Litecoin Under $60 or XRP Under $1.35: Better Buy After the Selloff?
Litecoin and XRP have both taken a beating in the October 2026 selloff, but the reasons to buy one over the other run deeper than recent price drops. One coin carries a corporate ecosystem behind it while the other is…
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Litecoin (CRYPTO: LTC) has fallen below $60, and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is below $1.35 amid the October 2026 selloff. This situation brings the Litecoin vs XRP debate back into focus for potential buyers. Currently, Litecoin is trading at $58, down 4.7% for the day and 9.1% over the last week. Meanwhile, XRP is priced at $1.32, which reflects a daily drop of 3.5% and a weekly decline of 6.5%.
Both cryptocurrencies are among the oldest in the market and were designed to enable faster, cheaper transactions than traditional bank wires. This shared objective is why investors often compare the two coins.
So, if you can only choose one of these payment cryptocurrencies after the selloff, which one stands out as the better choice?
Litecoin Relies on Halvings, While XRP Has Ripple Behind It
Litecoin operates on a fixed issuance schedule. This means that every 840,000 blocks mined, the reward for miners (the computers that process transactions) gets cut in half. This event, known as a halving, slows the creation of new coins.
The most recent halving occurred in August 2023, and the next is expected around mid-2027, at block 3,360,000. However, the exact timing depends on how quickly miners can produce blocks. A halving reduces the influx of new coins, but it doesn’t guarantee buyers will show up.
On the other hand, XRP has a company backing it. Ripple develops the payment infrastructure and stablecoins. A stablecoin is a token pegged to a stable currency, like the U.S. dollar, so its price stays steady.
How Far Litecoin and XRP Must Climb to Reach Their Records
Litecoin has dropped 85.8% from its May 2021 peak of around $410, meaning it would need to climb nearly 7 times its current price to regain that record. In contrast, XRP is down 63.9% from its all-time high of $3.65, needing just about 2.8 times its current value to return to its peak.
This smaller recovery requirement gives XRP an advantage, as a lower drop means less ground to recover. However, this also means XRP investors may see less upside, since there’s less distance to reach previous highs. Conversely, Litecoin holders would see a larger gain if it returned to its former peak.
In recent performance, Litecoin has grown 11.4% over the past 30 days, while XRP has dipped 5.6%. However, over the past week, Litecoin fell more sharply, down 9.1% versus XRP’s 6.5%.
XRP Funds Draw Inflows as Ripple Adds a Stablecoin Partner
XRP saw a net influx of $740,414 into its funds on October 14, ending a three-day streak of no net flow. On the same day, it was also the only of the four major coins to attract new investment, though the amount is relatively small in the grand scheme of funding.
Litecoin also has its own fund available. A spot Litecoin fund trades in the U.S., allowing investors to buy shares through standard brokerage accounts.
Meanwhile, Ripple continues to build its ecosystem. On October 14, a brokerage infrastructure firm announced plans to use Ripple’s stablecoin for settlements and cross-border payments, effectively expanding Ripple’s network without requiring any purchases of XRP.
Litecoin vs XRP: Which Is the Better Buy After the Selloff?
Given the current landscape, XRP appears to be the stronger choice. It needs only about 2.8 times its current price to return to prior highs, while Litecoin faces a much steeper climb, nearly 7 times its current value. Furthermore, XRP’s recent fund inflow on October 14, amid a rough market, adds to its appeal.
While Litecoin’s recent 30-day performance and its halving event are noteworthy, remember that a halving reduces the supply of new coins but doesn’t directly drive demand. Litecoin’s larger drop means it has more ground to cover to recover.
XRP does have risks; much of Ripple’s growth centers on its stablecoin initiatives, which may not always benefit XRP directly. The investment thesis remains solid as long as XRP’s 30-day performance turns positive again and it continues to attract fund inflows, especially while other major coins face outflows. If XRP’s performance lingers in negative territory into 2027 while Litecoin’s remains positive heading into its upcoming halving, Litecoin could become the more attractive long-term option.
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Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst who's spent nearly a decade making blockchain understandable—no easy task when most whitepapers read like fever dreams. He writes for 24/7 Wall St., covering Bitcoin, altcoins, and crypto market analysis for investors. Before crypto, he was a tech writer (back when explaining "the cloud" was peak innovation). Since 2018, he's written for CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, The Block, Cryptonews, Zypto, Rain, and more—basically anywhere people want crypto news without the headache. Sam runs MacLabs Marketing, a content agency for crypto brands tired of sounding like AI wrote their website. He also publishes free crypto education on his site for Web3 enthusiasts who think "gas fees" is a typo. When he's not writing or staring at charts, Sam's either: - Watching anime (currently convinced One Piece has better tokenomics than most altcoins) - At the gym sculpting himself into a Greek god - Listening to the music your mum warned you only bad boys listen to Connect: LinkedIn | Email | MacLabs Marketing
