BitcoinBTC
Flagship——24h
The first cryptocurrency: scarce digital money that no company or government controls.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Bitcoin guide at bitcoinunpacked.com →
Your crypto knowledge headquarters
The Chain Universe
Every major crypto project, explained in plain English and tracked live. Explore the map, compare projects side by side, and jump into our in-depth guides to Bitcoin, Zcash, Solana, Cardano and more.
- Total crypto market cap
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- 24h volume
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- Bitcoin dominance
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- Bitcoin
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- Ethereum
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The map
A universe of chains
Each bright, labelled world is one of our in-depth guides. Select one to travel there. The smaller stars are the other top projects we cover.
Labelled world: opens the full guide on its own siteSmall star: opens the project profile
The network
See all 16 sitesOur in-depth guides
One dedicated site per project, each a complete plain-English guide. Live prices here, the full story there.
ZcashZEC
——24h
Bitcoin-style money with optional privacy powered by zero-knowledge proofs.
PrivacyQuick profile
Read the full Zcash guide at whatiszcash.com →
MidnightNIGHT
——24h
A privacy-focused blockchain from the Cardano family, with selective disclosure built in.
PrivacyQuick profile
Read the full Midnight guide at whatismidnight.com →
CardanoADA
——24h
A research-driven proof-of-stake blockchain with on-chain governance.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Cardano guide at whatiscardano.com →
BittensorTAO
——24h
An open network that pays people in TAO for useful AI services.
Read the full Bittensor guide at whatisbittensor.com →MoneroXMR
——24h
Digital cash that is private by default for every transaction.
PrivacyQuick profile
Read the full Monero guide at whatismonero.com →
SolanaSOL
——24h
A high-speed blockchain built for cheap, near-instant transactions at scale.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Solana guide at whatissol.com →
TIBBIRTIBBIR
Community token. Not ranked or priced on this site.
A community token on Base that researchers link to Ribbit Capital. The name is 'Ribbit' spelled backwards.
Research guideAbout this guide
Read the full TIBBIR guide at whatistibbir.com →
SuiSUI
——24h
A fast layer 1 from former Meta engineers where every asset is its own object.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Sui guide at whatssui.com →
QuantQNT
——24h
Software that connects blockchains, banks and payment systems through one API.
Infrastructure / OraclesQuick profile
Read the full Quant guide at whatisquant.com →
GramGRAM
——24h
The coin of The Open Network (TON), the blockchain built into Telegram. Formerly Toncoin.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Gram guide at whatisgram.com →
NEAR ProtocolNEAR
——24h
A sharded layer 1 with AI roots that lets one account act across many chains.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full NEAR Protocol guide at whatisnearprotocol.com →
ChainlinkLINK
——24h
The oracle network that feeds real-world data to blockchains and links them together.
Infrastructure / OraclesQuick profile
Read the full Chainlink guide at whatislink.com →
EthenaENA
——24h
The protocol behind USDe, a synthetic dollar backed by hedged crypto positions.
DeFiQuick profile
Read the full Ethena guide at whatisethena.com →
CantonCC
——24h
A privacy-first network of ledgers built for banks and tokenised assets.
Institutional / RWAQuick profile
Read the full Canton guide at whatiscanton.com →
KaspaKAS
——24h
A proof-of-work network that produces ten blocks every second using a blockDAG.
Layer 1Quick profile
Read the full Kaspa guide at hellokaspa.com →
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My universe
Live
Top projects
The largest real crypto projects by market value. No memecoins. Select a column to sort, or filter by what a project does.
