What is Altcoin

An altcoin is a term used in the crypto market to portray a coin or token other than bitcoin. Because bitcoin is the world's first cryptocurrency, coins that followed were called altcoins as an alternative offering to BTC.

Altcoins vary greatly from some cents to thousands of dollars. Some Altcoins serve more than just a medium of exchange and sometimes may be classified as "Utility Tokens" or "Security Tokens".

Altcoins share bitcoin-related investment risks. A lot of the small altcoins are also highly volatile. However, well-known bitcoin contenders are well-known altcoins such as Ether and XRP.

Investors interested in diversifying and taking on some risk should consider adding altcoins with solid fundamentals to their crypto portfolio.