Explore

What a coin can do, and through whom

Almost everything written about a coin is written by somebody who gains if you buy it, so it only says what the coin can do. Here each coin gets a plain yes, partly or no, and beside it the question that matters more: who do you depend on for that?

Sources read 2 October 2026

Coins written up
49
each answer with its source
Questions asked of each
9
the same ones, in the same order
Answers written
135
a blank where we could not source one

01 By question

Which coins can…

One question, every coin we have written up, side by side.

Be sold for dollars

A price is a quote for one coin. What a holding returns depends on how much the market can take, so this answer is a measurement and not a description.

48 coins answered

Be held without a company

Whether the coins are yours alone, or whether somebody else can freeze them or holds what backs them.

11 coins answered

Send a payment

Whether it moves from one person to another without a company in between, and how long that takes.

14 coins answered

Earn a return by itself

Some networks pay those who stake their coins. Most coins pay nothing, and then any return on offer comes from lending the coins to somebody.

31 coins answered

Run applications

Whether the network runs programs that anyone can use, or only moves its own coin.

29 coins answered

Limit its own supply

Whether a rule fixes how many will ever exist, and who could change that rule.

29 coins answered

Hold a steady dollar value

Whether anything keeps the price at a fixed value, and what that depends on.

9 coins answered

Be redeemed for what backs it

A token backed by dollars or by another coin is a claim. This is who will honour the claim, and for whom.

7 coins answered

Be used on other chains

Whether the same coin exists elsewhere, or a copy of it that somebody else issued.

7 coins answered

02 By coin

What can it do?

Every answer for one coin, on that coin’s own page.

Bitcoin

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, send a payment: yes, and 5 more.

4 yes2 partly2 no

Ethereum

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, send a payment: yes, and 4 more.

5 yes1 partly1 no

Solana

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, limit its own supply: no.

2 yes1 no

USDC

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: partly, earn a return by itself: no, and 4 more.

2 yes3 partly2 no

Tether

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: partly, hold a steady dollar value: partly, and 1 more.

1 yes3 partly

XRP

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, send a payment: yes, and 3 more.

3 yes2 partly1 no

BNB

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 2 more.

4 yes1 partly

Cardano

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, send a payment: yes, and 3 more.

6 yes

TRON

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 2 more.

4 yes1 no

Chainlink

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: partly, run applications: no, and 2 more.

2 yes2 partly1 no

Avalanche

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 2 more.

5 yes

Stellar

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: no, and 2 more.

4 yes1 no

Litecoin

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, limit its own supply: yes.

3 yes

Bitcoin Cash

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, limit its own supply: yes.

3 yes

Hyperliquid

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: yes.

3 yes

Zcash

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, limit its own supply: yes.

3 yes

Monero

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: no, and 1 more.

2 yes2 no

Sui

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, limit its own supply: yes.

3 yes

Hedera

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 1 more.

4 yes

Uniswap

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: no, run applications: no, and 1 more.

1 yes1 partly2 no

NEAR Protocol

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes.

2 yes

Polkadot

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 1 more.

4 yes

PayPal USD

Be sold for dollars: yes, hold a steady dollar value: partly, be redeemed for what backs it: partly.

1 yes2 partly

Arbitrum

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: no, limit its own supply: partly.

1 yes1 partly1 no

Ethereum Classic

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: no, run applications: yes, and 1 more.

3 yes1 no

Aave

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: no.

1 yes1 no

Gram (prev. Toncoin)

Be held without a company: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: yes.

3 yes

Bittensor

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, and 1 more.

4 yes

Cronos

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: yes.

3 yes

OKB

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: yes.

2 yes

Mantle

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: yes.

2 yes

Internet Computer

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: yes, and 1 more.

3 yes1 no

Algorand

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, earn a return by itself: partly, and 2 more.

4 yes1 partly

Shiba Inu

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: no, run applications: no.

1 yes2 no

Dai

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: partly, hold a steady dollar value: partly.

1 yes2 partly

USDS

Be sold for dollars: yes, be held without a company: yes, hold a steady dollar value: partly.

2 yes1 partly

Ethena USDe

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: partly, hold a steady dollar value: partly, and 1 more.

1 yes3 partly

POL (ex-MATIC)

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: yes, and 1 more.

3 yes1 no

Worldcoin

Be sold for dollars: yes, limit its own supply: partly, be used on other chains: partly.

1 yes2 partly

Ondo

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: no, limit its own supply: partly.

1 yes1 partly1 no

WhiteBIT Coin

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: yes.

2 yes

Ripple USD

Be sold for dollars: yes, hold a steady dollar value: partly, be redeemed for what backs it: partly, and 1 more.

2 yes2 partly

USD1

Be sold for dollars: yes, hold a steady dollar value: partly, be redeemed for what backs it: partly.

1 yes2 partly

PAX Gold

Be sold for dollars: yes, be redeemed for what backs it: yes.

2 yes

Ethena

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: no, be used on other chains: partly.

1 yes1 partly1 no

Sky

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: yes, run applications: no, and 1 more.

3 yes1 no

Render

Be sold for dollars: yes, run applications: no.

1 yes1 no

Dogecoin

Be sold for dollars: yes, send a payment: yes, earn a return by itself: no, and 1 more.

2 yes2 no

Pepe

Be sold for dollars: yes, earn a return by itself: no, run applications: no, and 1 more.

2 yes2 no

03 No coin can

What no coin can do

Three things that are true of all of them, and that people find out too late.

Undo a payment

Once a payment is confirmed, only the person who received it can send it back. There is no dispute process and nobody to call.

Give back a lost key

Coins held by a key that is gone stay where they are. No company and no network can restore the key.

Promise you its price

A quoted price is for a small amount. What a holding returns depends on how much the market can take that day.

Ask it in your own words

“Can I stake bitcoin?” or “What can ethereum do?”

How these answers are written · The library