6 Best Cryptos for Beginners in 2026

If you’re a newcomer to crypto, it’s common to feel like you don’t know where exactly to start but to still want to make something happen fast. This can often lead to brash decisions driven by a fear of missing out, which can result in losses and resentment toward crypto.

In this article, we are going to offer our top 6 picks for the best cryptocurrencies a beginner should consider. We’re also going to examine some of the best crypto exchanges, apps, and wallets that should help you get started on your crypto journey.

What’s the best crypto to buy for beginners?

Bitcoin is arguably the best crypto to buy if you are a beginner. Other prominent options include Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Uniswap, and Dogecoin. Note that these cryptos were selected based on their longevity and standing in the market. In other words, we’ve prioritized cryptocurrencies that are likely to be here over the long haul over cryptos that might generate 100x returns or go bust.

1. Bitcoin – The oldest and biggest crypto

At this point, it’s nearly impossible not to know Bitcoin. The original cryptocurrency has grown from a cryptographic experiment to a 2 trillion-dollar asset that’s used by individuals, companies, and even governments.

If you’re a beginner or a long-standing member of the crypto investment community, owning Bitcoin is almost a given. It’s hard to imagine cryptocurrencies being around and Bitcoin not being a major part of them. Also, it seems unlikely that any cryptocurrency will manage to surpass Bitcoin’s first-mover advantage. So, if you are banking that cryptocurrencies are here to stay, investing in Bitcoin should be a no-brainer, as it’s one of the best cryptos to buy right now.

2. Ethereum – The leading smart contract platform

Behind Bitcoin, Ethereum is the most important cryptocurrency in the market. It not only has the second-largest market cap of all digital assets, but it also controls a dominating share of decentralized finance activity. At the moment, more than 55% of all value tied to decentralized apps and trading protocols is on the Ethereum blockchain.

Investing in Ethereum is essentially a bet on decentralized finance growing in importance and claiming market share from traditional institutions such as banks, brokers, and even insurance companies. Thanks to its robust smart contract capabilities, Ethereum is also the leading blockchain for real-world assets, which are blockchain-based digital tokens that represent physical and traditional financial assets (including stocks, real estate, bonds, and similar).

3. Solana – Efficient and highly scalable blockchain network

Solana is one of the fastest-growing blockchain networks in the industry, both in terms of price performance as well as in terms of user activity. Since its 2020 launch, Solana’s value has surged by nearly 22,000%, making it one of the best-performing digital assets in the time period.

Compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum, Solana is much more scalable and capable of processing up to 65,000 transactions per second. Meanwhile, Bitcoin can process just 7, and Ethereum about 30. This allows Solana to efficiently handle NFTs, gaming apps, and other dApps that require a great deal of transactional throughput and low-cost transactions.

4. XRP – Highly efficient digital currency

XRP is one of the most well-known cryptocurrencies in the market and has been around since 2012. It was designed with a clear use case in mind: enabling fast and affordable cross-border payments. Unlike many other crypto projects that focus on decentralized apps or smart contracts, XRP aims to improve how money moves between banks, payment providers, and financial institutions.

For beginners, XRP can be appealing because of its simplicity and efficiency. Transactions on the XRP Ledger typically settle in just a few seconds and cost a fraction of a cent, making it one of the fastest and cheapest networks for transferring value. XRP is often seen as a practical cryptocurrency rather than an experimental one, which can make it a more approachable option for newcomers who want exposure to crypto without diving deep into complex DeFi or NFT ecosystems.

5. Uniswap – The largest decentralized exchange

Uniswap embodies the basic premise of crypto – doing away with financial middlemen in exchange for smart contracts and trustless systems. Based on Ethereum, Uniswap is the largest decentralized trading protocol in the world, allowing anybody to trade crypto, provide liquidity, and do so without relying on an exchange or a bank to confirm and keep track of transactions.

