Better Crypto Buy: XRP vs. TRON

Key Points

• XRP and TRON, both up more than 30%, are two of the top-performing cryptocurrencies in 2025.

• Both have strong prospects, based on their embrace of stablecoins.

• Political connections to the White House may play a major role in how well XRP and TRON perform over the next year.

• 10 stocks we like better than XRP ›

Investors in search of cryptocurrencies with the potential to outperform Bitcoin over the remainder of 2025 have plenty of options. Over the past 90 days, 73 of the top 100 cryptocurrencies are now outpacing Bitcoin.

Two of the more intriguing options are XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and TRON (CRYPTO: TRX). Both rank among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap, and both have enormous potential. XRP, for example, is up 40% in 2025, while TRON is up 33%.

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So, if forced to choose between the two, which one is the better buy? There are three key factors to consider.

1. The "Made in America" factor

For U.S. investors, XRP has one clear advantage over TRON: The company behind the XRP crypto token, Ripple Labs, is a San Francisco-based fintech. As a result, you can readily buy and sell XRP on cryptocurrency exchanges such as Coinbase Global and on crypto trading platforms such as Robinhood.

Image source: Getty Images.

In contrast, TRON is a token largely traded outside of the United States. For example, if you try to buy TRON on Coinbase, you won't be able to as a U.S. investor. Instead, much of the trading in TRON occurs on crypto trading platforms that are domiciled in Asia, the Middle East, or offshore locales.

2. The stablecoin factor

Both cryptocurrencies have embraced stablecoins as a potential value driver. So, if you think that stablecoins are going to explode over the next few years, these two cryptos could represent ways to tap into this new growth narrative. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for example, thinks the stablecoin market could increase in value tenfold within the span of just a few years.

Ethereum typically gets all the attention, with a 49% share of the stablecoin market. However, TRON is no slouch, either, with a 35% share. The top stablecoin on TRON is Tether, which has emerged as the stablecoin of choice for users outside of the U.S.

Ripple, for its part, has launched a stablecoin of its own, called Ripple USD. In just nine months, the market cap of Ripple USD has exploded from zero to $750 million, ranking it among the top 100 cryptocurrencies in the world. Moreover, Ripple recently acquired a stablecoin payment platform called Rail for $200 million.

3. The Trump factor

The final factor for evaluating these two cryptos is something that I'll simply call the Trump factor. For better or worse, the ultimate success of any cryptocurrency may be dependent on its ability to get into the good graces of the Trump administration.

This is where TRON may have a big advantage. The founder of the TRON blockchain is Justin Sun, the Chinese-born billionaire who has emerged as a key ally of the Trump administration. Back in May, he made headlines as a top buyer of the Official Trump meme coin, eventually landing a personal dinner with President Donald Trump himself.

Sun has also courted relationships with other members of the Trump family and has emerged as a key supporter of World Liberty Financial, the Trump-affiliated crypto venture. This summer, he leveraged those connections into a public stock market listing for a digital-asset treasury company called Tron, Inc.

However, it's not like Ripple executives have shied away from making their mark on crypto policy within the Trump administration. CEO Brad Garlinghouse was one of the guests at the White House crypto summit in the spring, and he has publicly championed the inclusion of XRP as part of the new U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile (i.e., the crypto strategic reserve).

Admittedly, it can get a bit icky talking about these political connections. Surely, these types of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" relationships occur within every industry. But they are particularly notable in the crypto industry, where billions of dollars of value can be created literally overnight.

Don't forget about the new ETFs

At the end of the day, XRP is the better crypto buy. It might play second fiddle to TRON when it comes to stablecoins, but it has superior potential over the long haul. And if you're a U.S.-based investor, there simply may not be an easy way to buy and sell TRON using popular cryptocurrency trading platforms.

To top it all off, new spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are likely coming for XRP in the final months of 2025. So if you are uncomfortable about buying XRP directly in the crypto market, you will soon have a safe, highly regulated way to get your exposure to it via ETFs.

Should you invest $1,000 in XRP right now?

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Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, World Liberty Financial, and XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.