Popular Alt Coin Reference Guide

Hello Cryptosphere!

One of the time consuming, and important, parts of delving into cryptocurrencies is learning about the background and potential of the coins you invest in. To help out the community, I've compiled a short fact sheet of all the alt coins on Poloniex.

This listing is not exhaustive and, if you have any information on any of the coins below, feel free to leave it in the comments!

In alphabetical order:
Ardor

Coin : ARDR
Price :BTC 0.00005116 USD $0.10
Product Launch : Third Quarter of 2017
Average length of time per transaction: 60 seconds
Technology : Aliasing ( initiate transactions with easy names), Blockchain Data Storage, Multiparty Account Controls, Secure messaging, Voting, Allows Plugins, Marketplace
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol : NXT
https://www.ardorplatform.org/

Augur

Coin: REP
Current Price : BTC 0.00764807 USD$17.27
Product Launch - Currently Beta Testing
Technology- Prediction Markets on a decentralized network.
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction :Transactions usually take approximately 6 minutes.
Team Members and advisors can be found at https://augur.net/

Belacoin Exchange

Coin : BELA
Current Price : BTC 0.00006754 USD $0.14
Product Launch : April 2017
Technology: Social Media platform where users give and receive coins based on pictures posted to the platform.
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol - Belacoin
http://belacoin.org/

1. Bitcoin Dark

COIN : BCD
Current Price: BTC 0.01988482 USD $54.98
Technology: Pegged Asset Exchange (PAX)
Product Launch - Coin is merging with Komodo, with a completion date set for January 2018.
http://bitcoindark.com/

Bitcoin Plus

Coin : XBC
Current Price : BTC 0.03195000 USD: $87.20
Technology: Boasts a modern and efficient wallet that was built on the TOR network, which gives users access to anonymous utilization.

Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin

BitCrystals

Coin : BRY
Current Price : BTC 0.00015855 USD $ 0.43
Technology: BitCrystals (BCY) are digital assets acting as both the game-fuel and the premium in-game currency in Spells of Genesis, a blockchain based card trading game.
Date of product launch: Late 2016

BitShares

Coin : BTS
Current trading price: BTC 0.00006348 USD $ 0.16
Technology :Price stable cryptocurrency (Coins backed by USD, gold, etc. ),Decentralized asset exchange, dynamic account controls, recurring and scheduled payments, referral rewards, stakeholder approved project funding, transferable named accounts, delegated proof of stake consensus
Date of product launch: The current model, BitShares 2.0 launched October 2015.
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Steem
Length of time per transaction: Up to 100,000 transactions per
https://bitshares.org/

BlackCoin

Coin : BLK
Current trading price: BTC 0.00010456 USD $0.28
Technology :BlackCoin is a peer-to-peer digital currency with a distributed, decentralized public ledger, which unlike those of traditional banks is view-able and easily audited by anyone. It is also the worlds first coin to have working smart contracts.
Date of product launch: February 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoS
Average length of time per transaction: Average of 68 transactions per hour.
http://blackcoin.co/

Burst

Coin : BURST
Current trading price: BTC 0.00000344 USD $0.001
Technology :First company to implement a turing complete smart contract via a decentralized lottery. Also has crowdfunding, escrow, and marketplace capabilities.
Date of product launch: August 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: NXT, PoC
Average length of time per transaction:Burst is currently undergoing a sustained DDOS that has made its network slow substantially.

Clams

Coin : CLAM
Current trading price: BTC 0.00139785 USD $3.69
Technology: Bitcoin competitor
Date of product launch: 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin, PoS
http://www.clamcoin.org/

Counterparty

Coin : XCP
Current trading price: BTC 0.00335304 USD $ 8.71
Technology : Uses Smart contracts on the Bitcoin blockchain.
Date of product launch: January 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
https://counterparty.io/

