Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, and still the biggest by market cap, but with slowing transaction speeds, and high energy usage, some newer cryptocurrencies offered technical breakthroughs that could challenge its position as the market leader. Let's take a look at some of the contenders.
Litecoin was designed to be the silver as compared to bitcoin as gold, with a maximum supply of 4 times that of its rival. This means that its price is likely to remain lower than bitcoins, but litecoin also offers faster transaction speeds. If this proves critical in the future, we could see it catch up.
Ether is the cryptocurrency that drives the etherium network, enabling users to create their own decentralized software applications and smart contracts, with limitless future uses going far beyond payments. Some believe ether has the greatest long-term potential of any cryptocurrency.
Ripple too is part of a wider system, RippleNet, which allows the user to transfer funds using any currency, and acts as a rival to existing systems like swift. The network has proved popular with mainstream banks causing the price of ripple to rise in recent years. However, while cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are truly decentralized, ripple's parent company appears to maintain some control over the network, leading some to question its independence.