Crypto has evolved into a leading investment opportunity in recent years, surpassing traditional investments such as gold and stocks in interest. Having said that, deciding what crypto to buy now among thousands of options can be overwhelming, especially given the market’s volatility.
If you are confused about what crypto to buy now, we are here to simplify things for you.
In this article, we will explain in simple words the top cryptocurrencies to consider buying now based on your risk tolerance and time horizon. We’ll also discuss securing your portfolio with reliable tools like the Tangem Cold Wallet and how to minimize your risks as a crypto investor.
How do you choose what crypto to buy now?
Before getting into the top-performing cryptocurrencies, you must understand the difference between the two main crypto buying strategies: trading and investing.
Trading has a short-term scope and involves buying and selling cryptocurrencies quickly to capitalize on price fluctuations. This strategy is quite stressful since it requires constant market monitoring and carries higher risk due to market volatility. Still, it has the potential for quick profits (and even quicker losses at times).
Investing is a long-term approach (often called “HODLing,” in crypto lingo) that involves buying and holding cryptocurrencies for an extended period, regardless of market volatility. This strategy is less risky and is often used for assets with strong long-term potential, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Holding requires patience and a strong belief in the asset’s future potential.
Effectiveness of investing vs trading
While day traders focus on short-term price movements (and usually lose money while doing so), long-term crypto investors adopt a more methodical approach, focusing on fundamental analysis.
Such analysis often accounts for factors such as:
- Risk-to-Reward Ratio: Potential upside exists relative to the downside risk
- Diminishing Returns: As market caps grow, the potential for explosive growth diminishes
- Historical Volatility: Projects with less violent price swings may offer more sustainable long-term growth
- Risk levels: The relative risk of an asset based on its historical price movements – elevated prices close to the all-time high (ATH) mean higher risk
While the most experienced fundamental investors utilize similar risk metrics and cyclical analysis to make informed investment decisions, those strategies can often overwhelm beginners.
If complexity were not enough of an issue, the reality is that the majority of active investors and fund managers have a success rate of only 30%- 40% compared to one tested, straightforward strategy: Dollar Cost Averaging.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA)
Instead of attempting to time market bottoms or tops or doing a PhD level fundamental analysis, the most prudent investing strategy for the average person is the good old DCA.
DCA is a very simple concept that follows these 5 steps:
- Determine your investment capital – Set aside an amount you can comfortably invest while maintaining an emergency fund covering at least 12 months of living expenses.
- Establish your investment timeframe – Define your investment horizon (typically 1-3 years or longer) based on your financial goals.
- Choose your investment frequency – Select regular intervals (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) for consistent investments regardless of market conditions.
- Calculate your periodic investment amount – Divide your total investment capital by the number of periods to determine how much to invest each time.
- Implement and automate – Set up recurring investments or calendar reminders, and maintain discipline by following your schedule regardless of market sentiment or price fluctuations.
This strategy removes emotional decision-making and averages your purchase price. It is particularly effective for volatile assets like cryptocurrencies.
DCA is best used with a diversified portfolio strategy. By diversified, we don’t just mean crypto but having a variety of assets such as gold, silver, real estate, bonds, cash funds, stocks, index funds, etc.
When allocating your crypto budget, it’s also wise to also diversify your coin purchases to a reasonable extent.
Diversifying your crypto portfolio by investing in a mix of established coins (mainly Bitcoin and Ethereum) and a few promising altcoins (like Solana and Cardano) can help mitigate risk and maximize returns. If you’re still unsure what to do here, we compiled a handy list of the top 8 crypto to buy now. (in our option, which is NOT financial advice).
Best 8 cryptocurrencies to buy now
Since it’s now clear that the best crypto investment approach is a ) keeping a diversified portfolio and b) DCAing, the next challenge is finding the best 8 cryptos that offer a good risk-to-reward profile.
We typically suggest allocating a crypto portfolio with 60%—80% invested in low-risk cryptocurrencies and 40%—20% in high(er) risk cryptocurrencies.
Low-risk cryptos
In our top 4 list of low-risk cryptos, you will find projects that have been around for at least 2 market cycles and have withstood the test of time. Those cryptos should comprise the bigger chunk of your portfolio (unless you want to play a high-stakes game).