Dash

Coin : DASH
Current trading price: BTC 0.07627990 USD$ 194.66
Technology : The only cryptocurrency to be accepted in the Apple App Store. Dash is a privacy-centrist digital currency with instant transactions.
Date of product launch: Originally released as XCoin in January 2014, the current iteration was released March 2015.
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Platform was designed as being similar to Bitcoin with a two tired network.
Average length of time per transaction:244 transactions per hour ; transactions take approximately 15 minutes.
https://www.dash.org/

Decred

Coin : DCR
Current trading price: BTC 0.01000550 USD $25.24
Technology : Decred uses a hybridized consensus system to strike a balance between miners and users to create a more robust currency. Decred allows users to participate in the project directly without the need for expensive mining hardware.
Date of product launch: 2015
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Proof of Stake & Proof of Work
Average length of time per transaction: Currently moving 81 transactions an hour, but there is no posting of optimal transactions per hour.
https://www.decred.org/

Digibyte

Coin : DGB
Current trading price:BTC 0.00000638 USD $0.01
Technology : Decentralized global blockchain with a focus on cyber security, payments & secure communications.
Date of product launch: January 2014
Average length of time per transaction: Currently at 280 per second, transaction speeds are projected to go up to 280,000 transactions per second by 2035.
https://digibyte.co

DNotes

Coin : NOTE
Current trading price: BTC 0.00002293 USD $0.05
Technology : The DNotes currency is supported by a business ecosystem based on sound business principles, in which every component is integrated to create a solid foundation that can be rapidly and reliably scaled to need.
Date of product launch : 2011
http://dnotescoin.com/

Dogecoin

Coin : DOGE
Current trading price: BTC 0.00000068 USD $0.01
Technology : Dogecoin is an open source peer-to-peer digital currency, favored by Shiba Inus worldwide. Boasts a ease of sending and receiving money.
Date of product launch: December 2013
Average length of time per transaction: Current average is 521 per hour ; 20 minutes per transaction.

Einsteinium

Coin : EMC2
Current trading price: BTC 0.00001498 USD $ 0.03
Technology :Crowdfunding platform for school, scientific, and IT projects .
Date of product launch: 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin, PoW
https://www.emc2.foundation/

Ethereum Classic

Coin : ETC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00568034 USD $14.75
Technology : Ethereum Classic is a secure, censor-proof, reliable, public, trust-less and decentralized platform for running applications and smart contracts.
Date of product launch: July 2015
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: Transactions usually take 24 minutes.
https://ethereumclassic.github.io/

Ethereum

Coin : ETH
Current trading price: BTC 0.07838612 USD $201.24
Technology : Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference.
Date of product launch: July 2015
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: 25 transactions per second; transactions usually take approximately 6 minutes.
https://www.ethereum.org/

Expanse

Coin : EXP
Current trading price:BTC 0.00068811 USD $1.76
Technology : First stable Ethereum fork.
Date of product launch: 2015
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
http://www.expanse.tech/

Factom

Coin : FCT
Current trading price:BTC 0.00729296 USD $ 18.50
Technology :Creating a trust-less infrastructure so that companies can operate smarter.
Date of product launch: May 2015
Average length of time per transaction: Aproxximately 10 minutes
https://www.factom.com

Florincoin

FlorinCoin

Coin : FLO
Current trading price:BTC 0.00001902 USD $0.04
Technology : Florincoin extends the Bitcoin codebase and stores additional information on the network such as Alexandria, a distributed library for sharing and preserving art, history and culture.
Date of product launch: 2013
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction:Information not available
http://florincoin.org/

Foldingcoin
FoldingCoin

Coin : FLDC
Current trading price:BTC 0.00000557 USD $ 0.01
Technology : Foldingcoin is the reward issued to people who donated unused computational space to Stanfords Folding@home project.
Date of product launch: 2013
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Counterparty
Average length of time per transaction: Not readily available

Coin : GAME
Current trading price: BTC 0.00080868 USD $2.01
Technology :GameCredits is creating a new payment gateway for the gaming industry.
Date of product launch:2016
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
https://gamecredits.com/

