Bitcoin is hovering near $110,000 on Tuesday, and on-chain data suggests capital is rotating from the leading cryptocurrency into altcoins like XRP, Solana, and Cardano. Ethereum-rival Solana and top-five crypto XRP are now competing for dominance in both retail and institutional portfolios this cycle.
Legendary trader Peter Brandt recently reignited the debate on X, asking followers to choose between XRP and Solana (SOL) for a hypothetical $100,000 investment. The statement led to an intense debate, with latest catalysts supporting the price trend for both altcoins, it rages on.
XRP vs. Solana
XRP, the native token of the XRP Ledger, currently holds a market capitalization of $135.65 billion, compared to Solana’s $91.66 billion. Both rank in the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap.
Recent developments in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission vs. Ripple lawsuit triggered the re-listing of XRP across major exchanges, contributing to its return to the top five cryptos by market cap. Ethereum’s (ETH) slowdown and technical complexity associated with developing on the platform led to the rise of Solana and Layer 2 chains.
Solana-based DEXes and meme coin launchpads pushed the chain’s TVL higher and made SOL Ethereum’s mainstream competitor.
XRP vs. Solana wars continue with Peter Brandt’s recent tweet:
While both altcoins compete for their place in the top 10, XRP is focused on facilitating transactions on the XRP Ledger and real-world utility, while Solana is geared towards supporting smart contract development, meme coin development and launches, and competing with Ethereum layer-2 dApps.
The key difference between the two is Ripple’s future plans for XRP and the Solana Foundation’s roadmap for the development of SOL.
Catalysts driving gains in XRP
XRP has surged 12% year-to-date and 59% in the last six months, supported by three major catalysts:
- The end of the long-drawn legal battle between the SEC and Ripple, the cross-border payment remittance firm. It is important to note that the legal battle led to XRP’s delisting across leading exchange platforms and resulted in a decline in the token’s price across exchanges. The lawsuit’s end and the $50 million settlement that followed eased the concerns of XRP token holders and fueled a return to the January 2025 peak of $3.40.
- The SEC shared an update on the WisdomTree XRP Spot ETF, announcing the end of the “public comment solicitation” phase and initiation of further review procedures. This does not imply an approval or rejection, but progress toward a final decision from the regulator.
- A Dubai government agency recently debuted its first real estate tokenization platform with Prypco Mint, a fintech firm. The firm uses the XRP Ledger to tokenize title deals for real estate, and the plan is to tokenize $16 billion worth of Dubai’s real estate market by 2033.
Catalysts driving SOL gains
The top three catalysts powering Solana’s price gains, a 19.50% monthly gain and nearly 7% gains in the last seven days, are:
- The launch of meme coin launchpad Pump.fun in January 2024 and several meme tokens on the Solana blockchain drove the chain’s total value of assets locked and transaction volume higher throughout the past year and 2025.
- U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania launched their meme tokens on the Solana blockchain, supporting the SOL-based meme coin ecosystem and driving higher trade volume and transaction activity on the chain.
- A recent shift in Solana’s strategy, from being a smart contract blockchain to a key influencer in crypto policy and strategy, is evident from the Solana Accelerate 2025 conference Day 2 on May 26. Senator Bill Hagerty, Senator Rick Scott, and Representative French Hill discussed the current state of U.S. crypto regulation with Solana Institute’s Kristin Smith during the conference, positioning SOL as a leader in policy circles.
XRP and Solana price forecast
XRP ended its downward trend and consolidation phase with a breakout to $2.65 in mid-May 2025. The altcoin is ranging under resistance R1 at $2.50 at the time of writing. XRP is 7% away from its closest resistance at R1.
The other two key resistances on its path to the January 2025 peak of $3.40 are R2 at $2.80 and the psychologically important level of $3.
Two key momentum indicators, RSI and MACD, show mixed signals for XRP’s price. RSI reads 50, above the neutral level and sloping upwards. MACD shows red histogram bars below the neutral line, meaning the momentum underlying XRP’s price trend is negative.
Conversely, XRP could find support at the lower boundary of an FVG on its daily price chart at $2.17.
Solana is currently in an upward trend. The Ethereum-alternative token recently ended its consolidation and started a rally towards the February 17 peak, represented as R1 on the SOL/USDT daily price chart.
SOL is currently trading 6% below R1. The next key resistance is the psychologically important level of $200 and R2 at $218.40. RSI reads 61 and is sloping upwards; MACD supports a bearish thesis.
Despite the mixed signals, Solana’s technical indicators are bullish on higher timeframes.
Solana could collect liquidity at the $147 support if Bitcoin observes a flash crash. SOL could attempt a return to the upper boundary of the FVG at $168 and rally toward the $180 level when recovering from a prospective decline.
To buy or not to buy: XRP or Solana for $100,000?
Traders that rotate coins in their portfolio frequently, realize gains, and rotate capital to other altcoins or meme coins may prefer Solana for its volatility. Investors with a long-term investment horizon may consider XRP for its utility, use case, and real-world adoption.
Solana’s 2025 roadmap, the upcoming rollout of its blockchain phone, and other products in the pipeline are likely to support a bullish thesis and gains in the altcoin, and sustain the volatility.
XRP and Bitcoin’s correlation coefficient is 0.49, and for Solana and Bitcoin it is 0.94, according to data from Macroaxis. This implies Solana is highly correlated to Bitcoin, volatility and price swings in the largest cryptocurrency could influence Solana’s price trend. It is not the same case with the second largest altcoin, XRP.
To spend $100,000 on a Solana or XRP token purchase would therefore depend on the objective, target, and time horizon for the trader. Peter Brandt has supported bullish theses for both SOL and XRP at various times in his tweets on X.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
