Altcoin
An altcoin is any cryptocurrency that isn't Bitcoin. The term covers Ethereum and all other layer-1 chains, tokens, and even joke coins — everything from s
An altcoin is any cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin. The term covers Ethereum and all other layer-1 chains, tokens, and even joke coins — everything from serious networks to outright scams.
Why it matters
“Altcoin” bundles a wildly diverse set: legitimate protocols with real products, speculative tokens, and rug-pull traps. Treating everything outside Bitcoin as equivalent is a rookie mistake — the difference between a real chain and a pump-and-dump is exactly what decentralized analysis is meant to expose.
Related terms
bitcoin · token ·
cryptocurrency