Tether vs YLDS โ side-by-side comparison of supply, chains, backing, and peg data.
Over the last 30 days USDT supply moved -0.6% and YLDS +23.0% โ YLDS grew faster. YLDS held the tighter band: worst deviation 8 bps against 14 bps.
| Metric | USDT | YLDS |
|---|---|---|
| USD circulation value | $183.08B | $656.3M |
| Rank (by USD value) | #1 | #18 |
| Peg | USD | USD |
| Mechanism | fiat-backed | fiat-backed |
| Backing | Cash & T-bills | Tokenized US Treasuries (SEC registered) |
| Chains deployed | 130 | 4 |
| Primary chain | Tron | Ethereum |
| Issuer | Tether Limited | Figure Markets |
| CoinGecko | View โ | View โ |
Both track USD, so they compete for the same use cases. USDT holds cash & t-bills; YLDS holds tokenized us treasuries (sec registered). USDT ranks #1 by USD value and YLDS ranks #18.
USDT is larger, with $183.08B in circulation vs $656.3M for YLDS. That's roughly 279.0ร the size.
Neither is inherently safer. Safety turns on reserve composition, issuer transparency, redemption rights and regulatory oversight โ none of which this page audits. Both use a fiat-backed model, so the difference sits in the issuer and the reserves rather than the design. Read each issuer's most recent reserve attestation before choosing.
Yes. USDT and YLDS 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? USDT is available on 130 chains and YLDS on 4. 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.