XRP (XRP) vs. Shiba Inu (SHIB): Which Token Is the Better Buy?

XRP (XRP -5.48%) and Shiba Inu (SHIB -2.90%) went in opposite directions during the past 12 months.

Shiba Inu (SHIB -2.90%) and XRP (XRP -5.48%) moved in opposite directions over the past 12 months. As the preferred cryptocurrency for traders making short-term trades, also known as scalpers, Shiba Inu's price was cut in half as investors questioned its long-term growth potential at these levels. At the same time, XRP encountered its biggest regulatory challenges, but it ultimately emerged victorious. This fueled a 280% surge in the token’s price.

But should investors keep buying Shiba Inu at these levels and avoid XRP? Let's review these two volatile cryptocurrencies and see which one is a better buy.

What does Shiba Inu do?

Shiba Inu is a token that was launched on Ethereum's (ETH-USD) blockchain in 2020. Ethereum is a proof-of-stake blockchain, which supports the development of decentralized applications and tokens. These tokens can be "baked" to earn interest-like rewards.

Shiba Inu is expanding that developer ecosystem with its own Layer-2 blockchain protocol, Shibarium, which supports faster transactions, and its cross-chain decentralized exchange (DEX), which links its blockchain to other PoS tokens.

Shiba Inu's developers pre-mined its entire supply of nearly 1 quadrillion tokens before its launch, but it's already burned (or taken out of circulation) more than 40% of those tokens to tighten up its supply. That's why it's a deflationary token.

What about Ripple?

Ripple (CRYPTO:XRP) uses its blockchain to route real-time gross payments, remittance transfers, and currency exchange transactions. It launched XRP as the platform's native cryptocurrency in 2013, and it pre-mined its entire supply of 100 billion tokens before it even started trading. Only 58 billion of those tokens are in circulation today, while the rest remain locked up across Ripple's own escrow accounts. Ripple periodically releases those tokens to stabilize its liquidity, but that strategy makes it inflationary.

At the start of 2023, the price of XRP was $0.34. But after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled its lawsuit against Ripple and several major crypto trading platforms began re-listing XRP, the token's price shot up to $0.60. Several crypto firms also filed to launch their own spot price ETFs for XRP. If approved by the SEC, these ETFs could easily quadruple the volume of XRP trades.

What are the catalysts and headwinds for Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inu hasn't benefited from as many near-term catalysts. Instead, it's being overshadowed by faster PoS blockchains like Solana and Cardano for developers of decentralized applications. At the same time, Dogecoin (CRYPTO:DOGE) -- which Shiba Inu was originally launched as a parody of -- could attract much more attention as the top "doge"-inspired cryptocurrency as its big backer Elon Musk continues to make waves.

Shiba Inu also hasn's attracted much attention for its own spot price ETFs. Its developers and investors certainly hope that it will cross that milestone one day, but none of the major firms have filed SEC applications for their own ETFs for the token. Without that institutional support, Shiba Inu could struggle to differentiate itself from the other meme coins.

What are the key takeaways?

The Trump administration is expected to relax the government's oversight of the cryptocurrency market, but I wouldn't rush to buy either of these coins right now. Still, if I had to choose one of these tokens over the other, I'd pick XRP because it's backed by a growing financial ecosystem and has the potential upside from ETFs. Ripple's expansion could also help to stabilize XRP's price and drive it higher.

At the same time, Shiba Inu could still struggle to justify its existence in the shadow of bigger PoW and PoS tokens.