USD Coin vs United Stables — side-by-side comparison of supply, chains, backing, and peg data.
| Metric | USDC | U |
|---|---|---|
| USD circulation value | $73.47B | $1.08B |
| Rank (by USD value) | #2 | #16 |
| Peg | USD | USD |
| Mechanism | fiat-backed | crypto-backed |
| Backing | Cash & T-bills | Stablecoin basket |
| Chains deployed | 154 | 3 |
| Primary chain | Ethereum | BSC |
| Issuer | USD Coin | United Stables |
| CoinGecko | View → | View → |
Both USDC and U track USD, but they differ in backing and issuer. USDC is backed by cash & t-bills while U is backed by stablecoin basket. As of today, USDC ranks #2 and U ranks #16 among tracked stablecoins.
USDC is larger, with $73.47B in circulation vs $1.08B for U. That's roughly 68.2× the size.
Neither USDC nor U is inherently "safer" — safety depends on the specific backing composition, issuer transparency, redemption rights, and regulatory oversight. USDC uses fiat-backed backing model; U uses crypto-backed. Users should read each issuer's most recent reserve attestation before choosing.
Yes. USDC and U both trade on major centralized and decentralized exchanges. Since both track USD, the exchange rate is typically very close to 1:1. Direct swap protocols on Ethereum, Solana, and other chains offer the tightest spreads.
The right choice depends on your use case. Consider: which chain do you need? USDC is available on 154 chains and U on 3. What backing do you prefer? What's your integration surface (exchanges, DeFi protocols, payment providers)? Both have deep liquidity, so market cap alone shouldn't decide it.