Altcoins, short for "alternative coins," refer to all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. They are developed to improve upon or offer alternatives to Bitcoin's limitations. ### **Characteristics** - **Varied Utility**: Altcoins often serve specific purposes, such as improving transaction speed, enhancing privacy, or enabling smart contracts. They can represent various blockchain projects, platforms, or solutions. - **Diverse Market**: Their value typically depends on the technology, utility, and market adoption. - **Examples**: [[Ethereum (ETH)]], [[Solana (SOL)]]. ### **Key Differences** to [[🔎 Memecoins]] 1. **Purpose**: - Memecoins: Primarily for fun, driven by internet culture. - Altcoins: Developed with specific technological purposes or improvements over Bitcoin. 2. **Community and Support**: - Memecoins: Thrive on community-driven hype and social media. - Altcoins: Supported by communities focused on the technology, utility, and future development. 3. **Market Dynamics**: - Memecoins: Prone to rapid, speculative price movements based on trends. - Altcoins: Value often tied to the success and adoption of the underlying technology or use case.