It’s not even close to altcoin season. Only 39% of top-50 tokens have beaten Bitcoin over the past 90 days, as of May 31.

But “not altcoin season” doesn’t mean that no altcoins are worth considering. It just means the rising-tide-lifts-all-boats phase isn’t here yet. Picking specific winners matters more than timing the altcoin season just right.

Two Layer-1 blockchains sit near the top of many watchlists: Solana (SOL 2.66%) and Cardano (ADA 3.65%). One moves fast and breaks things (sometimes literally). The other moves slowly and publishes peer-reviewed papers about it. They are in the same category of useful altcoins, but with very different vibes.

Image source: Getty Images.

Speed vs. rigor

Solana was built to be fast. Its…