Gnosis

Coin : GNO
Current trading price: BTC 0.07660000 USD $191.68
Technology : Seeks to create the most efficient forecast markets, create the "Google" of customized information searching, and become the standard in predictive assets.
Date of product launch: May 2017
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: Transactions take approximately 6 minutes.
https://gnosis.pm/

Golem

Coin : GNT
Current trading price: BTC 0.00009853 USD $0.23
Technology :The Golem Network is a decentralized sharing economy of computing power, where anyone can make money 'renting' out their computing power or developing & selling software.
Date of product launch: 2017
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
https://golem.network/

Gridcoin Research

Coin : GRC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00001240 USD $0.03
Technology :Gridcoin introduces an innovative consensus algorithm named Proof-of-Research to let miners do a vast variety of useful calculations. Nearly all computing power (up to 98% efficiency) can be directed at beneficial scientific and medical research while mining Gridcoin.
Date of product launch : October 2013
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoW
Average length of time per transaction:Information not available
http://www.gridcoin.us/

Huntercoin

Coin : HUC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00003545 USD$0.08
Technology : Coins are not mined, but collected in a blockchain based game world.
Date of product launch:February 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction : information not available.
http://huntercoin.org/

LBRY Credits

Coin : LBC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00015085 USD $0.37
Technology : LBRY is a free, open, and community-run digital media marketplace.
Date of product launch: 2015
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Information not available
Average length of time per transaction:Information not available

Lisk

Coin : LSK
Current trading price:BTC 0.00077365 USD $1.92
Technology : Building a blockchain technology that supports launching apps. Biggest competitors: Apple App store and Google Play.
Date of product launch:May 2016
Platform based on which coin: Compared to Ethereuem
Average length of time per transaction: Approximate 20 minutes
https://lisk.io/

Litecoin

Coin : LTC
Current trading price:BTC 0.01677638 USD $ 41.94
Technology :Bitcoin clone with none of the scaling issues.
Date of product launch: 2011
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction:Approximately 30 minutes per transaction
https://litecoin.org/

MaidSafe Coin

Coin : MAID
Current trading price:BTC 0.00013499 USD $0.33
Technology :Applications and programs on the existing Internet sell your privacy through advertising and effectively control your data, granting you access when you login. On the SAFE Network, only you control who has access to your data and the distributed security features make your data safer than ever before.
Date of product launch: February 2016
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Proof of Resource
Average length of time per transaction: up to 2.5 hours

Monero

Coin : XMR
Current trading price: BTC 0.01727275 USD $ 44.86
Technology : Monero uses three different privacy technologies: ring signatures, ring confidential transactions (RingCT), and stealth addresses. These hide the sender, amount, and receiver in the transaction, respectively.
Date of product launch:April 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Cryptonote
Average length of time per transaction: Approximately 30 minutes
https://getmonero.org/

Namecoin

Coin : NMC
Current trading price:BTC 0.00067102 USD$ 1.77
Technology : Can store information on its blockchain transaction database and has a strong focus on censor-proof communications.
Date of product launch:April 2011
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction: 60 minutes per transaction
https://namecoin.org/

Nautilus Coin

Coin : NAUT
Current trading price: BTC 0.00007131 USD $0.18
Technology : The cryptocurrency made with professional traders in mind. This coin utilizes the tracking power of a blockchain to boast for easy and transparent audits.
Date of product launch: May 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoS
Average length of time per transaction: Block confirmations every 60

NAV Coin

Coin : NAV
Current trading price: BTC 0.00009279 USD$ 0.18
Technology : Nav Coin is a decentralized cryptocurrency based on the latest version of Bitcoin Core. On top of a solid foundation, Nav Coin offers easy to use wallets which are packed with advanced privacy features.
Date of product launch: June 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction: Confirmations within 30 seconds
https://navcoin.org/

NEM

Coin : XEM
Current trading price: BTC 0.00006534 USD $1.16
Technology : NEM is a peer to peer platform and it provides services like payments, messaging, asset making, and naming system.
Date of product launch: June 1014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Proof of importance, environmentally friendly mining.
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
https://www.nem.io/

