Ethereum is a blockchain-based computing platform and operating system whose core innovation is enabling smart contracts. Ethereum's smart contract functionality, and versatile scripting language, have made it the most popular network for creating decentralized applications. What makes Ethereum different from Bitcoin is that its primary purpose is to serve as a general purpose blockchain for creating DApps, and not as a payment network. Ethereum was created by Vitalik Buterin. It was launched in July 2015 and has become one of the most important blockchain platforms in the industry. Ether is the native currency of the Ethereum blockchain and can can be used as a transfer of value, as well as a form of compensation for mining. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) executes scripts using a network of public nodes. "Gas" is used as an internal transaction pricing mechanism that decides how resources are used on the network.

Ripple is a real-time settlement and remittance network that is designed for the banking industry. Its settlement infrastructure technology has been adopted by a growing list of financial institutions looking to leverage the benefits of distributed ledgers. Ripple's real-time settlement network connects banks and enables cross border settlements and transactions in real-time. The current settlement infrastructure requires many intermediaries, and performing transactions take time and cost money. Ripple provides the underlying infrastructure for banks, and enables these transactions to be executed directly at almost no cost.

Viacoin is an open source cryptocurrency based on the Bitcoin protocol. Viacoin has a 24 second block time and relatively fast transaction times. It can handle 175 transactions per second without scaling through Segwit or the Lightning Network. The fast transaction times make Viacoin a good option for sending micropayments. The platform also enables users to perform cross-chain atomic swaps between different cryptocurrencies, without a centralized exchange. Viacoin has an Auxiliary Proof-of-Work (AuxPoW) consensus mechanism that allows miners to mine multiple coins, that use the Scrypt algorithms, at the same time. Viacoin's smart contract platform, Rootstock, is compatible with Ethereum smart contracts.