Ethereum vs Bitcoin: What's the Difference?
Last updated: 21 April 2026 · NavScope Intelligence
Bitcoin and Ethereum are the two largest cryptocurrencies but serve fundamentally different purposes.
| Bitcoin (BTC) | Ethereum (ETH) | |
|---|---|---|
| Created | 2009 (Satoshi Nakamoto) | 2015 (Vitalik Buterin) |
| Purpose | Digital store of value / currency | Programmable blockchain platform |
| Supply | 21 million cap (hard limit) | No hard cap (~120M circulating) |
| Consensus | Proof of Work (mining) | Proof of Stake (validators) |
| Block time | ~10 minutes | ~12 seconds |
| Smart contracts | Limited (Taproot) | Full Turing-complete |
| Gas fees | Low | Variable (can spike) |
| Use cases | Store of value, payments | DeFi, NFTs, dApps, L2s |
Bitcoin is often called "digital gold" — a scarce asset designed primarily to store and transfer value securely. Its hard cap of 21 million coins and proof-of-work security are its primary value propositions.
Ethereum is a programmable platform where developers deploy decentralised applications (dApps). The vast majority of DeFi, NFT, and Web3 activity runs on Ethereum or its Layer 2 networks (Arbitrum, Base, Polygon).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better to buy — Bitcoin or Ethereum?
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