Top 3 Altcoins To Watch As Altcoin Season Kicks Into High Gear

Key Insights:

• Why volume, utility, and dominance should be on top of your priority during this bull market especially to asess altcoin movement.
• ETH, BNB, and LINK continue to attract investor attention. HYPE, XRP, and LTC among honorable mentions.

It looks like altcoin season has officially kicked off with Bitcoin dominance dropping below $60% and Ethereum rallying past $4,500. As a result, altcoins recently experienced rising investor interest.

One of the most recent confirmations was the spike in altcoin searches to the highest historic levels. Even higher than the levels observed during the previous bull run.

The spike in altcoin searches made it clear that crypto investors were looking to capitalize on liquidity rotation. Most investors have been curious as to which altcoins to invest in.

Key factors to consider when picking altcoins for the current altcoin season

There will no doubt be winners and losers as liquidity rotation accelerates during altcoin season. Here are some key considerations that may help identify the best altcoins to pick.

Dominance- This has been a key identifier in determining the position of the market. Bitcoin dominance soars when confidence dips, and altcoin dominance does the same when sentiment gets extremely bullish.

When coins experience a dominance spike, they receive more investor attention and more liquidity inflows.

Volume- It may help to gauge the level of activity around a particular coin relative to its rivals or competition. The higher the volumes, the more likely that the coin will rally. Note, however, that volumes are a double-edged sword that can cut both ways, hence volume may also highlight sell pressure.

Utility- In cases where the coin or token in question has a native platform, the level of utility within its ecosystem may influence demand.

These factors are the most prominent influences on altcoin prices. However, some other factors may also come into play. Here are the top picks based on the aforementioned characteristics or conditions.

Ethereum’s native coin ETH

ETH dominance recently adopted a parabolic curve, which pushed it above 13% this week. For context, its dominance was up by 100% from its 12-month low in April this year.

ETH had the second-highest dominance after Bitcoin. Unsurprisingly, its price action also clocked parabolic moves recently and even surged above $4,700 in the last 24 hours.

This was the first time since its 2021 peak and could easily push over $5,000 in the coming days. ETH price action was up by 237% at press time, compared to its 2025 low.

Ethereum 24-hour volume surged as high as $63.5 billion in the last 24 hours. This was notably higher than its peak daily volume during the Q4 2024 rally.

This growth was largely influenced By the fact that Ethereum has the highest rate of WEB3 adoption. Institutions have been acknowledging the network, and some have already started building on it.

Binance smart chain’s BNB coin

BNB dominance surged to 2.9% at the time of observation, which was significantly lower than Ethereum. However, it was up by about 13% from its 12-month low.

BNB dominance was also lower than its July peak. However, the key observation was that it surged by almost 20% from mid-July to its current 4-week high. This sharp surge also demonstrated renewed interest in the coin.

BNB price already achieved a 72% upside from its lowest to highest price level in 2025. Interestingly, it pushed into a new all-time high towards the end of July.

Despite this upside, BNB still traded below $900 and its volume in the last 24 hours amounted to $3.44 billion. Moreover, this was lower than its peak volume in 2021 and also significantly lower than Ethereum.

However, BNB notably has a lower circulation than SOL, which may favor its upside. To add to that, BNB is the native coin on the Binance Smart Chain hence it scores high on the utility index.

Chainlink’s LINK token

LINK dominance stood at 0.39% and while this may seem relatively low. However, its dominance recently jumped by over 60% from its lowest 2025 level in June.

This meant the coin was establishing itself among the coins preferred by investors this altcoin season. This reflected strongly on LINK’s price action which rallied by over 42% in the last 7 days.

LINK pulled off about $2.3 billion in daily volume in the last 24 hours. However, this was just a fraction of the highest daily volume achieved in the last 12 months, which peaked above $12 billion in December last year.

LINK’s recent dominance and volume surge were also backed by healthy on-chain activity. For example, its total value secured surged by over 90% year-over-year, plus more than $93 billion was transacted through its smart contracts.

Oracle activity remained high, while the recently announced Chainlink reserve partially contributed to the recent surge in excitement around the coin.

There were also some honorable mentions to consider. For example, LTC which was among the oldest coins on the list recently saw a surge in dominance. Its veteran status on the list of top coins may aid its appeal as investors seek tried and tested coins.

A lot of excitement was riding on XRP courtesy of its recent wins against the SEC. The conclusion of the legal battle was expected to pave the way for XRP to finally break through the shackles that have held it back.

Finally, HYPE coin may also be worth keeping an eye on. It was the youngest coin on this list, but its native platform has been making a splash in the derivatives market.

Top crypto whales have been known to use this platform, and it has been achieving aggressive volumes. Moreover, HYPE coin also saw significant growth, that includes a 360% plus rally in the last 6 months.