XRP Too Big to Buy? AI Picks the Better Bet: XCN or XLM

Are you thinking about throwing some money into XRP? Well, we tried to explore some Ripple alternatives together with AI considering XRP has a huge market cap already.

XRP has surged in 2024 as the Ripple lawsuit nears resolution and institutional interest in the token grows. However, XRP's massive market cap of nearly $130 billion at current prices might make it difficult to realize substantial short-term gains.

If you're an investor who aligns with XRP's mission of improving cross-border payments and upgrading financial infrastructure but prefers tokens with greater growth potential, smaller-cap alternatives might be worth considering.

Two such tokens that could be of interest are XCN (Onyxcoin) and XLM (Stellar).

XCN: The DeFi Innovator

Onyxcoin (XCN) token is priced at around $0.021 with a market cap of approximately $700 million. It operates on the Ethereum blockchain and focuses on institutional-grade DeFi, NFT-backed lending, and smart contract-based asset operations.

XCN offers considerably higher upside potential due to its lower market cap and provides use cases beyond simple payments with its built-in NFT collateralization for unique utilities. The platform features deep DeFi integration, supporting borrowing, lending, unified balances, and protocol-layer functionality.

Recently, Onyxcoin underwent a rebranding effort, which could bring fresh momentum to the project. However, XCN remains relatively unknown to retail investors. Its deployment on Ethereum exposes it to gas fees and network stability issues. The coin also has limited exchange support compared to XRP or XLM and needs to develop more real-world institutional partnerships to fully match XRP’s vision.

XLM: The Established Player

Stellar’s (XLM) token is trading at around $0.27 with a market cap of approximately $8.5 billion. Its focus includes global payments, fiat on/off ramps, CBDC development, and asset bridges.

Stellar benefits from being a mature network with over a decade of operation. Co-founded by Jed McCaleb, one of XRP’s original architects, Stellar has partnerships with major players like IBM and MoneyGram. The ecosystem offers stable, near-instant transactions with minimal fees, and its longevity provides lower risk.

However, XLM's higher market cap limits its growth potential compared to other tokens. Its retail-focused adoption has outpaced institutional traction, and some investors question its pre-mined tokenomics from a decentralization perspective.

Making Your Choice

When deciding between these tokens, consider your investment priorities:

If stability, established partnerships, and smoother adoption matter most to you, then XLM represents the safer bet. It’s essentially the “Litecoin to XRP’s Bitcoin” – proven, efficient, and widely accessible.

If you’re seeking higher upside potential and early-stage innovation with DeFi integration, then XCN has the advantage. With a market cap of only $700 million and broader infrastructure capabilities including NFT collateralization and smart DeFi lending, XCN positions itself as a next-generation version of what XRP started.

Both XLM and XCN offer compelling alternatives to XRP, but they target different investor profiles. Choose XLM for security and credibility, or bet on XCN for potential upside and innovation.