An investment in Uniswap is similar in nature to investing in Ethereum. If you believe that decentralized financial systems will continue to grow in popularity, then it makes sense to invest in UNI, which is the native cryptocurrency of the Uniswap platform and allows holders to participate in governance decisions pertaining to which tokens and networks to support, among other things.

6. Dogecoin – The original memecoin

Dogecoin launched as a meme all the way back in 2013, and not even its founders ever envisioned it would gain any form of notoriety. However, more than a decade later, Dogecoin is bigger than ever, controlling the 9th largest market cap in the cryptocurrency market and being accepted as a form of payment by several notable merchants, including Tesla.

If you are fascinated by the meme coin frenzy that has taken the market by storm in the past couple of months, we suggest you get your feet wet by investing in Dogecoin. It has been around far longer than other meme coins, and it’s almost impossible to believe that it could crash all the way to zero at this point. However, this cannot be said of newer and smaller meme coins that have entered the market in recent months.

What is the best crypto exchange for beginners?

When it comes to selecting the best exchange to use as a beginner, you must first find out which exchanges are available in your jurisdiction. Broadly speaking, Binance is the best choice for international users, while Kraken is the best choice for users from the United States.

The best exchange for international users: Binance

Binance holds the title as the largest cryptocurrency exchange globally by trading volume and has the largest user base compared to all other exchanges. It provides a huge selection of cryptocurrencies for trading and has a very broad range of features catering to all types of users, from complete novices to the most advanced power users.

In addition, the exchange has an extremely competitive fee structure, with both maker and taker orders starting at a 0.10% base fee. You can reduce your trading fees even further by paying them with the BNB token or by generating more trading volume. Overall, it’s hard to dispute Binance’s status as one of the best crypto exchanges in the world.

Visit Binance

The best exchange for users from the US: Kraken

Launched in 2013, Kraken is one of the longest-standing exchanges in the crypto industry. The exchange has earned a reputation as one of the safest platforms for cryptocurrency trading. Combined with a relatively competitive fee structure and a solid selection of listed cryptos, Kraken is easy to recommend for beginners and advanced users alike.

The exchange offers multiple ways to fund your account and supports multiple fiat currencies, including USD, EUR, and GBP. You can deposit funds into your Kraken account from a bank account or use a credit card or digital wallet such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Visit Kraken

What is the best crypto wallet for beginners?

Arguably, the best crypto wallet for beginners is the Ledger Nano X, both for its robust build and simplicity of use. If you prefer a software wallet due to greater accessibility, then you can’t really go wrong with MetaMask.

The best hardware wallet: Ledger Nano X

Ledger Nano X natively supports over 500 cryptocurrencies and can be expanded to more than 5,500 cryptocurrencies with external services. Nano X, which can be connected to smartphones and PCs via Bluetooth and USB, supports Android and iOS operating systems on mobile devices and MacOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems on desktops.

One advantage of the Ledger Nano X is that it can integrate with Metamask and other Web3 hot wallets. This allows users to access DeFi platforms and blockchain dApps, leveraging the superior security of the Ledger Nano X. With a price tag of $149, the Ledger Nano X is slightly expensive compared to the market average. However, the Nano X’s robust security and Web3 integrations put it at the top of the list of best hardware wallets.

The best software wallet: MetaMask

MetaMask has a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for beginners to navigate. This reduces the learning curve associated with blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. As a browser extension available on popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Brave, it allows users to interact with dApps directly from the web browser. This integration simplifies the process of using blockchain-based services.

MetaMask primarily supports Ethereum and Ethereum-based tokens (ERC-20 and ERC-721), which is beneficial as Ethereum is one of the most widely used blockchain platforms with a vast ecosystem of dApps.

The bottom line

The cryptocurrencies listed in this article should provide a good starting point for investing in crypto. Most of them are long-term crypto investments, looking to prioritize stability over the potential for 10x or even 100x gains. However, if you are willing to take more risks with your investment strategy, you could consider investing in more volatile projects. For investment ideas, check our list of the best crypto presales and the list of the best altcoins to buy.