10 Best Crypto Projects for 2025 - Hidden Gems You Need to Know

The crypto market is riding a massive high with Donald Trump officially stepping in as president of the United States and with Bitcoin set to see new all-time highs all across 2025. 

While investors wish they would’ve bought Bitcoin in 2009 we’re probably still a long way from building time machines. With no way to turn the clock back, it only makes sense to look for the next big opportunity in crypto before it passes us by once more.

In this guide, we will dive into the 10 best crypto projects in 2025 that are under $1. These low-cost coins are our top picks to deliver huge returns, especially during market recoveries and the next bull run.

BlockDAG is en route to becoming one of the best crypto projects in 2025 thanks to its future-forward tech, record-breaking presale, and an ecosystem that has developers from all over the world trying to be a part of it. 

BDAG is an ambitious project that promises to overcome the limitations that plague traditional blockchains. By leveraging its Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture, BlockDAG aims to revolutionise the blockchain game through its focus on speed, accessibility, security, and scalability.

Another one of BlockDAG’s goals was to bring crypto mining to the masses and not just miners with specialised, high-cost equipment. BlockDAG remedied that with its X1 crypto mining app, which allows users to mine BDAG coins easily through their smartphones without being a massive resource drain.

BlockDAG only gets more impressive when it comes to its presale, which has raised $182.6 million and sold over 17.9 billion coins. Priced at a low $0.0248 in batch 27, early adopters have already seen an incredible 2380% ROI since batch 1.

One thing to keep in mind is that BlockDAG is set to launch its Mainnet within the year with traders calling it the most exciting upcoming crypto project in 2025. If that isn’t enough, analysts predict that BDAG coins could potentially hit $1 once the coin gets listed on major exchanges.

That being said, this might be time to secure BDAG coins and be part of one of the best crypto projects of 2025 before it’s no longer a crypto coin under $1.

Best Wallet Token is a utility token that powers Best Wallet, a multi-chain crypto wallet that supports more than 60 blockchains, including Solana and Ethereum. 

BEST’s decentralized exchange and presale aggregator offer integrated trading and investment tools that help users discover, compare, and evaluate presale opportunities across different blockchain projects.

BEST's features and functionalities have solidified its position as one of the top crypto projects in 2025 for those looking to maximise their returns this year.  

BEST holders can enjoy several benefits, such as early access to new projects, higher staking rewards, the ability to vote on key decisions within the Best Wallet ecosystem, and reduced transaction fees. Moreover, the upcoming Best Card, a crypto debit card, makes this token even more appealing. 

BEST is currently priced at $0.0237 per token, with analysts predicting that it can generate a return of 50x and higher. 

Shiba Inu, otherwise known as the "Dogecoin killer," has developed somewhat of a cult following due to its lively community and meme background. 

Despite its comical beginnings, SHIB has become one of the most well-known cryptocurrencies out there, ranking at number 17 in terms of market cap.

One of SHIB’s main focal points is its community-focused initiatives, such as programs like the Shiba Inu Incubator, which fosters creativity and innovation within its community. By backing these projects, the Shiba Inu Incubator contributes to the sustainability and growth of SHIB’s ecosystem.

In regards to price performance, Shiba Inu has had a 1-year return of 122%. While impressive, it still trades far from its all-time high. 

A key reason many crypto investors prefer SHIB is its relatively low price, currently trading at $0.00002071. Its accessible entry point makes Shiba Inu an attractive long-term asset, particularly in the crypto market that is highly affected by social media and rumors. 

MIND of Pepe (MIND) is one of the best AI crypto projects of 2025, it provides self-learning AI agents with real-time actionable information to assist investors in navigating the complex crypto market.

MIND does this by engaging with crypto influencers and other users on X and other platforms, assessing their thoughts, and then generating unique trading suggestions based on its analysis.

Essentially, Mind of Pepe allows traders to cut through all of the unnecessary time-consuming information and focus on what is most important—maximising gains.

MIND also offers early adopters the opportunity to earn a massive APY staking payout of more than 700%. 

Mind of Pepe has set aside 15% of its tokens for awards and 10% for exchange listings. This will keep prices consistent even in the face of external inflation and market conditions, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking for crypto that’s under $1.

Currently, each token is priced at $0.00161, Solaxy (SOLX) is another top layer 2 cryptocurrency worth considering this year. This new network was brought about to eliminate all of the prior network's shortcomings, from delayed transactions to traffic congestion on Solana. 

SOLX aims to create a more efficient and user-friendly experience for the Solana ecosystem users and devs by delivering unmatched speed, and scalability resulting in optimal network performance.

