The Difference Between Coins And Tokens, With Real Examples

If you are new to crypto, one of the first terms you will hear is the difference between coins and tokens. People often use them as if they mean the same thing. They do not.
Understanding the difference matters because it helps you judge what you are buying, what problem a project is trying to solve, and how risky it may be.

The Basics – What Cryptocurrency Is And Why It Matters In 2026

Cryptocurrency is digital money secured by cryptography that can be sent directly between people, without a bank sitting in the middle of every transaction.
Coins (like Bitcoin) typically run on their own blockchains, while tokens (like many assets on Ethereum, Solana, and other networks) live on top of an existing blockchain.