As traders search for cost-effective entry points into the crypto market, affordable tokens under $1 have gained significant attention. These low-priced digital assets offer high growth potential, especially when backed by strong fundamentals, rising adoption, and bullish market indicators. While identifying promising cryptocurrencies requires careful analysis, this guide highlights five standout projects priced under $1 that are currently showing strong momentum and investor interest.
Whether you're a seasoned trader or a new investor, understanding these emerging opportunities can help you make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving landscape.
👉 Discover how to spot high-potential low-cap cryptos before they surge.
1. PEPE – The Meme Coin With Momentum
PEPE, originally launched as a meme-inspired cryptocurrency, has evolved into one of the most talked-about tokens in the market. Designed with a deflationary mechanism, PEPE reduces its circulating supply over time to increase scarcity—potentially boosting long-term value.
Recently, PEPE saw a price surge of over 56% in just 24 hours, propelled by growing retail interest and alignment with broader memecoin trends. It now ranks as the third-largest memecoin by market cap, surpassing many early competitors.
Market data supports this bullish trend: in the past 30 days, PEPE closed higher on 18 of those days (60%), indicating consistent upward pressure. The token is trading near all-time highs and remains well above its 200-day simple moving average (SMA)—a key technical signal of sustained momentum.
Sentiment analysis further confirms optimism. The Fear & Greed Index for PEPE currently stands at 80 (Extreme Greed), reflecting heightened investor enthusiasm. This surge is largely driven by increased demand and community-driven adoption, typical of successful meme-based cryptocurrencies.
While PEPE lacks intrinsic utility compared to traditional blockchain projects, its value is tied to popularity, social sentiment, and speculative interest—factors that continue to favor upward movement in the current cycle.
2. SEI – High-Speed Blockchain Gaining Traction
SEI has emerged as a top-performing altcoin, recently surging 14% in 24 hours to reach $0.9577. This rally was accompanied by an 80% increase in trading volume, signaling strong market participation and growing confidence among traders.
The momentum behind SEI is fueled by the upcoming SEI v2 upgrade, which introduces support for both CosmWasm and EVM execution environments. This dual compatibility enhances developer flexibility and expands use cases across decentralized applications (dApps).
More importantly, SEI v2 dramatically improves transaction speed, enabling the network to process thousands of transactions per second (TPS) with faster finality. Such performance upgrades position SEI as a scalable Layer 1 blockchain capable of competing with industry leaders like Solana and Ethereum.
With these advancements, SEI has climbed into the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, reflecting increased institutional and retail adoption. Its price is nearing cycle highs, supported by strong liquidity and rising on-chain activity.
As blockchain scalability becomes a critical factor in crypto investment decisions, SEI’s technological edge makes it a compelling option among sub-$1 cryptos.
👉 Learn how blockchain upgrades can unlock massive price potential.
3. PYTH – Powering Real-World Data on Blockchain
Pyth Network is revolutionizing how financial data is delivered on-chain. By aggregating real-time price feeds from over 400 sources, including traditional markets like stocks, ETFs, forex, and commodities, Pyth bridges the gap between traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi).
A recent partnership with Laser Digital, the digital asset arm of Nomura Holdings, underscores Pyth’s growing credibility. Laser Digital will contribute crypto pricing data to the network, enhancing accuracy and reliability for DeFi applications that depend on timely market information.
This collaboration aligns with the broader trend of integrating blockchain technology into mainstream financial systems. As demand for low-latency, high-frequency data grows in DeFi protocols, Pyth is well-positioned to become a foundational layer for next-generation dApps.
Currently trading at $0.708, PYTH gained 7.27% in 24 hours, reflecting strong buying pressure. Over the past 30 days, it posted gains on 17 days (57%), indicating sustained bullish sentiment. The Fear & Greed Index sits at 81 (Extreme Greed), highlighting growing investor excitement.
Backed by solid fundamentals and increasing institutional adoption, PYTH stands out as more than just a speculative play—it’s a critical infrastructure project in the evolving Web3 ecosystem.
4. XRP – Whale Activity Signals Strong Demand
XRP continues to show resilience and strength, recently spiking nearly 20% in 24 hours following significant whale movements. According to WhaleAlert, over 285 million XRP ($194 million)** were transferred across major exchanges, with one single transaction moving **100 million XRP (~$62 million) between wallets.
Even more telling is the accumulation trend: whales have pulled nearly 100 million XRP (~$65 million)** from Binance alone in the last day. One notable purchase involved **20.3 million XRP (~$15 million), suggesting strong conviction in XRP’s future.
This institutional-grade activity has fueled bullish momentum. XRP is now trading above its 200-day SMA, a technical indicator often associated with long-term uptrends. Over the past 30 days, XRP closed higher on 19 occasions (63%), reflecting consistent market strength.
Additionally, XRP has delivered impressive returns over the past year, rising 94% despite regulatory headwinds. With high liquidity and growing on-chain activity, XRP remains a top contender among undervalued cryptocurrencies with real-world utility through Ripple’s global payment solutions.
5. FET – AI Crypto Leader Defying Market Trends
Fetch.ai (FET) has become a flagship project in the artificial intelligence (AI) crypto space. Priced at $2.97 (slightly above $1 but included due to strong relevance), FET surged 18.02% in 24 hours and has gained 63% over the past 30 days, with 19 green days during that period.
Over the last year, FET has skyrocketed by 567%, outperforming most AI-related tokens. It trades far above its 200-day SMA—currently 258.77% higher—indicating deep market confidence.
FET powers autonomous AI agents that facilitate machine-to-machine communication, automate complex tasks, and optimize decentralized networks. Its adoption is accelerating as more developers integrate AI into blockchain applications.
Whale activity has also intensified, contributing to a Fear & Greed score of 79 (Greed). With strong liquidity and increasing ecosystem development, FET represents one of the most credible AI-driven projects in crypto today.
👉 See how AI tokens are reshaping the future of decentralized networks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Are cryptocurrencies under $1 safe to invest in?
A: Low price doesn’t mean low risk. Always research a project’s team, technology, use case, and community before investing. Many sub-$1 cryptos are highly speculative but can offer high reward potential if backed by solid fundamentals.
Q: Why are meme coins like PEPE gaining value?
A: Meme coins thrive on social sentiment, viral trends, and community engagement. While they lack traditional utility, their value often rises due to hype, scarcity mechanisms, and alignment with broader market cycles.
Q: What makes Pyth Network different from other oracle projects?
A: Pyth delivers ultra-fast, first-party financial data directly from top institutions like Citadel and Jump Trading. This gives it an edge in accuracy and speed over traditional oracle networks that rely on secondary sources.
Q: How does whale activity affect crypto prices?
A: Large transactions by whales can signal accumulation or distribution phases. Sudden accumulation often precedes price rallies, as seen with XRP recently.
Q: Is SEI a good long-term investment?
A: SEI’s focus on speed, scalability, and developer-friendly upgrades positions it well for long-term growth, especially if it maintains adoption momentum post-v2 launch.
Q: Can AI-based cryptos like FET sustain growth?
A: Yes—AI integration in blockchain is still early. Projects like Fetch.ai that solve real-world automation problems have strong potential as AI adoption expands across industries.
By focusing on projects with strong fundamentals, growing ecosystems, and positive market signals, investors can identify high-potential opportunities—even among cryptos priced under $1. As always, conduct thorough research and consider risk tolerance before making any investment decisions.