Neoscoin
NeosCoin

Coin : NEO
Current trading price: BTC 0.00129706 USD $3.34
Technology :Neos offers a wide range of features complimenting its core purpose - a completely decentralized web. One can earn NEOS (the crypto currency) by participating in the community, authoring quality content, and playing a role in moderation.
Date of product launch:August 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoS
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
http://www.getneos.com/#

Nexium

Coin : NXC
Current trading price:BTC 0.00005745 USD $0.14
Technology: Nexium is the token issued from the game Beyond the Void. Beyond the Void is an upcoming real-time strategy video game where two players compete against each other on a space battlefield to rule the galaxy. The game is designed to be competitive and playable in E-sport tournaments.
Date of product launch: September 2016
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Ethereum
Average length of time per transaction: No information available
NO WEBSITE ?

NXT

Coin : NXT
Current trading price: BTC 0.00004005 USD $0.10
Technology :Asset exchange, data cloud, voting system, account control., and messaging.
Date of product launch: November 2013
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoS/LPoS
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
https://nxt.org/

Omni

Coin : OMNI
Current trading price: BTC 0.01339731 USD: $36.69
Technology :Omnicoin is an experiment in the creation, implementation, and integration of a cryptocurrency with MyBB community software in mind.
Date of product launch:April 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoW
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
http://www.omnicoin.org

PascalCoin

Coin : PASC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00016765 $0.42
Technology :PascalCoin is a next-generation cryptocurrency that pioneers a new tier of scalability comparable to the VISA network. The Pascal Coin blockchain can be deleted at anytime, and Pascal Coin will continue working perfectly, without the problem of double spending.
Date of product launch: August 2016
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoW
Average length of time per transaction:Average block time is five minutes.
http://www.pascalcoin.org/

PeerCoin

Coin : PPC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00066001 USD $1.74
Technology : The first Proof of Stake coin. Security level of the network is not highly energy dependent thus providing an energy efficient and more cost-competitive peer-to-peer cryptocurrency.
Date of product launch: 2012: PoS
Average length of time per transaction:25 transactions per hour
https://peercoin.net/

Pinkcoin

Coin : PINK
Current trading price: BTC 0.00000482 USD $0.01
Technology : Pink recently partnered with several charities to legitimize its altruistic goals.
Date of product launch: February 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: PoW and PoS
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available

Potcoin

Coin : POT
Current trading price: BTC 0.00003840 USD $0.09
Technology :PotCoin provides the under legal marijuana industry with a decentralized banking infrastructure and payment solution. Using PotCoins, industry members will realize significant cost savings, scalability, and unparalleled enterprise security
Date of product launch: January 2014
Average length of time per transaction: Information not Primecoin
Primecoin

Coin : XPM
Current trading price: BTC 0.00014328 USD $2.82
Technology : Derived Bitcoin, Primecoin introduces an unique form of proof-of-work based on prime numbers.The innovative prime proof-of-work in Primecoin not only provides security and minting to the network, but also generates a special form of prime number chains of interest to mathematical research.
Date of product launch:2014
Platform based on which coin:Bitcoin , PoW
Average length of time per transaction:Approximately 40 minutes per transaction.
http://primecoin.io/

Radium

Coin : RADS
Current trading price: BTC 0.00139501 USD $3.72
Technology :The Radium SmartChain is a combination of several new protocols which provide the framework for the development of advanced blockchain based functions. All functions are rooted in a 100% decentralized and permission-less system powered by 'Smart Transactions'.
Date of product launch: 2016
Platform based on which coin:PoS
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
https://radiumcore.org/

Riecoin

Coin : RIE
Current trading price: BTC 0.00003075 USD $0.09
Technology :Utilizes PoW processing that generates a series of prime numbers.
Date of product launch: April 2014
Platform based on which coin:
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available
http://riecoin.org

Ripple

Coin : XRP
Current trading price: BTC 0.00006362 USD $0.17
Technology :Ripple’s distributed financial technology enables banks to send real-time international payments across networks.
Date of product launch: February 2013
Average length of time per transaction: The average settlement time is 5 seconds.
https://ripple.com

