Cryptands enjoy some commercial applications (e.g. in homogenous-time-resolved-fluorescence, HTRF, technologies using Eu3+ as central ion). More importantly, they are reagents for the synthesis of inorganic and organometallic salts. Although more expensive and more difficult to prepare than crown ethers, cryptands bind alkali metals more strongly. They are especially used to isolate salts of highly basic anions. They convert solvated alkali metal cations into lipophilic cations, thereby conferring solubility in organic solvents to the resulting salts. 
Referring to achievements that have been recognized in textbooks, cryptands enabled the synthesis of the alkalides and electrides. For example, addition of 2,2,2-cryptand to a solution of sodium in ammonia affords the salt [Na(2,2,2-crypt)]e, isolated a blue-black paramagnetic solid. Cryptands have also been used in the crystallization of Zintl ions such as .
Although rarely practical, cryptands can serve as phase transfer catalysts since their cationic complexes are lipophilic.