| Watch | Category | 7-day trend | Learn | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin BTC | Layer 1 | The first cryptocurrency: scarce digital money that no company or government controls. | ||||||||
| Zcash ZEC | Privacy | Bitcoin-style money with optional privacy powered by zero-knowledge proofs. | ||||||||
| Midnight NIGHT | Privacy | A privacy-focused blockchain from the Cardano family, with selective disclosure built in. | ||||||||
| Cardano ADA | Layer 1 | A research-driven proof-of-stake blockchain with on-chain governance. | ||||||||
| Bittensor TAO | AI | An open network that pays people in TAO for useful AI services. | ||||||||
| Monero XMR | Privacy | Digital cash that is private by default for every transaction. | ||||||||
| Solana SOL | Layer 1 | A high-speed blockchain built for cheap, near-instant transactions at scale. | ||||||||
| Sui SUI | Layer 1 | A fast layer 1 from former Meta engineers where every asset is its own object. | ||||||||
| Quant QNT | Infrastructure / Oracles | Software that connects blockchains, banks and payment systems through one API. | ||||||||
| Gram GRAM | Layer 1 | The coin of The Open Network (TON), the blockchain built into Telegram. Formerly Toncoin. | ||||||||
| NEAR Protocol NEAR | Layer 1 | A sharded layer 1 with AI roots that lets one account act across many chains. | ||||||||
| Chainlink LINK | Infrastructure / Oracles | The oracle network that feeds real-world data to blockchains and links them together. | ||||||||
| Ethena ENA | DeFi | The protocol behind USDe, a synthetic dollar backed by hedged crypto positions. | ||||||||
| Canton CC | Institutional / RWA | A privacy-first network of ledgers built for banks and tokenised assets. | ||||||||
| Kaspa KAS | Layer 1 | A proof-of-work network that produces ten blocks every second using a blockDAG. | ||||||||
| Ethereum ETH | Layer 1 | The original smart-contract platform and home of most DeFi and stablecoins. | ||||||||
| XRP XRP | Payments | A payments-focused coin that settles in seconds on the XRP Ledger. | ||||||||
| BNB BNB | Layer 1 | The coin of BNB Chain and the Binance exchange ecosystem. | ||||||||
| TRON TRX | Layer 1 | A low-fee blockchain best known as a major highway for USDT transfers. | ||||||||
| Hyperliquid HYPE | DeFi | A purpose-built blockchain running a fully on-chain derivatives exchange. | ||||||||
| Stellar XLM | Payments | An open payments network for moving money and tokenised assets across borders. | ||||||||
| Bitcoin Cash BCH | Payments | A 2017 split from Bitcoin that chose bigger blocks for cheaper everyday payments. | ||||||||
| Litecoin LTC | Payments | One of the oldest cryptocurrencies: a faster, lighter variant of Bitcoin. | ||||||||
| Avalanche AVAX | Layer 1 | A smart-contract platform that lets anyone launch a custom blockchain. | ||||||||
| Uniswap UNI | DeFi | The largest decentralised exchange, where trades run through pooled liquidity. | ||||||||
| Hedera HBAR | Layer 1 | An enterprise-focused public ledger governed by a council of large organisations. | ||||||||
| Aave AAVE | DeFi | The largest decentralised lending market: deposit to earn, or borrow against crypto. | ||||||||
| Ondo ONDO | Institutional / RWA | A leading issuer of tokenised US Treasuries and other real-world assets. | ||||||||
| Polkadot DOT | Layer 1 | A network that provides shared security for many specialised blockchains. | ||||||||
| Internet Computer ICP | Layer 1 | A blockchain that aims to host entire web apps, not just transactions. | ||||||||
| Sky SKY | DeFi | The protocol formerly known as MakerDAO, issuer of the DAI and USDS stablecoins. | ||||||||
| Morpho MORPHO | DeFi | A lending network where anyone can create isolated markets and curated vaults. | ||||||||
| Ethereum Classic ETC | Layer 1 | The original Ethereum chain that kept running after a 2016 split. | ||||||||
| Arbitrum ARB | Infrastructure / Oracles | A leading Ethereum layer 2 that makes transactions faster and cheaper. | ||||||||
| Jupiter JUP | DeFi | Solana's main trading hub, which finds the best price across exchanges. | ||||||||
| Algorand ALGO | Layer 1 | A proof-of-stake chain designed by a Turing Award-winning cryptographer. | ||||||||
| Polygon POL | Infrastructure / Oracles | A family of Ethereum scaling networks. POL replaced the MATIC token. | ||||||||
| Render RENDER | AI | A marketplace that rents out idle graphics cards for 3D rendering and AI. | ||||||||
| Cosmos Hub ATOM | Layer 1 | The hub of an 'internet of blockchains' linked by a shared messaging standard. | ||||||||
| Filecoin FIL | Infrastructure / Oracles | A decentralised storage network where providers are paid to keep files. | ||||||||
| Aptos APT | Layer 1 | A Move-language layer 1 from former Meta engineers, and a sibling of Sui. | ||||||||
| Injective INJ | DeFi | A layer 1 built specifically for trading and financial apps. | ||||||||
| Tether USDT | Stablecoins | The largest stablecoin: a dollar-pegged token used across almost every exchange. | ||||||||
| USDC USDC | Stablecoins | A regulated dollar stablecoin issued by Circle. | ||||||||
| USDS USDS | Stablecoins | The upgraded successor to DAI, issued by the Sky protocol. | ||||||||
| Ethena USDe USDe | Stablecoins | A synthetic dollar backed by crypto plus an offsetting futures position. | ||||||||
| Dai DAI | Stablecoins | The original decentralised stablecoin, created by MakerDAO. | ||||||||
| USD1 USD1 | Stablecoins | A dollar stablecoin from World Liberty Financial. | ||||||||
| PayPal USD PYUSD | Stablecoins | PayPal's dollar stablecoin, issued by Paxos. | ||||||||
| Ripple USD RLUSD | Stablecoins | Ripple's regulated dollar stablecoin on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. | ||||||||
Today
Pulse of the market
What is moving and what people are searching for. A description of today, never a prediction.
