The cryptocurrency market has seen an explosion of altcoins over the years, with many promising groundbreaking innovations and high returns. However, not all altcoins live up to the hype. Some projects fail due to poor development, lack of adoption, security issues, or regulatory concerns. If you’re still holding onto certain altcoins, it may be time to reconsider. Here are some altcoins that are no longer worth holding in 2025.
1. Ethereum Classic (ETC)
Ethereum Classic was born from a hard fork of Ethereum (ETH) in 2016 following the infamous DAO hack. While the original Ethereum continued launchpad for your memecoin to grow with constant upgrades, Ethereum Classic struggled with security issues, including repeated 51% attacks. The lack of active development and lower adoption compared to Ethereum makes it an unattractive investment. Most developers and projects have abandoned ETC, and its future looks bleak.
2. Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
Bitcoin Gold was launched in 2017 as a fork of Bitcoin, aiming to decentralize mining by making it accessible to GPUs instead of specialized ASIC miners. However, it failed to gain traction and suffered multiple security breaches, including a major 51% attack. With little development activity and no real use cases, BTG has largely faded into obscurity, making it an unworthy long-term hold.
3. DigiByte (DGB)
DigiByte was once touted as a faster and more secure alternative to Bitcoin. However, despite its strong community support, it has struggled to gain mainstream adoption. Its lack of significant partnerships and a stagnant development roadmap have caused its relevance in the market to decline. With newer and more advanced blockchain technologies emerging, DigiByte has been left behind.
4. Zcash (ZEC)
Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that once showed great promise due to its advanced zero-knowledge proof technology. However, its regulatory risks have increased as governments crack down on privacy coins. Many exchanges have delisted ZEC due to compliance concerns, limiting its accessibility and liquidity. Moreover, newer privacy solutions like Monero (XMR) and privacy layers on established blockchains have outperformed Zcash in both security and adoption.
5. EOS (EOS)
EOS was once hyped as an “Ethereum killer” due to its high-speed transactions and scalability. However, its centralized governance model and lack of developer interest have led to its downfall. Block.one, the company behind EOS, failed to deliver on many of its promises, causing investors to lose faith. As a result, EOS has been overshadowed by more efficient smart contract platforms like Solana and Avalanche.
6. Internet Computer (ICP)
ICP launched with much fanfare in 2021, aiming to decentralize the internet and compete with cloud computing giants. However, its price plummeted shortly after launch due to poor tokenomics and lack of clear utility. The project’s complexity and slow adoption have made it an underwhelming investment. Many investors have already moved on to more promising Web3 projects.
The cryptocurrency market is constantly evolving, and holding onto underperforming altcoins can be costly. If you have any of these altcoins in your portfolio, it may be time to reassess your investments. Always conduct thorough research and focus on projects with strong fundamentals, active development, and real-world use cases.