This paper reviews alternative plasmonic materials for applications in telecommunication and optical frequencies, focusing on materials with low losses. Plasmonics merges optics and nanoelectronics by confining light to the nanometer scale, enabling novel devices. However, current plasmonic materials suffer from significant losses, limiting their practicality. The paper evaluates various materials, including metals, metal alloys, and doped semiconductors, based on quality factors that define their performance in different plasmonic devices. It outlines an approach to optimize plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications. Metals like silver and gold are traditionally used due to their high conductivity and negative real permittivity, but they have high losses, especially in the visible and UV ranges. Silver has the lowest losses in the visible and NIR ranges, but it degrades quickly and is difficult to fabricate. Gold is more stable but has high interband losses in the visible spectrum. Copper has good conductivity and comparable losses to gold but is challenging to fabricate due to oxidation. Aluminum has a high plasma frequency and is suitable for UV applications but oxidizes easily. Metallic alloys, such as noble-transition alloys, can shift interband transitions to less important parts of the spectrum, reducing losses. Alkali-noble inter-metallic compounds, like KAu, show promise but face challenges in synthesis and stability. Doped semiconductors, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and aluminum-zinc-oxide (AZO), offer low losses and are promising alternatives for plasmonic applications in the NIR and optical ranges. Graphene, with its high carrier mobility and unique band structure, is a potential plasmonic material but has higher losses at NIR frequencies compared to noble metals. Quality factors, or figures-of-merit, are used to compare the performance of plasmonic materials across different applications. Silver has the highest quality factors for LSPR and SPP applications but faces issues with oxidation and cost. Aluminum is suitable for UV applications but oxidizes easily. Doped semiconductors like ITO and AZO offer good performance in the NIR and optical ranges. Graphene is less attractive for telecommunication and visible wavelengths due to its losses. The paper concludes that no single plasmonic material is optimal for all applications. Silver is best for LSPR and SPP in the visible and NIR ranges, while doped semiconductors like ITO and AZO are promising for TO devices and superlensing. The choice of material depends on balancing quality factors, fabrication practicality, and cost. Future research aims to develop materials with lower losses to enable new applications in optics and nanoelectronics.This paper reviews alternative plasmonic materials for applications in telecommunication and optical frequencies, focusing on materials with low losses. Plasmonics merges optics and nanoelectronics by confining light to the nanometer scale, enabling novel devices. However, current plasmonic materials suffer from significant losses, limiting their practicality. The paper evaluates various materials, including metals, metal alloys, and doped semiconductors, based on quality factors that define their performance in different plasmonic devices. It outlines an approach to optimize plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications. Metals like silver and gold are traditionally used due to their high conductivity and negative real permittivity, but they have high losses, especially in the visible and UV ranges. Silver has the lowest losses in the visible and NIR ranges, but it degrades quickly and is difficult to fabricate. Gold is more stable but has high interband losses in the visible spectrum. Copper has good conductivity and comparable losses to gold but is challenging to fabricate due to oxidation. Aluminum has a high plasma frequency and is suitable for UV applications but oxidizes easily. Metallic alloys, such as noble-transition alloys, can shift interband transitions to less important parts of the spectrum, reducing losses. Alkali-noble inter-metallic compounds, like KAu, show promise but face challenges in synthesis and stability. Doped semiconductors, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and aluminum-zinc-oxide (AZO), offer low losses and are promising alternatives for plasmonic applications in the NIR and optical ranges. Graphene, with its high carrier mobility and unique band structure, is a potential plasmonic material but has higher losses at NIR frequencies compared to noble metals. Quality factors, or figures-of-merit, are used to compare the performance of plasmonic materials across different applications. Silver has the highest quality factors for LSPR and SPP applications but faces issues with oxidation and cost. Aluminum is suitable for UV applications but oxidizes easily. Doped semiconductors like ITO and AZO offer good performance in the NIR and optical ranges. Graphene is less attractive for telecommunication and visible wavelengths due to its losses. The paper concludes that no single plasmonic material is optimal for all applications. Silver is best for LSPR and SPP in the visible and NIR ranges, while doped semiconductors like ITO and AZO are promising for TO devices and superlensing. The choice of material depends on balancing quality factors, fabrication practicality, and cost. Future research aims to develop materials with lower losses to enable new applications in optics and nanoelectronics.