From my original Quora post
https://qr.ae/TUyPPwBitcoin (BTC)The grandfather of cryptocurrencies, this is the coin you want to get the most of. Bitcoin is the flagship of cryptocurrencies. Yes, it was built over 10 years ago and the technology is showing its age. However, with technologies like the Lightning Network, for trading and speed, and RSK for smart contracts, a lot of these issues will go away.
Ripple (XRP)Designed as a centralized transaction network to be used by banks for money transfers in much the same way as, SWIFT. Ripple is designed to be faster, more reliable and less volatile than other cryptocurrencies.
Ethereum (ETH)A decentralized app provider - originally developed as a world computer. The goal was to get rid of the need for third-party companies like Apple to create apps. Apps developed on Ethereum are on a distributed public platform where miners can earn ETH to fuel the network.
Stellar (XLM)Launched by Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb in 2014, like Ripple, it is a transaction network for fast and efficient cross-border money transfers.
Litecoin (LTC)Bitcoin’s little brother, litecoin resembles its older sibling in that it is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, but faster transaction speeds. However, its mining process is more memory-intensive and its market cap is around 1/20th of the size of bitcoin.
EOS (EOS)Created by cryptocurrency pioneer Dan Larimer. EOS is designed after ethereum, offering a platform on which developers can build decentralized applications. EOS offers a proof-of-stake mechanism which it hopes to be able to offer scalability beyond its competitors. EOS includes a complex system of rules to govern it, the network will ultimately be more democratic and decentralized than those of other cryptocurrencies.
Cardano (ADA)Created by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hopkinson in 2015, it is the first peer-blockchain powered by scientists and academics. With the goal to run decentralized apps on the blockchain.
Dash (DASH)Originally known as darkcoin, is a secretive version of bitcoin. Working on a mastercode network that makes transactions almost untraceable. In March 2015, ‘Darkcoin’ was rebranded to dash, which stands for “digital cash”. The rebranding didn't change the functionality of any of its technological features including DarkSend and InstantX.
Neo (NEO)Originally called AntShares, the coin was later rebranded by creator Da Hongfei. It is the largest cryptocurrency which has emerged from China and is sometimes referred to a “Chinese Ethereum” because of its similar use of smart contracts. NEO’s success has been its support of programming in many existing languages, including Go, Java, C++, and others.
Nuls (NULS)A blockchain 3.0 project, competing against platforms like ETH, EOS and NEO. It’s a modular, consensus based system that uses a unique ‘proof of credit’ staking system. Basically the nodes receive their own credit rating based on the credibility and consistency of their contribution to the network. It wouldn’t be surprising to see multiple industry partnerships based on its blockchain tech, especially since they’re based in Singapore, one of the financial capitals of Asia.
Divi (Divi)Have you ever wanted crypto to be easy to use? The team believes that crypto needs good UX to make it to the next stage. Divi is creating a Smart Wallet that’s easy to use but also has more powerful features than a bank. Their new blockchain allows them to humanize financial experiences by hiding the “crypto” underneath a sweet user experience. The Smart Wallet removes all the pain points that currently prevent most people from getting excited about cryptocurrencies.
Sonm (SNM)Standing for Supercomputer Organized by Network Mining. It’s a network capable of selling computing power in a decentralized, secure manner. By giving up unused computing power, sellers can earn SONM tokens by joining its peer-to-peer fog computing network. It supports the most programming languages, and aims to take on a wider range of development applications.n a wider range of development applications.
