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The Top 5 Altcoins of the Past 10 Years

The cryptocurrency market has experienced significant volatility and surprising successes. Over the past decade, a few altcoins have distinguished themselves through remarkable performance. These include Ethereum ($ETH), Dogecoin ($DOGE), Shiba Inu ($SHIB), Binance Coin ($BNB), and GateToken ($GT). Each has achieved substantial gains, with GT and BNB notable for their utility within their respective exchanges, while the others have thrived through community support, innovation, and meme culture.

However, excluding tokens associated with centralized exchanges, the top 3 altcoins based on 10-year returns are:

1 Shiba Inu ($SHIB): +848,740%

2 Dogecoin ($DOGE): +123,678%

3 Ethereum ($ETH): +123,306%

Let's explore what has made these three altcoins leaders over the last ten years.

1 Shiba Inu (SHIB)

Initially conceived as a parody of Dogecoin, Shiba Inu has evolved into a significant force in both culture and finance. Launched in 2020, SHIB's popularity surged due to community enthusiasm, viral memes, and the development of its ecosystem, including Shibarium. Its impressive +848,740% return marks it as one of the most explosive performers in cryptocurrency history.

By TradingView - SHIBUSD_2025-07-25 (All)

Considerations for SHIB: SHIB's price is highly susceptible to fluctuations, often influenced by social media trends and community announcements. While the token has experienced corrections from its peak value, development remains active. For long-term investors, SHIB presents high risk coupled with potentially high rewards, requiring considerable patience. Employing a dollar-cost averaging strategy might be a more prudent approach.

2 Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin, the original meme coin, was created as a lighthearted joke in 2013. It has since gained considerable popularity through celebrity endorsements (notably Elon Musk), a dedicated community, and surprising resilience. Its +123,678% 10-year return demonstrates how internet culture and humor can, at times, surpass traditional investment fundamentals.

By TradingView - DOGEUSD_2025-07-25 (All)

Considerations for DOGE: DOGE has shown decreased volatility recently but remains responsive to social media sentiment. Given its uncapped supply and limited utility, traders should closely monitor price movements. As a momentum-driven coin, entering during periods of low hype often provides the most favorable return potential.

3 Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum serves as the fundamental infrastructure for many of today's decentralized applications, ranging from DeFi to NFTs. Since its launch in 2015, ETH has fostered an entire industry and achieved a +123,306% gain, establishing itself as the leading smart contract platform to date.

By TradingView - ETHUSD_2025-07-25 (All)

Considerations for ETH: Despite recent price declines, Ethereum remains a core crypto asset. The shift to Proof of Stake (PoS), the growth of Layer 2 solutions, and increasing institutional adoption keep ETH central to the Web3 ecosystem. It is well-suited for long-term portfolios, and price drops below key support levels may be viewed as strategic buying opportunities.

The Exchange Token Outliers: GT and BNB

Although not included in the top 3 due to their connection to centralized exchanges, GateToken (GT) and Binance Coin (BNB) warrant recognition. GT achieved an impressive +1,747,900% return, and BNB grew by +668,984%, both benefiting from increased platform usage and token utility.

By TradingView - BNBUSD_2025-07-25 (All)

By TradingView - GTUSD_2025-07-25 (All)

These tokens tend to reflect the overall health and popularity of their associated exchanges. While their performance has been notable, it's important to monitor regulatory developments that could potentially affect CEX tokens globally.