Litecoin (LTC) has been one of the leading altcoins on the market for many years now. This is probably the main reason why you might want to buy Litecoin for your portfolio. The truth is that with 15 years as one of Bitcoin’s leading competitors, many wouldn’t consider it an altcoin at all. In this article, we’re going to show you how and where to buy Litecoin in the best possible way so you can start using what may be the digital currency of the future.
What is Litecoin?
One of the earliest forks of Bitcoin, Litecoin was designed to create a faster, cheaper alternative method of payment. While sharing many of Bitcoin’s technical details, Litecoin’s network processes blocks faster. As a result, it may be more attractive for mainstream commercial use cases. Like Bitcoin, Litecoin operates via a Proof of Work mining algorithm. With this, users all around the world maintain the network by providing computing power.
Since its release in 2011, Litecoin has spent much of its existence as one of the most valuable coins by market cap. For a number of years, it held the #2 spot behind Bitcoin, before Ethereum’s rise in 2016.
As of October 7, 2026, about 77.7 million Litecoin are in circulation, out of a maximum supply of 84 million, according to CoinGecko. Merchants around the world accept Litecoin, and the Litecoin Foundation lists ways to spend it, from wallet apps and gift cards to crypto debit cards.
Litecoin’s most recent halving took place on August 2, 2023, when the reward miners receive for each block fell from 12.5 LTC to 6.25 LTC. Halvings happen every 840,000 blocks, so the next one, at block 3,360,000, is expected in 2027.
Where Can I Keep My Litecoin?
As one of the most popular, longest-standing cryptocurrencies, almost all leading wallet providers support Litecoin.
If you’re all in on Litecoin, or you’re interested in mining Litecoin, you will most likely want to download the official Litecoin Core wallet. Another option is Nexus Wallet, an open-source mobile Litecoin wallet from the Litecoin Foundation. It replaced the Foundation’s older Loafwallet app, later renamed Litewallet.
To keep Litecoin and all your other coins in one place, you should get a secure, reputable multi-currency wallet. Jaxx and Coinomi offer great, user-friendly wallets for mobile or desktop. While a hardware wallet such as the Ledger Nano S provides the ultimate in security for your crypto.
Best 6 Places to Buy Litecoin
Skipping the middleman and mining Litecoin yourself takes considerable resources and significant upfront investment. If you have to get your hands on Litecoin and participate in the digital economy right now, here are six of the best ways to get started.
The steps are much the same everywhere. Create an account and verify your identity, add money by bank transfer or card, then buy LTC with the simple buy option or with an order on a market such as LTC/USD. If you plan to hold your coins, withdraw them to your own wallet. Fees depend on how you buy: a regular spot trade on Binance costs 0.1%, while Kraken charges 1% plus a spread for instant buys in its app.
In the US, you can also get Litecoin exposure through a brokerage account. The Canary Litecoin ETF (ticker LTCC) has traded on Nasdaq since October 2025 and charges a 0.95% yearly sponsor fee. You own fund shares, not LTC, so you can’t send them to a wallet.
Binance
Binance is one of the largest and most popular exchanges in the cryptocurrency market and it allows users to buy Litecoin and also a wide range of virtual currencies. In October 2026, Binance listed 11 spot pairs for Litecoin, including Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), the euro, the Brazilian real, the Turkish lira and the Japanese yen.
This cryptocurrency exchange is also offering a basic and an advanced trading platform in order to help users deal with digital assets according to their needs. A large number of trading pairs in this exchange makes it very useful for those traders that want to purchase Litecoin and also other altcoins.
Once the user purchases the virtual currency, he can send it to his wallet after paying a small withdrawal fee.
Coinbase
One of the world’s leading crypto exchanges, Coinbase is the best entry point for someone starting in crypto from the ground floor. You can buy Litecoin there directly with US dollars, euros or British pounds, or trade it against Bitcoin.
While it doesn’t offer as many features as other crypto exchanges, the simplicity of their user experience makes it so accessible for beginners looking to get their feet wet. Coinbase also keeps your funds in a wallet on their platform (which is not ideal). Coinbase says it holds customer assets 1:1 and does not lend them without permission.
Kraken
Kraken is a sophisticated exchange, which allows users to buy Litecoin or another cryptocurrency, and to trade crypto on margin. Kraken lists Litecoin against the US dollar, euro, British pound, Australian dollar and Japanese yen, as well as BTC, ETH, USDT and USDC.
Kraken also offers Bitcoin pairs for Canadian dollars, so users of that currency can buy Bitcoin and then trade it for LTC on the same platform.
Bitstamp
Operating since 2011 and owned by Robinhood since June 2025, Luxembourg-based Bitstamp is a time-tested platform for users wishing to trade major coins with high liquidity. Bitstamp users can pay with USD or EUR for Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin.
Once you’ve bought your Litecoin, Bitstamp offers high-level options to trade all these coins with BTC, including limit and stop-loss orders (automated settings to buy/sell when a coin hits a specific price). However, if you want to trade Litecoin with other altcoins, you’ll need to move to another exchange, such as Binance.
Coinmama
Unlike many of the others on this list, Coinmama isn’t an exchange. Instead, it’s a simple, easy-to-use site where people can buy Litecoin or else with a credit card.
Coinmama now also lets you sell crypto for fiat and swap between coins. But the convenience of Coinmama makes it a great place to buy your first crypto.
Coinmama offers hundreds of coins, including Litecoin, and you can pay by credit card, debit card or bank transfer, starting from $50.
HTX (formerly Huobi)
Huobi was founded in China in 2013 and renamed itself HTX in September 2023. It is now based in the Seychelles. On May 26, 2026, the UK government added HTX to its sanctions list over alleged support for Russia, with an asset freeze, so check whether you are allowed to use it where you live.
On its spot market, Litecoin trades against USDT and BTC.
Interesting: Understanding Litecoin Transfer Times
So Why Wait?
There are many easy, safe, secure ways to get your hands on Litecoin. The cheap, fast transactions afforded by Litecoin have made it a popular alternative to Bitcoin for years. While the similarities in the code mean it shares many of the same positives.
If you want to get into the altcoin market, or you’re planning to pay with crypto with progressive merchants worldwide, check out these sites and start using Litecoin today.
