Top altcoins of 2025: who can surpass Bitcoin?

In July 2025, Bitcoin reached a new all-time high (ATH), surpassing $120,000. Since the beginning of the year, Bitcoin's price has risen by more than 25%, and since October 2024, it has approximately doubled.

At the same time, Bitcoin's dominance level hit 64.5% earlier this month — the highest since 2021. Historically, a high BTC dominance often signals an imminent altcoin season (a period when other cryptocurrencies outperform Bitcoin in price growth).

Some experts believe the next altcoin season could begin as early as summer or fall 2025.

Most promising altcoins in 2025

According to data from CoinMarketCap, an altcoin season is considered to have begun when at least 75% of the top 100 altcoins outperform Bitcoin in returns over the last 90 days.

Experts also suggest that one signal of an upcoming altcoin season in 2025 would be Bitcoin's dominance dropping below 54% relative to the total crypto market capitalization.

1. Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum remains a market leader and one of the most promising altcoins in 2025. As of July 2025, Ethereum's market capitalization is nearly $360 billion — about double that of the next-largest stablecoin, Tether (USDT).

Ethereum accounts for approximately 9.8% of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization. Since April 2025, this figure has increased by 38%. Yet, Ethereum doesn't even rank in the top 10 blockchains by daily active users (around 380,000).

A significant reason for this relatively low activity is the rising adoption of Layer-2 networks (L2), which offer lower fees and faster transactions.

Ethereum is also experiencing growing supply scarcity. According to Dune Analytics, in July 2025, 29% of the total ETH supply is staked — a record high.

The launch of spot Ethereum ETFs points to growing institutional interest in the leading altcoin. As of July 2025, ETH ETFs have a total market capitalization of $13.27 billion, with a record net inflow of 138,400 ETH (approximately $412 million) recorded this month.

Experts believe Ethereum could outpace Bitcoin in growth due to its technological flexibility and widespread adoption in DeFi and NFT markets. Protocol upgrades, such as the recently released Pectra and the upcoming Fusaka, may further strengthen Ethereum's competitiveness, especially against rising stars like Solana and BNB Chain.

Analysts at Venture Founder estimate Ethereum's price could surpass $7,000 in 2025. However, not all analysts agree — InvestingHaven forecasts a maximum of around $5,200 for ETH this year.

2. Solana (SOL)

Since July 2023, Solana's price has surged over 6x — from $26 to $159. Its all-time high was recorded in January 2025 at $294.

Solana's rapid rise is primarily attributed to the explosive growth of its decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. According to DeFi Llama (July 2025), Solana ranks second in total value locked (TVL) in DeFi, with $9.16 billion.

The meme coin boom and platforms like Pump.fun also fueled massive user inflows into Solana's ecosystem. As a result, Solana's market cap reached $85 billion, placing it 6th in CoinMarketCap's rankings.

Solana has approximately 3 million daily users, making it the second-largest blockchain by this metric and nearly eight times ahead of Ethereum.

Investing.Having analysts believe Solana could potentially reach a high of $590 in 2025. Meanwhile, The Motley Fool suggests that under favorable conditions, SOL could triple in value over the next three years.

The approval of a Solana ETF could be another major catalyst, attracting institutional capital.

VanEck analysts earlier predicted that Solana could enter the top 3 cryptocurrencies by market cap as early as 2025.

3. XRP

XRP is widely used for international payments and, compared to ETH and SOL, offers greater regulatory clarity. Over 70 financial institutions already use XRP for cross-border transactions.

Veteran analyst Peter Brandt believes XRP could rise 60% in the coming months to ~$4.5, reaching a new ATH. Some forecasts even predict XRP could handle up to 20% of SWIFT's total transaction volume. If that happens, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) could process up to $150 trillion annually.

As of July 2025, XRP ranks among the top 3 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, now exceeding $168 billion. The token has grown more than 37% year-to-date, already outpacing Bitcoin's growth. However, XRP still trades about 25% below its ATH.

InvestingHaven analysts believe XRP could hit $5.25 in 2025 if an XRP ETF is approved.

Other altcoins with growth potential

While ETH, SOL, and XRP are the front-runners for 2025, they're not alone.

Dogecoin (DOGE) — the leading meme coin — remains in the top 10 by market cap. Bloomberg analysts estimate a 75% chance that a DOGE ETF will be approved by the end of 2025. If so, DOGE could reach $0.45.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) — a new token from a high-performance protocol — also shows strong potential. It has already overtaken major altcoins like SUI, LINK, and Avalanche in market cap. Experts predict that HYPE could rise to $36–$ 50 if the trend continues.