Coin

In everyday use, "coin" is the broadest label in crypto: whether an asset powers its own network or sits on top of someone else's, it usually gets called a coin. That breadth is intentional. Rather than treating coin and token as opposites, most crypto glossaries and exchange listings use coin as the umbrella term, then split what falls under it into two families.

The first family is cryptocurrencies: native assets built into a blockchain's own protocol, unable to exist without it. Bitcoin on the Bitcoin network and Ether on Ethereum are the clearest examples. A chain typically has exactly one native asset, used to pay transaction fees, reward miners or validators, and help secure the network through proof of work or staking. The second family is tokens, issued through smart contracts on top of an already-running blockchain rather than requiring one of their own; thousands of ERC-20 tokens live on Ethereum alone, ranging from stablecoins to governance rights.

Everyday usage blurs the line further. Exchanges list thousands of coins regardless of which family they belong to, and any coin besides Bitcoin is commonly nicknamed an altcoin. New coins launch constantly, most never gain lasting trading volume or real usage, and a large share are eventually abandoned, so checking a project's actual activity matters more than its label.