AI Tokens Under $1: Prices, Market Cap, and Volume Comparison

AI Tokens Under $1 Gaining Momentum in Crypto & Blockchain Markets 202

AI-linked crypto tokens are outperforming the broader market. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have stabilized, and risk appetite is returning. 

As artificial intelligence spending accelerates across Big Tech, investors are increasingly rotating into AI tokens under $1, looking for asymmetric upside without large-cap entry prices.

In the past 24 hours, top AI crypto coins like Bittensor (TAO) and Render (RNDR) led the sector. Below the large-cap coins, several low-cost AI tokens quietly outperformed the broader market. The rally is fueled by macro tailwinds, renewed interest in AI infrastructure, and active on-chain development across Ethereum, Layer-2s, and alternative compute networks.

Below are best AI tokens under $1, with a clear comparison table and market context for crypto users reference.

AI Tokens Under $1 – Market Overview

AI is moving beyond hype. Big tech and investors are now committing real capital to AI crypto projects.

• Meta, Microsoft, and Google are committing tens of billions of dollars to AI infrastructure.

• Bitcoin miners pivoting to AI data centers have surged in equity markets, reinforcing the AI-digital asset linkage.

• On-chain, Ethereum developers are advancing ERC-8004, a proposed standard for AI agent identity and reputation.

• AI agents are already deploying contracts and running autonomous logic on Ethereum L2s such as Base.
  

This environment is pushing capital into AI crypto coins to buy, especially low-cost AI tokens that offer exposure to infrastructure, agents, data, and decentralized compute.

Comparison Table For Best AI Tokens Under $1 to Watch in 2026

Source : CoinMarketCap as of 29 Jan 2026

1) Acurast (ACU) – Price, Market Cap, Token Utility, and Catalysts

Acurast is a decentralized compute and execution network focused on routing real-world compute tasks (including edge and mobile compute) across distributed providers. 

It bills itself as a “real decentralized compute” stack that connects developers, operators and service consumers with on-chain accounting.

What’s Happening: Acurast has quietly climbed to $0.093, up 6.67% in the last 24 hours and showing a healthy 14.7% gain over the past month.

Why It’s Moving:

• Futures listings on OKX and Bitrue gave traders more ways to speculate, driving short-term volume.

• Exchange debuts on KuCoin and Binance Alpha kept the momentum going.

• Technically, ACU is holding above key moving averages, which shows buyers are confident.

For low-cost AI tokens, Acurast isn’t flashy, but it’s showing steady, tangible growth.

2) Spectral (SPEC) – Low-Cost AI Token Performance & On-Chain Activity

Spectral develops AI agents. These agents interact with DeFi, manage risk, and deploy smart contracts autonomously. Agents use on-chain data and predictive models.

What’s Happening:  SPEC exploded to $0.71, surging nearly 46% in a single day and 60% over the week. Trading volume shot up over 330%.

Why It’s Moving:

• A technical breakout above important moving averages caught traders’ attention.

• Some recovery after the Bybit delisting last January helped stabilize sentiment.

• The ongoing Tri-Alpha Rewards program distributes 4,500 SPEC weekly, keeping the community engaged and active.

Spectral is volatile, but it’s one of the few AI crypto tokens under $1 that are actually tied to active on-chain agent usage.

3) Sahara AI (SAHARA) – Price, Market Cap, Token Utility, and Catalysts

Sahara AI is an AI-native blockchain and data network that aims to decentralize data services, reward data contributors and enable agentic solutions. 

The SAHARA token powers payments, rewards and governance inside that stack. The project has drawn notable institutional interest.

What’s Happening:  Sahara AI is trading at $0.0262, up 9% today and 11% for the week, with volume jumping over 300% to $123 million.

Why It’s Moving:

• Big futures activity on Binance shows traders are taking leveraged positions.

• Price is testing Fibonacci resistance around $0.0265, which is attracting attention from technical traders.

• The project raised ~$43M in a Series A led by Pantera Capital and Binance Labs, adding legitimacy.

• Partnerships with cloud and AI companies give it real-world backing.

Sahara AI is drawing eyes not just for speculation, but because it’s building a tangible AI data network.

4) Quack AI (QUACK) – Momentum Play & Token Utility

Quack AI (Q) is an execution layer for AI-triggered smart contracts on BNB Chain. AI agents can initiate transactions, manage logic flows, and automate execution with low latency.

The recently promoted Q402 execution layer is meant to standardize signing/execution for agent-driven on-chain tasks.

What’s Happening: Quack AI is still tiny at $0.0048, but it jumped 7.7% today, with trading volume spiking over 1,000%.

Why It’s Moving:

• Launch of the Q402 execution layer on BNB Chain gave users a reason to interact with the platform.

• Even in a weak market, Quack held its ground because the AI token sector is attracting new traders.

• Roadmap hints at multi-chain expansion and better developer tools, keeping the community excited.

Quack AI is a pure momentum play right now — people are betting on growth and adoption, not just hype.

5) Akash Network Rallies on AI Compute Demand and Tokenomics Update

Akash Network is a decentralized cloud marketplace. Developers rent GPU and compute resources for AI workloads.

Unused compute is matched with developers through a permissionless marketplace. Payments are settled in AKT.

What’s Happening: AKT hit $0.94, up 15% today and over 22% this week, backed by $142 million in daily volume.

Why It’s Moving:

• Investor demand for decentralized AI compute pushed the price higher.

• Partnership with Levangie Labs to run semi-autonomous AI agents adds real use case credibility.

• AkashML launch targets developers looking for AI compute, and upcoming Burn-Mint Equilibrium (BME) tokenomics could tighten supply.

• Potential chain migration could improve scalability and liquidity, keeping investors curious.

Among AI tokens under $1, Akash is one of the few with actual AI demand behind it — not just speculation.

Bottom Line

Not all AI tokens are hype plays. Capital flows are selective, targeting projects with execution layers, agent frameworks, and real infrastructure relevance. Volatility is high, but opportunities abound for AI tokens under $1 if BTC and ETH remain stable.

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Please DYOR before investing. CoinGabbar is not responsible for any financial losses. Crypto assets are highly volatile, and you can lose your entire investment. All the live prices data is taken from CoinMarketCap as of January 29, 2026.