SOL to hit $700 By 2026, but these 2 coins under $5 might outperform it

The crypto space has kicked off 2025 with stronger institutional backing, more explicit rules, and fresh excitement for both established chains and rising stars.

Top-tier coins like Solana are still on investor radars thanks to impressive price forecasts and pending ETF approvals, but many are also scouting for undervalued gems priced under $5 that still have room to multiply.

Against this backdrop, both Little Pepe and Cardano are turning heads and could, in percentage terms, leave Solana in the dust—even with SOL aiming for $700 by 2026.

Solana (SOL): steady institutional push and $700 vision

Solana remains at the center of industry chatter in 2025, driven by growing interest.

Demand for Solana-based products has been stronger. A new Solana staking ETF attracted $13 million in net inflows in a single day, indicating that institutions are seeking more exposure to SOL.

This matches what we saw with Bitcoin and Ethereum leading up to their ETF approvals: institutions are putting money to work before the rules are even set.

Right now, SOL is between $192 and $194, up more than 6% in the last week. Its market cap is just over $104 billion, keeping it solidly in the top tier of crypto assets.

Short-term forecasts for late 2025 lean moderately optimistic, with analysts seeing a price range of $190 to $220.

If SOL breaks through the $205 to $210 resistance zone, we could see it push up toward $250 to $260.

Some analysts forecast it will hit $300–$400 by late 2025, and a few envision a steep climb reaching into 2026.

A long-term “cup-and-handle” pattern on the charts has fueled rumors of a breakout past $700, assuming adoption keeps growing and the planned infrastructure upgrades deliver on promised scalability.

Even so, SOL’s upside is impressive, but two smaller coins—Little Pepe and Cardano—could outpace it on percentage gains.

Little Pepe (LILPEPE): the meme coin that won’t be ignored

This year, meme coins have once again grabbed the spotlight, and Little Pepe (LILPEPE) is one of the brightest.

Unlike the flash-in-the-pan projects that spike and then crash, LILPEPE is carving out a lasting niche thanks to a solid presale, engaged community, and independent audits.  

The presale, now in its 11th stage, has already pulled in over $21.1 million as of August 2025.

A total of 13.4 billion tokens have changed hands at $0.0020, and the subsequent increase is set to take the price to $0.0021.

This planned price step creates a clear incentive for newcomers to buy in before the cost goes up.

What sets Little Pepe apart isn’t only the big fundraising numbers. The heart of the project is its loyal community.

With over 33,723 holders, more than 27,000 active Telegram users, and nearly 238,702 entries in the $777,000 giveaway, LILPEPE shows that grassroots energy is still the engine behind meme-coin success.

The team has also crossed a couple of critical pre-launch milestones: a full Certik audit and a listing on CoinMarketCap.

That level of transparency and legitimacy is rare until after the presale phase, not before.

Yet LILPEPE is not riding hype alone. By using Layer-2 technology, the project trims down transaction fees and gears up for wider adoption.

That means holders aren’t just watching the numbers go up—they’re taking part in a living, breathing ecosystem.

Analysts suggest that since meme culture keeps steering crypto trends, LILPEPE might follow in the bigger footprints of Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.

Cardano (ADA): utility-driven growth under $5

Cardano has built its reputation on careful, science-first blockchain design, and 2025 is shaping up as a turning-point year.

Trading just above $0.96, with a total market cap of about $34.5 billion, ADA remains in the top 10 cryptocurrencies.

Its supply structure supports its future, too: with about 36.45 billion ADA in circulation.

Developers are now buzzing about a Layer-2 plan that would connect International Bank Account Numbers (IBAN) directly to Cardano.

This would turn ADA into a powerful tool for payments and banking, making it one of the most useful tokens in the entire crypto space.

Momentum for ADA keeps picking up, and many analysts believe the token could push past some big resistance points in 2026.

Current predictions are putting ADA’s medium-term price between $1.20 and $1.50, but if the market stays positive, it could even hit $2.05.

Sure, these numbers seem small next to Solana’s wild $700 target, but because ADA is cheaper right now, the percentage gains for investors could be much larger.  

Conclusion

Solana’s journey to $700 by 2026 is exciting, and the backing from big institutions makes it a standout large-cap crypto.

Still, anyone hunting for massive growth should keep an eye on less-expensive, high-potential plays like Little Pepe and Cardano.  

Little Pepe captures the unstoppable buzz of meme culture and backs it with solid audits and a growing community, letting you buy into the hype for a fraction of a cent.

On the other hand, Cardano continues to grow in the background, rolling out serious real-world applications that could make ADA a go-to global settlement layer in the years to come.

For more information about Little Pepe (LILPEPE) visit the links below:

Website: https://littlepepe.com

Whitepaper: https://littlepepe.com/whitepaper.pdf

Telegram: https://t.me/littlepepetoken
Twitter/X: https://x.com/littlepepetoken

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