In April 2017, the scale of the cryptocurrency market was around $25.9 billion. Now, it's a $409.47 billion market! As the market has grown, many new cryptocurrencies have emerged. These cryptocurrencies are often referred to as "Altcoins," or "knockoff coins." Because they offer an alternative to Bitcoin. Choosing the best knock-off coins can be a daunting task, as there are thousands to choose from. If you're looking for the best Altcoins to buy in 2022, you need look no further. I'll cover the most promising counterfeits in this guide. I'll talk about their historical trends, technology, uniqueness and what to expect in 2022.

1. Litecoin

Litecoin, one of the oldest counterfeit coins, was founded in 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former Google employee. Like bitcoin, litecoin is just a digital currency, but with improvements. In fact, Litecoin was launched to overcome some of Bitcoin's shortcomings, particularly its slow transaction speeds. In the unpredictable cryptocurrency market, coins come and go quickly, and Litecoin has been on the market for seven years. It has grown into one of the best knockoffs with a market value of $8.2 billion. From $4 in January 2017 to $350 in December 2017, it gave a huge return in 2017. That's a return of 8,000%! As can be seen in the snapshot below, litecoin has regained momentum since April 2018, when it was around $121 and is currently trading at $145.

2. NEO

NEO, originally called AntShares, was founded in China in 2014 by Da Hongfei. It is the largest cryptocurrency to emerge from China. Like Ethereum, NEO is a platform aimed at developing decentralized applications (Dapps), smart contracts and ICOs. NEO is often referred to as "Chinese Ethereum" due to its close resemblance to Ethereum. NEO has been one of the best knockoffs of 2017 and has paid off handsomely. It grew from about $0.16 in January 2017 to about $162 in January 2018. That's about a 111,400% return on investment, which is huge! NEO is currently performing well, having grown from about $44 in early April 2018 to $82 today. It's almost doubled! One of the main factors driving NEO's growth is the support of the Chinese government and its powerful technology.

3. Cardano

Cardano was founded in September 2017 by Charles Hoskinson, one of Ethereum's co-founders. Cardano not only provides the platform for Dapps and smart contracts, but also many technical improvements to Ethereum and other blockchains. Cardano is one of the newest cryptocurrencies, but it still managed to become one of the top Altcoin market cap of $8.86 billion. Cardano went from about $0.20 when it launched in October 2017 to $1.20 in January 2018. That's a return of about 500 per cent in three months.

4. Eos

EOS is a relatively new Altcoin whose initial coin offering (ICO) was launched in June 2017. EOS was founded by Dan Larimer, who is also known for building cryptocurrency exchange Bitshares and blockchain-based blog site Steemit. EOS raised $70 billion to its ICO and later became one of the most successful digital currencies of 2017. The EOS platform is still in the development stage, but its market capitalization is already around $156.9, making it one of the top five most valuable cryptocurrencies in the cryptocurrency world. Even before the launch of the platform, EOS received a huge response from investors. It grew from $4 in July 2017 to a high of $18 in January 2018. What makes EOS one of the best knockoffs of 2022 is that it has surpassed its previous high and is currently trading at $18.77.

5. Dash

Like bitcoin, Dash is a digital currency launched in 2014 by Evan Duffield. At launch, it was called Xcoin and then renamed Darkcoin. It wasn't until 2015 that it finally changed its name to Dash. Dash has branched from Litecoin, which itself is built on Bitcoin technology. Dash gained popularity because of its obvious advantages over Bitcoin. Dash prices began to rise in 2016 and finally in 2017. Its price rose from $10 in early 2017 to a high of $1,540 in December 2017. Can you guess the rate of return? Yes, almost 15,000 percent! With a market cap of $3.79 billion, Dash could be one of the best Altcoins to invest in 2022.

Once you've identified the cryptocurrency you want to buy, choose a reliable cryptocurrency exchange. So, what do you think are the top Altcoins in 2022? What are your thoughts on the best Altcoins investments of 2022?