Movers of the day
Biggest 24-hour rises among projects we track
- Waiting for live data.
Biggest 24-hour falls
- Waiting for live data.
Trending now
Most searched on CoinGecko, memecoins removed
- Waiting for live data.
Market mood
Today's weather across the universe
—
StormyCalmBright
The mood reading appears once live prices load.
Start here
All lessonsLearning paths
Five guided routes through the universe. Tick steps off as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser.
New to crypto
Start from zero. What a blockchain is, how to hold coins safely, then the original.
- What is a blockchain?
- Wallets and keys
- How to stay safe
- Read the Bitcoin guide
- Take the 15-question quiz
0 of 5 done
Privacy coins
Three different answers to one question: who gets to see your money?
- Privacy tech explained
- Monero: private by default
- Zcash: optional shielding
- Midnight: selective disclosure
- Canton: privacy for banks
0 of 5 done
AI + crypto
Where blockchains and machine intelligence actually meet.
0 of 4 done
Wall Street on-chain
Tokenised assets, bank ledgers and the plumbing that connects them.
- Tokenised assets (RWA)
- ETFs explained
- Canton: the institutional network
- Quant: connecting banks and chains
- Chainlink: data and messaging
- Ethena: a synthetic dollar
0 of 6 done
Smart-contract platforms
The programmable chains competing to host the next generation of apps.
- Proof of work vs proof of stake
- Solana: speed on one chain
- Cardano: research first
- Sui: everything is an object
- NEAR: sharding and intents
- Gram: the Telegram chain
- Kaspa: proof of work, ten blocks a second
0 of 7 done
Fact of the day
Fact of the day
Bitcoin's first block was mined on 3 January 2009.
Speak the language
Open the full glossaryGlossary
101 crypto terms in plain English. Here are nine to get started.
- Seed phrase
- A list of 12 or 24 words that backs up a wallet. Anyone who has it controls the funds.
- Staking
- Locking up coins to help secure a proof-of-stake network in return for rewards.
- Stablecoin
- A token designed to hold a steady value, usually one US dollar.
- Oracle
- A service that delivers outside data, such as prices, to a blockchain.
- Zero-knowledge proof
- A way to prove a statement is true without revealing the underlying information.
- Layer 2
- A network built on top of a layer 1 to make transactions faster and cheaper, such as Arbitrum.
- Halving
- A scheduled cut of the block reward by half. Bitcoin's happens roughly every four years.
- Market cap
- Price multiplied by circulating supply. A rough measure of an asset's total value.
- RWA
- Real-world assets. Traditional assets such as bonds or funds represented as blockchain tokens.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is The Chain Universe?
The Chain Universe is an independent educational hub for the largest real crypto projects. It shows live prices from CoinGecko, explains each project in plain English, and links to a network of in-depth single-project guides.
Where do the prices come from?
All live figures come from the public CoinGecko API and refresh about every 75 seconds while the page is open. They may be delayed, and if CoinGecko is unreachable the site shows the last saved figures or a dash.
Why are there no memecoins here?
This site focuses on projects with a stated technical or financial purpose. Memecoins are left out of the tables, movers and trending list for now.
Is anything on this site financial advice?
No. Everything here is general education. Nothing is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold anything, and there are no price predictions.
How are the projects chosen?
The directory covers roughly the fifty largest non-meme projects by market value in October 2026, with stablecoins treated as their own category, plus every project that has a dedicated guide in our network.
What is 'My universe'?
Tap the star next to any project to add it to your personal watchlist. It is saved only in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and there is no account.
How often is the written information checked?
Facts were last checked in October 2026. Crypto changes quickly, so always confirm important details with the project's official site.
Are you affiliated with any of these projects?
No. The Chain Universe and the guides it links to are independent and are not affiliated with, endorsed by or paid by any project, foundation or exchange.