Another appealing feature of Solaxy is its multichain functionality, which acts as a bridge between Ethereum and Solana. 

For investors looking for a passive income opportunity, Solaxy’s staking feature offers dynamic yet lucrative returns.

Solaxy’s is home to one of the hottest presales with analysts calling it one of the most promising crypto projects of 2025. 

Wall Street Pepe (WEPE) is a newer entrant in the crypto world that combines meme culture with financial insights. 

WEPE aims to bring about equality in crypto by offering its community a platform where users can access exclusive trading tips and alpha calls that could help them maneuver the volatile crypto market.

Since the launch of its presale, Wall Street Pepe has been one of the most popular meme coins, and the reason is that WEPE makes profitable cryptocurrency investing available to everyone, equipping average traders with the same resources and insights that professional Wall Street investors have.

WEPE is certainly among the best new crypto projects in 2025, as shown by its presale fundraising of nearly $54.8M. With less than a month till the end of its presale, investors interested in WEPE should buy this crypto under $1 now before it's too late.

Stellar (XLM) is a key player in the crypto space and also the 13th largest crypto by market cap.

Stellar’s native token, XLM, allows for seamless currency transfers between fiat and cryptocurrencies. So far Stellar (XLM) has established itself as a reliable alternative to traditional remittance services, especially in underserved regions.

Throughout 2024, XLM experienced consistent growth, showcasing increased adoption among various financial institutions like MoneyGram and Circle. As of mid-January 2025, XLM's 1-year return stands at slightly above 300%, and analysts believe this uptrend can continue in the upcoming year. 

Currently trading at $0.4328, Stellar’s price performance in 2025 has been quite promising. Analysts predict further gains for XLM as demand for blockchain-based remittance services grows.

CatSlap is a new blockchain project in 2025 that aims to dethrone the army of frog and dog-themed meme coins. This feline-themed meme coin combines the internet’s love for cats and crypto with the goal of building a fun and engaging community that shares a universal affinity for cat memes.

Catslap’s unique Slap-to-Earn mechanism encourages its community members to keep slapping for the greatest Slapometer ratings to enhance their country's score and grow their Slap-to-Earn points.

Additionally, SLAP users can also participate in a multitude of gamified events and contests to earn more SLAP tokens, creating a sense of camaraderie among the community.

Catslap recently announced a 1M token burn, which could be another catalyst for SLAP’s price increase.

SLAP is currently live on a few exchanges like MEXC, with plans to potentially be listed on Binance. Since its launch, this meme coin has seen a 1656.82% increase, currently trading at $0.0019325 per token.

Dogecoin went from being the quirky dog meme to being one of the most successful investment options in the cryptocurrency market and the 7th largest crypto by market cap. Its low transaction fees and highly supportive community have helped to keep DOGE relevant, no matter how many new meme coins appear.

Dogecoin looks set to continue its upward streak with Elon Musk taking over as the administrative head of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) and incorporating Dogecoin into X Money's payment system. 

With DOGE being viewed as a viable payment option the coin has a good chance of becoming a widely used cryptocurrency, which would drive up its value. 

Overall, the market opinion about DOGE is highly positive right now, which is reflected in the coin's price. With an 18.94% increase since the beginning of the year, DOGE now trades at $0.37 per coin making it one of the most promising crypto projects in 2025.

Flockerz (FLOCK) is a platform that has quickly set itself apart from other meme coins by putting the power of decision-making in the hands of its community with its unique vote-to-earn system. 

By giving FLOCK holders a direct say in the project’s developments, it further highlights Flockerz true decentralization and inclusivity. 

This platform combines governance with community rewards, allowing users to earn incentives for participating in votes and events. This interactive model not only strengthens Flockerz user engagement but also ensures that the project's direction aligns with its community preferences. 

For example, if FLOCK asks its community which exchange the token should be listed on upon release, its community members can offer their views while also earning free tokens regardless of Flockerz final decision.

Analyst predictions for Flockerz are quite optimistic, with analysts predicting that FLOCK can gain at least 10x by the end of January. 

Investing in cheap cryptos comes with its risks and rewards. While these best performing crypto coins, they can also be volatile and speculative. 

Among the best crypto projects of 2025, BlockDAG has showcased the most potential for huge gains with a $1 price prediction for the year.

While BlockDAG is our top pick for 2025 the other coins on this list bring something unique to the table as well. From meme coins to AI tokens all the coins mentioned give crypto newcomers a chance to get involved at just under $1.

Overall, buying cheaper cryptos can be a smart trading strategy as long as traders pad their portfolios with more well-established cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum.