What Is Litecoin (LTC | Ł ) ? Litecoin is similar to Bitcoin, but also the closest direct competitor. The main difference being the fact that Litecoin mining is currently resistant to ASIC hardware which means it can be generated with GPU’s. Litecoins are sent and received faster than bitcoins. Litecoin was originally conceived and developed by Charlie Lee in 2011. Since its launch in 2011 Litecoin has seen steady adoption with an active community of traders, merchants, and developers.