Altcoins
Altcoins, short for “alternative coins”, are all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
By Geoffrey Lyons
Published on Dec 20, 2024
Last modified on Feb 26, 2026
Altcoins, short for “alternative coins”, are all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin.
Sign up to our weekly MoonPay Minute newsletter
What gives Bitcoin the right?
The term may seem disparaging to non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies, like if shoes that weren’t Nike were called “altshoes” or phones that weren’t iPhones were called “altphones”, and for Bitcoin maximalists (those who strongly believe in Bitcoin's supremacy), it certainly can be: “altcoin” (sometimes “sh*tcoin”) is used to signify inferiority or irrelevance.
For most, however, “altcoin” is a neutral term that simply acknowledges Bitcoin’s special status in the market:
