The 14 Best Long Term Crypto in 2025

Crypto projects that retain their value over the years tend to return the best gains. Bitcoin and Ethereum are prime examples of some of the best long term crypto projects that have returned roughly 3.2 million percent and 220,222 percent since they started trading.

These are impressive numbers, and while the boat may have sailed for enormous gains on Bitcoin and Ethereum, other projects show the potential for significant value appreciation over the next few months and years.

Our guide explores 15 cryptocurrency investments with the most potential. We explore what they do, why they are important, their strengths and weaknesses, and how these crypto coins operations can increase in value over time.

The Best Long Term Crypto to Invest in 2025

Review of the Best Long Term Cryptocurrencies

What is a Long Term Crypto Investment?

A long term crypto investment is one that is held for an extended period, usually more than a year. The goal with these investments is to make an overall return in the long term regardless of fluctuations or periods of extreme volatility in the short term.

Hence, the strategies and thinking behind long term investments differ from short term investments or speculation. For example, volatility isn’t a key consideration while market capitalization is as you’d want to look into more established projects.

Ultimately, the goal is to identify cryptos that have the best chances of being around in the next 5-10 years.

What is the Difference Between Long Term Crypto Projects and Short Term Crypto Projects

Technically speaking, there are no long term and short term crypto projects. All crypto projects usually present a long term growth plan and sustainability. However, not all projects survive. In truth, many of them die out within the first five years.

The categorizations of long and short term are used by investors to gauge which projects are more likely to survive. Hence, long term projects are crypto protocols, blockchains, infrastructure, and decentralized applications that have good long term prospects.

They usually have a track record of delivering value to users which, in the crypto space, means tens of thousands of daily active users and the ability to generate profits for all stakeholders (i.e. miners, liquidity providers, etc).

Most importantly, they are projects that have growing adoption, which involves solving real problems in sustainable ways. For example, Bitcoin is the first provable digitally scarce resource. This is important because it makes it an asset that one can hold.

Ethereum runs the most used operating system in crypto. As long as there are decentralized applications to be run, there will be a need for a system to run them.

Short term projects, on the other hand, offer products/services that are more of band aids than sustainable solutions. Many of them ride on popular trends, achieve massive success very quickly, and then fade just as fast.

Memecoins are a good example of this. Most memecoins achieve astronomical growth within the first few weeks and months of their release, often increasing their value by 100x or 1000x. But once the hype fades, they crash, losing almost 100% of their value, never to rise again.

How to Look at the Potential of a Long Term Crypto Project

No crypto project is guaranteed to be a profitable long-term investment, no matter how sound they seem. However, there are some common characteristics that most long-term projects share. We discuss them below.

Sustainable Solution

All long-term crypto projects proffer sustainable solutions to the real problems. While it’s easy to focus on the solution, you should also consider the problem. Innovative solutions to small insignificant problems end up being just as small and insignificant.

Over the years of our time in crypto, we’ve seen that projects that create sustainable solutions to the issues of liquidity management, secure scaling, yield generation, and decentralized trading/exchange tend to perform well.

Real World Application

Real world application is another good indicator of long-term performance. If a project can fill in a need that is not exclusive to the crypto industry, then it has a much better chance of being around for the long haul.

A good example of this is Ripple. Despite their overly drawn out case with the United State’s exchange commission, SEC, their global instant settlement system is sorely needed in international trade and finance.

Mainstream Adoption

The goal of all crypto is mainstream adoption, to replace legacy systems with more efficient, decentralized ones. Projects that achieve this live longer and perform better.

Take Bitcoin, for example, its blockchain is old and clunky but it remains the premiere crypto because of its decentralized nature, but mostly because institutions have adopted it as “digital gold”.

It is usually the first point of contact for institutions looking to add crypto to their balance sheet. This is a level of adoption that is keeping it afloat and accepted as the leading crypto.

Tokenomics

We mention tokenomics because a project could have fantastic technology but still be financially ruined by bad tokenomics. When there are too many tokens, projects come off as scammy.

The way the tokens integrate with the project ecosystem is also important. A token is meant to be a vehicle for capturing and transporting value within an ecosystem, and between various ecosystems.

To achieve this, tokens must be carefully designed. Considerations for inflation and scarcity must be factored in, depending on the project.

While there is no best tokenomics model, look out for projects that have tokens “just to have them”. Always ask if the tokens play a vital role in the growth and operations of their ecosystems.

Are There any Benefits to Investing in Long Term Crypto Projects?

Diversification

Cryptocurrencies, being digital assets, offer a way to diversify your portfolio. As crypto becomes more mainstream, crypto assets will become a bigger part of an asset class, if it doesn’t become an asset class itself.

By investing in crypto, you add another asset that could grow exponentially and also protect your portfolio from possibly declining sectors and assets.

Liquidity

Crypto assets (aside NFTs) are highly liquid, and because of their decentralized nature, you can easily sell them when you need cash. You can also move them across wallets and borders to where you need them the most.

Inflation Cover

In the long term, crypto assets that perform well beat inflation, some by ten and hundred folds. Bitcoin is often called an inflation hedge and has been used by institutions to protect their cash against inflation.

Potential High Returns

Cryptos like Ethereum have achieved impressive returns over the years. While it is volatile and can fall significantly, its price history has proven that if you hold on long enough, you can make a lot of money compared to what you put in, but only for fundamentally sound projects that achieve adoption.

Is Cryptocurrency a Good Long Term Investment in General?

Crypto has not been around for long enough to make a generalized assumption about the market like that of stocks. The only cryptos known to be viable long-term investments are Bitcoin and Ethereum, mostly because of the quintessential roles they play to the industry.

If any insight on the longevity of crypto can be drawn from Bitcoin and Ethereum, it is that the more essential a crypto is to the survival and proliferation of the industry as a whole, the more likely it is to stand the test of time.

Hence, cryptocurrency can be a good long-term investment if it continues to fulfill a quintessential need in the industry.

Things to Consider About Yourself When Choosing Your Next Crypto Project to Invest in

Risk Tolerance

The first thing to consider is your tolerance for risk. If you find that you are risk averse, you may want to stick with blue chip cryptos that have a track record of performing well over long periods.

The best options for the most risk averse are Bitcoin and Ethereum as they are the two most capitalized and the two longest running cryptos. However, truly risk averse investors may want to consider investment outside cryptos, like traditional currencies.

Psychological Discipline

The crypto market is volatile and as such often fluctuates wildly. It requires psychological discipline to hold on to investments, especially in bear markets when even blue chip cryptos can lose 50% of their value.

Comprehension

As an investor, you should refrain from investing in ventures you do not understand. That being said, the realities of the crypto industry can be complicated to the average person. Luckily, you do not need to understand code to make investment decisions. You only need to understand the reasons behind the technologies being built, the factors (both internal and external) that affect their growth, and how the industry reacts to them.

4 Tips for Investing in Long Term Crypto

1. Focus On Long Term Trends

Long-term investments are driven by long-term trends. These trends are often tied to the future of the industry as a whole.

An example is interoperability. It is believed that, just like Web2, the future of Web3 crypto applications will be either chainless, omnichain, or interchain, meaning that the blockchain that powers applications will fade into the background just as the servers that host legacy applications are not a concern for the end user.

The projects that usher in this chainless future are good options for long-term investments. However, note that knowledge about the future of technology does not automatically translate to good investment decisions.

Because you know that interoperability is the future doesn’t make choosing a sound crypto easier. So, ensure you really get your hands into research to find sound projects.

2. Do Not Speculate

Many people confuse investing with speculating. Buying cryptos with an expectation of a price increase is not investing, regardless of the time scale it is carried out. Choosing projects that can guarantee principal safety with a healthy return is investing.

Unfortunately, due to the highly speculative nature of crypto, principal safety is never guaranteed. However, investors can work around this by only buying cryptos whose platforms have displayed a track record of solving important problems, and have an advantage over others within its category.

A prime example is Bitcoin. It is the standard for decentralized payments and has an edge as the most decentralized and secure crypto network. The coin also has a track record of making good returns in the long term.

Investing in Bitcoin for these reasons goes more in line with the rules of investing.

3. Remember That Long Term Means Long Term

While there could be short-term investors who invest based on short-term selectivity, which essentially means buying a crypto-based on some new development or event which will give it an advantage over others in the short term, most investments are long-term.

When investing in long-term crypto, maintain a long-term horizon. For example, the crypto market moves in a four-year cycle with two bullish years and two bearish years. An investor can use this knowledge to accumulate solid cryptos during the bear years.

During the period of accumulation, the market will remain bearish, which may prevent his investments from returning positive yields for several months. The investor with a long-term horizon understands that the bull market is two years away.

4. Maintain Balance

An important aspect of investing is maintaining balance between the positions in your portfolio. It is advisable to use formulas to determine how much of a type of crypto you wish to have in your portfolio.

For example, you could decide that you want your portfolio to be made up of 40% large-cap cryptos, 30% mid-cap cryptos, and 20% layer 2 cryptos, and 10% memecoins. During the course of the year, price fluctuations may disrupt the proportions of the various types of cryptos in your portfolio.

It is left to you to buy and sell as required to maintain this balance.

Why Should You HODL a Long Term Crypto Investment?

Cryptocurrencies have proven to be highly profitable if you choose the right projects and hold on long enough. Projects like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Uniswap have returned immense gains over the years.

Furthermore, the world is becoming more digital, and digital ledger technology is powering new ways of doing business and carrying out finance. As such, new types of digital assets are being created.

The projects we have listed capture value across various sectors of the crypto space. They are the leaders in their various categories and have strong tokenomics, value offerings, and display potential to grow exponentially as the crypto sector gains mainstream adoption.

What Determines the Price of Long Term Crypto Investments?

Supply And Demand

Market forces of supply and demand exert a significant influence on crypto price discovery. The premise is pretty straightforward. When there’s demand for a crypto but not corresponding supply (which could be the case for cryptos with limited supply), price rises. When the reverse is the case, price falls.

Market Cycle

Where the market is on its cycle also affects the general price trend of cryptos. We mentioned earlier that the crypto market acts on a 4-year cycle with two bullish and two bearish years.

The bullish years are characterized by a general rise in the price of cryptos while the bearish years are characterized by a general decline in crypto prices.

Narrative

The crypto market is affected by narratives which often cascade into short and long-term trends. We’ve found that there are usually a few narratives that take precedence over others every year. In 2021, it was no fungible tokens and the Metaverse. In 2023, it is layer 2 scaling solutions.

Cryptos on the forefront of growing narratives tend to perform better than the average market. However, this depends on how investors perceive the narrative. For example, the proliferation of AI technology is positive, crypto crackdown by regulatory agencies is not.

How to Buy Long-Term Cryptos

You can buy long term cryptos on cryptocurrency exchanges. Our top pick is eToro, but you can use any that is secure and convenient. To get started:

1. Open an Account

Go to the eToro website and create an account by clicking on the Start investing icon. You can download the mobile app from the Play Store/App Store and click on Sign up. Fill out the form with your full name, email address, and password.

2. Verify Your Account

Verify your account by setting up your profile and submitting KYC documents like a valid government ID and proof of residence document like a utility bill.

3. Make a Deposit

Once your account has been verified, click on Deposit funds on the left pane of the page. Available payment options will be displayed. Choose a convenient method and set the amount you’d like to deposit.

4. Buy Crypto

Once your account is funded, search for any of the cryptos mentioned in the Discover tab. An interface like the one below should load. You can then set your parameters and buy.

Where to Buy the Best Long Term Cryptos

To get your hands on new coins with good long term prospects like Chancer, you may need to go directly to the crypto’s official website. You’ll need a crypto wallet like MetaMask. We created a guide to walk you through this process.

Step 1: Download a Wallet

Download MetaMask on your phone or as a browser extension on your laptop and create a new wallet. Ensure you keep your seed phrase safe and offline.

Step 2: Buy Some Crypto

You’ll need BNB to buy new Chancer tokens. Buy some on an exchange like eToro and transfer to your wallet, or use a fiat onramp on the MetaMask web interface to buy with a credit card.

Step 3: Connect Wallet

Navigate to Chancer’s website and connect your wallet to join the presale. Buy CHANCER tokens using BNB. Ensure you have enough to pay for gas fees.

Step 4: Wait to Claim

You’ll need to wait until the presale is over to claim your tokens.

Latest Long Term Crypto Project News

Bitcoin Struggles as U.S. Regulators levy harsh actions against crypto firms
The crypto division of French bank, Societe Generale, introduces a Euro stablecoin on the Ethereum network
Decentralised exchange, Uniswap, has voted to launch a version of the Dex on Polygon’s new zkEVM network

Final Thoughts on the Best long Term Cryptos

We explored the best long term crypto projects and chose Ethereum as our top choice because of its positions as the leading smart contract platform and the largest ecosystem in the industry. It has laid a quintessential foundation for all of crypto and is the most widely used operating system, even being adopted on new chains.

We believe that Ethereum has room for immense growth as the crypto industry garners mainstream adoption. However, Ethereum has already returned some astronomical gains and we do not see it returning yields in the 10,000% range.

Projects that are primed to make impressive returns include Biconomy, Lido, and Osmosis.

If you wish to invest in crypto, you can do so using a crypto exchange like eToro.

Methodology - How We Picked The Best Long Term Cryptos

The projects covered in this guide were chosen through rigorous research and reviews. We paid attention to security, transparency, reputation, tokenomics, competitive edge, and long term prospects.

The tokens listed are the best we found in the various categories we listed them. For example, we listed Chainlink as the best blockchain oracle because it is the most used and respected provider of off-chain data in the industry.

Check out our why trust us and how we test pages for more information on our testing process.

FAQs

What is the best crypto for the long term?

The best long term crypto on our list is Ethereum because it powers so much of the crypto industry. It is an essential layer, one that we do not see going away anytime soon.

Which crypto to invest in for 10 years?

We cannot say which cryptos will be around in 10 years. However, we have noticed that Bitcoin and Ethereum have been around for years.

Where will crypto be in 10 years?

We cannot say where crypto will be in 10 years, but blockchain technology is quickly gaining mass adoption, so we expect that it may become part of our everyday lives.

Is Cardano a good long term investment?

It depends on your goals. Cardano is not historically known to return impressive gains.

What crypto has the most potential?

This depends on the area or problem you are looking at as various crypto projects solve different problems. The more essential the problem, the more potential the crypto that solves it has.