The search for the best altcoin to buy now has intensified as the crypto market has shown signs of recovery. As 2026 begins, the total crypto market cap is holding above the $3 trillion mark amid consolidation over the last few weeks. 

The largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has held the crucial $86,000 level with downside protection in the past few weeks. Ethereum is trading near the $3,000 resistance level. A slight push, accompanied by a broader market reversal, could drive the price higher. 

The capital flow into ETF products remains volatile, but corporate treasuries are steadily accumulating crypto in this dip. Recently, Tether bought over $779 million worth of BTC, while Strategy and Metaplanet have continued their accumulation. This shows that big players are still confident in the future growth of the digital asset space. 

JUST IN: Tether buys 8,888 Bitcoin worth $779 million in Q4 2025. pic.twitter.com/fTuCdn1I5t

— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) December 31, 2025

With Q1 2026 in sight, savvy investors are already allocating small amounts of capital into potential coins that could deliver outsized returns. However, the focus has shifted from large caps, whose upside is capped, to DeFi crypto, which is in early development and still affordable.

This guide will discuss the top 4 cryptos that have shown higher relative strength even in the correction and could lead the Q1 rally. 

Best Altcoin To Buy Now In January 2026

Finding crypto that could lead the new cycle could be difficult. This list includes top low-cap tokens with massive growth and lower-risk established tokens with small growth potential:

Bitcoin Hyper Breaks $30 Million Presale Milestone 

Bitcoin Hyper is the first-ever layer-2 protocol designed to extend Bitcoin’s use case beyond just an asset of value. Launched over a decade ago, Bitcoin faces serious competition from major altcoins that offer users modern DeFi utility. Despite that, it has remained the most trusted blockchain and the first choice as the best altcoin to buy now.

However, due to its limited speed and lack of programmability, investors and developers have been slowly shifting toward other blockchains. Bitcoin Hyper is capitalizing on this market opportunity and bringing Solana-like DeFi capabilities to the oldest crypto network for the first time.

With its live presale surpassing $30 million, HYPER is capturing significant demand from retail investors. The token is currently available at a discounted price of $0.013515 for a limited time before the price surges in the next round. Early holders can capture considerable profits upon token listing and even stake their HYPER tokens for a 39% APY.

Zcash Gains 18% On Weekly Chart

Zcash has emerged as one of the few coins that has defined the bear gravity and broken out of the local resistance levels. ZEC has surged over 18% in the past seven days and currently trades above the $525. Its market cap has also soared above $8.6 billion after dipping around $5 billion in recent corrections. 

Zcash Price Chart. Image Courtesy: TradingView

ZEC broke out of the $460 resistance level on Saturday, posting a 15% intraday gain. With slight profit-taking over the past two days, it has dropped nearly 5%, forming a base before the next breakout. 

The $500 psychological mark is the crucial support level that could protect the downside if the correction hits the market. The breakout level around $460 will also act as a strong demand zone for a price bounce. 

Pepenode: Community-Driven Meme Token Backed by Mining Utility

While Bitcoin Hyper is gaining traction as an infrastructure project, Pepenode has taken a different approach. The project combines meme culture with the utility of a unique crypto mining infrastructure. Pepenode offers a gamified staking model where users can create their own virtual mining rigs and upgrade their mining power to earn more.

The project enables decentralized node participation, where users earn exciting, predictable rewards while helping support the network. All PepeNode holders receive an empty virtual server room at launch, on which they can build their virtual mining setup. Users can buy, upgrade, and strategically combine mining nodes to boost their mining power and earn more yield.

Early users will be able to generate higher returns with more powerful nodes, driving platform adoption. The native token PEPENODE is in the final stage of the presale, available at $0.0012161. This is the final price as the presale ends in under a week and the token is expected to list across major exchanges in Q1 2026.

Canton Surges To All-Time High After Listing

Canton’s CC token has dominated the spotlight in recent weeks, emerging as a top contender for best altcoin to buy now. Over the past month, its price has jumped by nearly 111%, with another sharp 12% gain added in the last 24 hours alone. This strong push has lifted CC comfortably above the $0.17 level.

Canton Price Chart. Image Courtesy: TradingView

Much of this upside followed a significant announcement from Canton. The project revealed a strategic partnership with The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation to build blockchain systems that meet regulatory standards while preserving privacy for financial institutions. The news injected fresh confidence into the market and fueled aggressive buying.

Technical signals still lean positive, but some caution is creeping in. On the daily chart, the Relative Strength Index sits at 75.40, placing it back in overbought territory after Monday’s rebound. At the same time, the RSI has failed to match its earlier peak even as the price sets a new high. This divergence often suggests that upward momentum could be weakening, raising the risk of a short-term pullback.