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin has been the de facto crypto market leader since its inception in 2011 and holds the very reputable title of ‘the best-performing asset of all time.’
It is commonly seen as a store of value and is widely adopted among institutional and private investors and even sovereign nations.
More recently, it was announced as the primary currency for the “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” proposed by the Trump administration. It is expected to be at the front of the next bull cycle, as has been the case for all previous cycles.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Since its creation, Ethereum has been the leading smart contract platform and the backbone of decentralized finance (DeFi) and NFT ecosystems.
It is currently preparing for its ambitious Pectra upgrade, scheduled for April 2025. This upgrade enhances the network’s scalability, efficiency, and user experience through account abstraction and validator optimization.
More recently, institutional adoption has accelerated dramatically, with BlackRock and UBS implementing Ethereum for tokenized assets in 2025. Meanwhile, Visa’s Tokenized Asset Platform built on Ethereum is set to pilot with Spanish multinational bank BBVA.
While Standard Chartered has adjusted its 2025 price prediction from $10,000 to $4,000, Vitalik Buterin’s comprehensive scaling roadmap positions Ethereum for sustainable long-term growth beyond 2025.
3. Solana (SOL)
Solana has established itself as a high-performance blockchain known for its exceptional speed, low transaction costs, and growing ecosystem of applications.
It recently achieved a significant milestone of 12 months of uninterrupted uptime, demonstrating the network’s maturity and reliability after addressing previous stability concerns.
In early 2025, the network is seeing strong institutional adoption, with analysts projecting price targets ranging from $350 to $550 by year-end thanks to robust foundations, continuous network enhancements, and increasing institutional interest.
Recent technical analysis indicates Solana may push toward the $320 to $340 range by mid-2025, supported by bullish momentum and ecosystem growth, positioning it as one of the top-performing assets of the year.
4. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano continues its methodical, research-driven approach to blockchain development with a detailed 2025 roadmap focusing on scalability, interoperability, and governance.
The highly anticipated Hydra update, Cardano’s layer-2 scaling solution, is a central part of the 2025 plans. It promises to process millions of transactions per second while maintaining the network’s core security principles.
Institutional interest has surged, with Grayscale Investments expanding its exposure to ADA, making it the fund’s second-largest holding after Solana. A strategic partnership with FC Barcelona aims to enhance fan engagement through blockchain innovation.
Recent speculation about an ADA ETF application and its potential inclusion in a U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve has driven significant price action, with analysts projecting values between $0.859 and $5.66 by the end of 2025.
High-risk cryptos
In our top 4 list of high(er)-risk cryptos, you will find many more recent projects with strong momentum and a fast-growing community. Those are much more volatile than the 4 cryptos we mentioned earlier, but they can also provide a much higher level of returns. Apply extreme caution if you want to invest in those (and don’t bet the family farm on them).
5. Near Protocol (NEAR)
Near Protocol is a leading layer-1 blockchain focused on scalability and user experience. It leverages its unique Nightshade sharding technology.
The NEAR Infrastructure Committee is actively funding developments in AI and chain abstraction innovations throughout 2025, emphasizing decentralized infrastructure growth and positioning the network at the forefront of an AI-first future.
Institutional adoption is accelerating with the recent launch of the Laser Digital NEAR Adoption Fund. This fund allows institutional investors to participate in the blockchain consensus mechanism while taking advantage of the economic opportunities of the NEAR ecosystem.
Price forecasts for 2025 range from $3.1 to $11.1, with many analysts expecting steady growth as NEAR continues implementing impressive technical updates, including stateless validation and dynamic resharding planned for early 2025.
6. Aptos (APT)
Aptos has quickly become an innovative layer-1 blockchain created by former Meta employees who developed the Diem blockchain, leveraging the secure and flexible Move programming language.
The platform’s Block-STM technology enables concurrent transaction execution, allowing Aptos to process up to 160,000 transactions per second, positioning it among the fastest blockchain networks available.
In February 2025, PACT Protocol launched on Aptos Network, bringing over $1 billion in on-chain real-world assets to the platform on day one, significantly enhancing the network’s financial utility and institutional appeal.