Siacoin

Coin : SIA
Current trading price:BTC 0.00000308 USD < $0.01
Technology : Blockchain market and low cost cloud storage.
Date of product launch:January 2015
Average length of time per transaction:Up to two hours
http://sia.tech/

Steem

Coin : STEEM
Current trading price: BTC 0.00047707 USD $1.37
Technology :Steem is a blockchain-based social media platform where anyone can earn rewards.
Date of product launch:April 2015
Average length of time per transaction: Approximately 30 minutes
https://steem.io/

Steem Dollars

Coin : SBD
Current trading price: BTC 0.00033263 $0.95
Technology : Currency on the Steemit platform.
Date of product launch: April 2016
Platform based on which coin: Steem
Average length of time per transaction: Information not available

Stellar Lumens

Coin : STR or XLM
Current trading price:BTC 0.00000671 USD $0.01
Technology : Their mission is to connect people to low-cost financial services to fight poverty and maximize individual potential.
Date of product launch: 2014
Average length of time per transaction :Transactions are immediate
https://www.stellar.org/

Storjcoin

Coin : SJCX
Current trading price: BTC 0.00013589 USD$ 0.37
Technology : Decentralized cloud storage.
Date of product launch:July 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Storjcoins' first iteration utilized the Counterparty blockchain, but a switch was made to Ethereum when several flaws were found with Counterparty. including transaction times that could be hours or days and decreased functionality
https://storj.io/index.

Stratis

Coin : STRAT
Current trading price:BTC 0.00183002 USD $4.95
Technology : Offers native C# and .Net end to end blockchain solutions.
Date of product launch: 2016
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol:PoS
https://stratisplatform.com

Synereo AMP

Coin : AMP
Current trading price: BTC 0.00008877 USD $0.23
Technology :Synereo is developing tools which allow content creators to easily monetize original works without having to turn their channels into advertisement real estate, while granting their followers the opportunity to be rewarded for getting the word out.
Date of product launch:2014

Syscoin

Coin : SYS
Current trading price:BTC 0.00003957 USD $ 0.10
Technology :Syscoin is a revolutionary cryptocurrency that offers near zero cost financial transactions, incredible speed and provides businesses the infrastructure to trade goods, assets, digital certificates and data securely.
Date of product launch:Late 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin

Vcash

Coin : XVC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00010417 USD $ 0.28
Technology : Promotes decentralized, energy efficient and instant network transactions
Date of product launch:2016
https://vcash.info

Vericoin

Coin : VRC
Current trading price: BTC 0.00009084 USD $0.24
Technology :VeriCoin and Verium is the first dual blockchain protocol technology that pairs a digital currency with a digital reserve. This means faster transactions, more security and solves the digital currency scalability puzzle.
Date of product launch:May 2014

https://portal.vericoin.info/

Vertcoin

Coin : VTC
Current trading price:BTC 0.00018309 USD $0.50
Technology :Feature rich with special attention to privacy and permanent decentralization ; designed to make the coin resistant to Scrypt ASICs.
Date of product launch: July 2014
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Litecoin
Average transaction time: 24 transactions per hour
https://vertcoin.org/

Viacoin

Coin : VIA
Current trading price:BTC 0.00026038 USD$0.72
Technology :Decentralized exchange, asset tracking, betting, digital voting, and marketplace capabilities.
Date of product launch:July 2014
Average transaction time : Information not available
https://viacoin.org

Zcash

Coin : ZEC
Current trading price: BTC 0.06215091 USD $173.95
Technology :Zcash is the first open, permission- cryptocurrency that can fully protect the privacy of transactions using zero-knowledge cryptography.
Date of product launch: Late 2016
Platform Based on Which Coin / Protocol: Bitcoin
Average length of time per transaction : Transactions take approximately 60 minutes.

Are there any coins here that have a compelling foundation that you are thinking about investing in? Or were you deterred from investing in a particular coin after reading more about it? Leave your thoughts in the comments!