๐ช Coin vs Token The one test that sorts them
The short answer, a table of the assets people ask about, and how to check any asset yourself.
A coin is the native asset of its own blockchain โ the unit that chain charges its fees in, like BTC on Bitcoin or ETH on Ethereum. A token is created by a smart contract on a chain that already exists, so moving it costs that chain's coin: USDT on Ethereum is a token, and you pay the gas in ETH. As of 2026-09-13, the same ticker can be both โ CHZ is the native coin of Chiliz Chain and an ERC-20 token on Ethereum โ so the label belongs to the network, not to the name.
๐ Coin or token, asset by asset
The assets below are the ones people search for next to this question, plus the common reference points. Each row names the chain, because that is what decides the answer. Checked 2026-09-13.
| Asset | Coin or token? | Where it lives, and the evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | Coin | The native asset of the Bitcoin blockchain, and the unit Bitcoin fees are paid in. BTC-linked assets on other chains, such as WBTC below, are separate tokens. |
| Ether (ETH) | Coin | The native asset of Ethereum. Every gas fee on Ethereum is paid in ETH, including fees for moving tokens. |
| Tether (USDT) | Token | No chain of its own. Tether lists it as issued on Ethereum, Tron, Solana, TON, BNB Smart Chain, Avalanche, Aptos and others. Tether no longer issues it on five legacy chains, including Omni and EOS. |
| Uniswap (UNI) | Token | An ERC-20 governance token on Ethereum. 1 billion UNI were minted at launch in September 2020. |
| Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) | Token | An ERC-20 token on Ethereum that represents BTC held by a custodian, 1:1. It is not bitcoin on the Bitcoin chain; it is a claim that depends on that custody. |
| BNB | Started as a token, became a coin | Launched as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. Binance swapped it onto its own Binance Chain mainnet on 23 April 2019 at 1:1. |
| Polygon (POL) | Both, by network | Native gas token of Polygon PoS since the MATIC-to-POL switch on 4 September 2024. On Ethereum, POL is an ERC-20 token. |
| Chiliz (CHZ) | Both, by network | Chiliz's developer docs: CHZ is the native token of Chiliz Chain (chain ID 88888) and the gas token there; on Ethereum mainnet, CHZ is an ERC-20 token. Chiliz Chain went live in 2023. |
| Chiliz fan tokens ($BAR, $PSG, $JUV, $CITY) | Token | CAP-20 tokens on Chiliz Chain โ Chiliz's equivalent of ERC-20. Moved from the Chiliz Legacy Chain in 2023 and upgraded to 18 decimals in 2026. The docs say all fan tokens are also available on Solana and Base. |
| Basic Attention Token (BAT) | Token | The BAT FAQ: an ERC-20 token native to Ethereum. Brave pays self-custody rewards on Solana as Wormhole-bridged BAT. Brave Creators โ the publisher program โ can receive BAT on Ethereum or on Solana. |
| Integritee (TEER) | Coin on its own chains, token on Ethereum โ project shut down | TEER was the native asset of Integritee's own parachains on Kusama and Polkadot, used for fees there. An ERC-20 TEER on Ethereum was created through Snowbridge. CoinGecko marks the project as having ceased operation on 10 November 2025, with TEER no longer trading on the exchanges it tracks. Whether the parachains still produce blocks: Not confirmed. |
๐งฑ Why the line falls there
Every blockchain's rules name one asset for paying fees. Bitcoin names BTC. Ethereum names ETH. Chiliz Chain names CHZ. That built-in asset is the coin. Nobody deploys it; it exists because the chain exists.
A token is different in kind. It is a balance sheet kept by a program running on top of a chain. On Ethereum the common format is ERC-20; on Chiliz Chain it is CAP-20. The chain moves the token the same way it runs any program, and it charges its own coin for the work. That is why a wallet holding USDT on Ethereum but no ETH cannot send the USDT.
Names do not follow this rule. Basic Attention Token has โTokenโ in its name and is one. But Chiliz's own docs call CHZ a โnative tokenโ, and Integritee called TEER its native token, even though each paid fees on its own chain. Industry writing uses โtokenโ for almost everything. The wording is loose; the fee test is not.
Two things the label does not tell you. It says nothing about value or safety โ a coin can be worthless and a token can be large. And a token that stands in for a coin on another chain, like WBTC or the Ethereum copy of TEER, adds a layer: it depends on the custodian or bridge that created it.
๐ How to check for yourself
- ๐ Look the asset up on CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap and find the contract list. A contract address next to a chain name means that version is a token on that chain. Check every chain listed โ some assets are a coin on one and a token on another.
- ๐ Paste the contract address into that chain's block explorer, such as etherscan.io. The token page states the standard, for example ERC-20, and often who created the contract โ the Ethereum TEER contract, for one, shows Snowbridge as its creator.
- โฝ Read the chain's own developer docs for the gas token. If the docs name the asset you are holding, it is that chain's coin. Wallet fee prompts point the same way, but some wallets now let you pay fees in other assets, so the docs are the firmer source.
โ FAQ
- Is Basic Attention Token a coin or a token?
- A token. BAT is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, and the BAT that Brave pays out on Solana is Wormhole-bridged BAT, which is a token on Solana too.
- Are Chiliz fan tokens coins?
- No. Fan tokens such as $BAR and $PSG are CAP-20 tokens on Chiliz Chain, while CHZ is the chain's native coin and pays the gas.
- Is Integritee (TEER) still running?
- CoinGecko marks Integritee as having ceased operation on 10 November 2025, and TEER has stopped trading on every exchange CoinGecko tracks. Treat any unsolicited TEER claim or migration offer as a likely scam.
- Why does an exchange make me pick a network for USDT?
- Because USDT is a token issued separately on many chains, including Ethereum, Tron and Solana. The sending side and the receiving side must use the same network, or the deposit may never arrive.
- Can a token become a coin?
- Yes. BNB started as an ERC-20 token and was swapped onto its own chain in April 2019, and CHZ became the native coin of Chiliz Chain in 2023 while an ERC-20 version stayed on Ethereum.
๐ Related
Checked 2026-09-13 against Tether's supported-protocols page, the Chiliz Chain developer docs, the BAT FAQ and Brave's own announcements, Polygon's migration notes, Binance's 2019 swap notice, Etherscan and CoinGecko. Chains, bridges and listings change, so confirm the network before you send anything. Information only โ nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any asset.