Analysts predict Aptos will show solid growth throughout 2025, with price forecasts ranging from $5.82 to $19.08. The ecosystem continues expanding, with projects like Ethena bringing its USDe stablecoin to the platform.
7. Ondo Finance (ONDO)
Ondo Finance bridges traditional finance with DeFi by offering tokenized real-world assets and structured products. The platform enables users to access yield opportunities backed by real-world assets in a compliant manner.
As institutional interest in crypto grows, Ondo’s focus on regulated, asset-backed tokens presents a unique value proposition. However, regulatory and adoption uncertainties make it a higher-risk investment option.
8. Bittensor (TAO)
Bittensor is a decentralized machine learning network at the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence that incentivizes creating and sharing AI models. The TAO token rewards participants who contribute valuable machine-learning models to the network.
With the exponential growth in AI technology, Bittensor represents an innovative but speculative investment in decentralized artificial intelligence.
Risks & precautions before buying crypto
Sadly, price volatility in crypto should be your only worry. Even the most well-researched crypto portfolio means nothing if you don’t protect it properly.
Hackers and scammers are everywhere, and the more your portfolio grows in value, the higher the target it becomes.
Cryptocurrencies are known for their numerous security threats. Here’s what to focus on and secure your capital:
Price volatility and risk management
Crypto prices experience significant price volatility, leading to rapid and major changes in investment value. To manage this volatility, invest only amounts you can afford to lose (please, never bet the family farm in crypto) and apply robust risk management strategies.
One practical approach is stop-loss orders, which automatically sell a cryptocurrency when its price falls to a predetermined level, limiting potential losses.
Additionally, diversifying your investment portfolio across various cryptocurrencies and asset classes can mitigate risk by reducing exposure to any asset’s volatility. That’s why we suggested having 8 coins in your portfolio at minimum, but ideally, after doing your due diligence, you should choose an even wider selection of projects.
Employing these strategies helps manage the inherent risks associated with the crypto market’s unpredictability.
Security measures (cold wallets, private keys)
Every month, the crypto industry brings troubling news, such as big exchanges misusing user funds and going bankrupt or major hacks of exchange hot wallets. Weak regulations and a lack of enforcement allow thieves to go unpunished, creating a space where hackers and scammers can thrive.
Most hacks and thefts happen to hot wallets because their private keys are kept online, making them vulnerable to many attack vectors, including MiTM attacks.
As a result, every crypto user must implement strict security measures to safeguard their assets. Using a cold wallet to manage your crypto significantly reduces the risk of being hacked. Unlike hot wallets, cold wallets generate and keep your private keys in a secure offline environment, making online access impossible.
The Tangem cold wallet is our preferred choice because it offers advanced security features without compromising durability and ease of use. Each Tangem card contains a secure element that generates private keys using a hardware true random number generator (TRNG). This ensures that your private keys can never be duplicated or extracted.
The wallet’s firmware is non-upgradable, further reducing the risk of unauthorized modifications.
Beyond security, such cold card wallets are convenient to use. Shaped like a standard bank card with just the secure element and an NFC antenna, they are resistant to dust, water, and physical impacts, making them suitable for clumsy people (like yours truly). Their portability ensures you can securely manage your assets on the go without compromising safety.
Scams and Red Flags to Avoid
Having a reliable cold wallet is always a good idea, but it doesn’t solve all your security issues: Vigilance against scams is crucial to protect your investments.
Typical scams include phishing attacks, where scammers impersonate legitimate platforms to steal personal information, and Ponzi schemes, which promise high returns with little risk.
Conduct thorough research before engaging with any platform or investment opportunity (spoiler: if it sounds like a fantastic get-rich-fast deal, it probably is a scam).
Always double-check the origin of the sources of your emails and links, and always check the sites that you visit for having the correct domain names and security certificates.
Closing thoughts
Deciding what crypto to buy now should be done with caution and always comes with risks.
Make sure you research in depth which project you should invest in, how much you are comfortable investing, what investing strategy to use, and how to protect your funds.
We know it’s a lot of questions to answer, but this is what being a responsible investor means. Thanks for reading, and stay safe in the wild crypto west!