assessed how transparent the team is in sharing project updates, development progress, and any challenges faced. The more the community knows about what’s happening, the more confident they can feel about their crypto purchase.
Security (15%)
- We evaluated the security features of the underlying blockchain technology, considering factors like consensus mechanism and resistance to attacks.
- We researched historical security incidents or vulnerabilities and analyzed how well the team handled and mitigated them.
Regulatory Compliance (5%)
- We checked whether the cryptocurrency complies with legal and regulatory frameworks in its operating regions, a crucial factor for long-term sustainability.
Roadmap and Future Plans (5%)
- A clear and well-defined roadmap can instill confidence in investors, so we also reviewed the crypto’s plans, upcoming updates, and milestones outlined in its development roadmap.
The scores provided a comprehensive view of the cryptocurrency’s strength and potential. They allowed us to assign a rating to each crypto recommended on this page.
Conclusion
As the crypto market evolves, opportunities for growth and investment remain abundant. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other top cryptos provide stability and long-term potential, while emerging projects offer higher-risk, higher-reward opportunities.
However, crypto investments carry risks, including volatility, regulatory changes, and market sentiment shifts. Always conduct thorough research, diversify your portfolio, and invest responsibly. Stay informed and assess each project carefully to make sound financial decisions.
👉 Don’t Miss: New Crypto Coins to Invest in May 2025
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References
- Reuters: Bitcoin turns lower as optimism fades on Trump’s crypto reserve plan
- Wikipedia: Crypto Strategic Reserve
- Reuters: Ripple Labs says US SEC ends appeal over crypto oversight
- Cryptonews.net: XRP Transactions Skyrocket to 2 Million
- Beaconcha.in: Network Charts — Staked ETH
- Messari: The Crypto Theses 2025
- Statista: Bitcoin Market Dominance
- The Block: Ethereum ETFs
- The Crypto Times: Strive Merges with Asset Entities, Raises $1B to Buy Bitcoin
- DLNews: Ether shakes off torpor and explodes 32% in two days amid Pectra upgrade
- Cointelegraph: 21Shares launches ETP for Crypto.com’s Cronos token
- CoinDesk: Superstate Expands Into Tokenized Equities; SOL Strategies to Be First Listing
- Stripe: Stripe accelerates the utility of AI and stablecoins with major launches
- Cointelegraph: Strategy added 15,355 Bitcoin for $1.42B as price surged above $90K
- Blockonomi: Amazon Shareholders Propose 5% Bitcoin Treasury Investment
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