The effect of the Bitcoin (BTC-USD) spot ETF may be muted for now, but there could be a groundswell of demand brewing just below the surface for the currency. This means that there are some cryptos to buy for investors to consider for their portfolio, as all altcoins are correlated to the movement of BTC.

I think that there are some better buys in the market right now than just BTC. Some coins offer better upside potential with inventive features that Bitcoin does not offer its users. Many of these features also address some of Bitcoin’s key weaknesses and may be considered an improvement upon its core thesis.

So here are some of the best cryptos to buy that most investors don’t know about.

Algorand (ALGO)

Algorand (ALGO-USD) is known for attempting to solve the trilemma of achieving scalability, security and decentralization simultaneously on the blockchain. So far, despite the best efforts of countless development teams around the world, this has not yet happened. But ALGO plans on making it a reality

ALGO has put a lot on the table in its roadmap for 2024. This includes a significant protocol upgrade introduced in early 2024 that is expected to reduce block times to less than three seconds. Another feature is the introduction of Python for smart contract development, which would significantly help developers build and maintain code.

Looking further ahead, ALGO’s long-term objectives include locking 2.5 billion tokens for participation rewards and allocating 1.25 billion tokens for ecosystem support over ten years. This is to help make its ‘Algo Dynamics’ model a reality, which would help improve the value of its tokens by controlling inflation and increasing scarcity over time.

With these developments on the horizon, ALGO is then one of those cryptos to buy.

Cosmos (ATOM)

Cosmos (ATOM-USD) also aims to address some of the scalability and interoperability issues in the blockchain space.

ATOM is one of the cryptos to buy that I’m the most bullish on. I expect that it could rally substantially amid the Bitcoin halving event that is expected to occur in April, mostly due to its small market cap of $3.5 billion and its expanding ecosystem.

For this year, ATOM is enhancing its Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol to improve its network fundamentals. This strategic focus is expected to increase Cosmos’ usability and attract more developers and users to the platform.

Some previous estimates put ATOM to reach $20 or higher by the start of this year, but I feel that was a little too optimistic. Instead, I’m aiming for ATOM to reach this price level around April or shortly after as it rides high on investor optimism amid the halving event, which makes it one of those cryptos to buy.

Tezos (XTZ)

Tezos (XTZ-USD) is a blockchain network that operates on a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism but it also allows its users to vote on protocol upgrades, which gives it a key differentiator compared with other networks.

XTZ has ambitious plans for the future, focusing on scalability and developer experience for 2024. Notably, these include plans to scale the network to reach 1 million transactions per second (TPS) through a combination of numerous network upgrades.

XTZ is also experimenting with Ultra High Throughput rollups to improve its on-chain governance model.

There are some bullish forecasts for the coin. Namely, it should see a 29.51% price appreciation by the end of the month, and I think there’s potential for it to shoot much higher than this.

On the date of publication, Matthew Farley did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.