Crypto Contenders: BlockDAG, Toncoin, Bittensor, and NEAR Protocol Battle for 2025 Dominance
The crypto arms race heats up as four projects jostle for investor attention—each promising to ’disrupt’ finance (again). Here’s why these tokens might—or might not—justify their hype.
BlockDAG: The Scalability Dark Horse
Purports to solve blockchain’s trilemma with a directed acyclic graph structure. Skeptics whisper ’over-engineered solution hunting for a problem.’
Toncoin: Messaging Giant’s Crypto Gambit
Telegram’s pet blockchain now processes payments at scale. Question is: will users actually want crypto where they send memes?
Bittensor: AI Meets DeFi, For Better or Worse
Decentralized machine learning platform riding AI hype. Tokenomics so complex even the whitepaper needs a whitepaper.
NEAR Protocol: The Quiet Achiever
Sharding tech actually works, but faces Ethereum’s looming scalability upgrades. Institutional money’s current flavor of the month.
Remember: in crypto, today’s ’fundamental breakthrough’ often becomes tomorrow’s ’how did we fall for this again?’ Proceed with caution—and cold wallets.
1. BlockDAG Sets the Pace with Major Exchange Reveal
BlockDAG’s presale is already a major success, pulling in over $250 million with more than 20.5 billion BDAG coins sold. The current price is locked at $0.0020 until June 13, with the listing price expected to jump to $0.05, offering early supporters a projected 2,400% return. That alone makes it a clear contender for the best crypto to buy now. Its unique hybrid model blends Proof-of-Work and DAG to support faster, scalable transactions. The live testnet is already processing 800 TPS, and upgrades are pushing toward 2,000 TPS by launch.
It’s not just the tech. BlockDAG is building community features like Buyer Battles with 150 million BDAG in rewards, a 25% referral bonus system, and a miner-friendly ecosystem including mobile and hardware options. On top of that, it will go live on 20 major exchanges, including MEXC, BitMart, and Coinstore, after hitting its $600 million target. With over 1 million users and growing, and a big marketing push through its Inter Milan partnership, BlockDAG is stacking real-world traction. Anyone looking at the best crypto to buy now should be watching this one first.
2. Toncoin Bulls Eye $3.93 Target This Month
Toncoin (TON) is gaining attention after a strong technical breakout this month. Its current price is around $3.10, and analysts are forecasting a jump toward $3.93 by May 20. That’s a potential 27% gain in the short term, which is drawing in more traders looking for coins with momentum. The token also recently closed a key chapter by retiring its ethereum and BNB cross-chain bridge, which signals a new direction for its development strategy.
What makes Toncoin one of the best cryptos to buy now is its consistent performance and growing use cases within the Telegram-linked ecosystem. Longer-term projections even see TON pushing above $22 within the year, driven by expanded adoption and token scarcity. Its chart setup is showing a bullish engulfing pattern on the weekly candles, often a sign that strong price movement is coming. For traders looking at technical setups with upside, TON is right near the top of the watchlist.
3. Bittensor Boosts AI Utility with New Subnet Launch
Bittensor (TAO) is making headlines again with a dedicated subnet that enhances its decentralized AI training ecosystem. The token is trading around $438.70, and short-term forecasts expect a jump to $556.47 by May 20, which is a solid 26% upside. What’s more interesting is the long-term outlook, analysts estimate average yearly prices of $1,283 and potential highs above $2,100 if the network continues expanding at its current pace.
Bittensor’s positioning in the AI space is what makes it one of the best cryptos to buy now. Unlike many AI tokens that are speculative or early-stage, TAO is running a live and functional decentralized learning model that rewards validators for contributing machine learning power. With its subnet rollout, it’s improving scalability and specialization in data processing. That kind of real progress, paired with its strong community and market cap above $3.8 billion, gives it staying power well beyond a short-term rally.
4. NEAR Protocol Speeds Ahead with Nightshade 2.0
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) recently dropped a major upgrade with Nightshade 2.0, cutting block times to 600 milliseconds and achieving 1.2-second transaction finality. That puts it among the fastest networks available, which is a big deal as more dApps look for scalable, low-latency chains. NEAR’s price currently sits at $2.93, with short-term forecasts suggesting a slight dip to $2.62, but this may be more of a pullback than a trend reversal.
Despite a Q1 drop in market cap by 47%, NEAR doubled its DEX trading volume during the same period, thanks to new protocols like Rhea Finance driving traffic. This mix of usage growth and recent technical upgrades is why NEAR still counts as one of the best cryptos to buy now. Its next leg higher could begin once the current consolidation ends. With faster speeds, strong developer activity, and growing real-world adoption, NEAR has all the pieces in place for a solid recovery run.
Final Thoughts: Which is the Best Crypto to Buy Now?
Each coin in this list has made big moves in May 2025, whether it’s a testnet upgrade, an AI launch, or technical breakouts. For short-term gains, Toncoin and Bittensor are both showing bullish setups. NEAR Protocol’s speed upgrade and growing trading volume also signal potential for a rebound. But when it comes to entry price, presale value, and upside at launch, BlockDAG clearly leads.
With over $250 million already raised, a fixed $0.0020 price before its June 13 exchange listing, and confirmed listings on 20 major platforms, BlockDAG is positioned for a breakout moment. It has utility, community, and tech all advancing at once. If you’re scanning for the best crypto to buy now, BlockDAG offers a rare opportunity to get in before public trading begins, making it the most compelling pick on this list.
