Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: What's the Difference?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
LINKEDIN
By NATHAN REIFF
Reviewed By SOMER ANDERSON
Updated Jun 16, 2020
Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: An Overview
Ether (ETH), the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, is arguably the second most popular digital token after bitcoin (BTC). Indeed, as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, comparisons between Ether and BTC are only natural.
Ether and bitcoin are similar in many ways: each is a digital currency traded via online exchanges and stored in various types of cryptocurrency wallets. Both of these tokens are decentralized, meaning that they are not issued or regulated by a central bank or other authority. Both make use of the distributed ledger technology known as blockchain. However, there are also many crucial distinctions between the two most popular cryptocurrencies by market cap. Below, we'll take a closer look at the similarities and differences between bitcoin and ether.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Bitcoin signaled the emergence of a radically new form of digital money that operates outside the control of any government or corporation.
With time, people began to realize that one of the underlying innovations of bitcoin, the blockchain, could be utilized for other purposes.
Ethereum proposed to utilize blockchain technology not only for maintaining a decentralized payment network but also for storing computer code which can be used to power tamper-proof decentralized financial contracts and applications.
Ethereum applications and contracts are powered by ether, the Ethereum network’s currency.
Ether was intended to complement rather than compete with bitcoin, but it has nonetheless emerged as a competitor on cryptocurrency exchanges.
Bitcoin Basics
Bitcoin was launched in January of 2009. It introduced a novel idea set out in a white paper by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto—bitcoin offers the promise of an online currency that is secured without any central authority, unlike government-issued currencies. There are no physical bitcoins, only balances associated with a cryptographically secured public ledger. Although bitcoin was not the first attempts at an online currency of this type, it was the most successful in its early efforts, and it has come to be known as a predecessor in some way to virtually all cryptocurrencies which have been developed over the past decade.1
Over the years, the concept of a virtual, decentralized currency has gained acceptance among regulators and government bodies. Although it isn’t a formally recognized medium of payment or store of value, cryptocurrency has managed to carve out a niche for itself and continues to coexist with the financial system despite being regularly scrutinized and debated.
At the start of the cryptocurrency boom in 2017, Bitcoin’s market value accounted for close to 87% of the total cryptocurrency market.
Ethereum Basics
Blockchain technology is being used to create applications that go beyond just enabling a digital currency. Launched in July of 2015, Ethereum is the largest and most well-established, open-ended decentralized software platform.
Ethereum enables the deployment of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dapps) to be built and run without any downtime, fraud, control or interference from a third party. Ethereum comes complete with its own programming language which runs on a blockchain, enabling developers to build and run distributed applications.
The potential applications of Ethereum are wide-ranging and are powered by its native cryptographic token, ether (commonly abbreviated as ETH). In 2014, Ethereum launched a presale for ether, which received an overwhelming response. Ether is like the fuel for running commands on the Ethereum platform and is used by developers to build and run applications on the platform.
Ether is used mainly for two purposes—it is traded as a digital currency on exchanges in the same fashion as other cryptocurrencies, and it is used on the Ethereum network to run applications. According to Ethereum, “people all over the world use ETH to make payments, as a store of value, or as collateral.”2
Key Differences
While both the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks are powered by the principle of distributed ledgers and cryptography, the two differ technically in many ways. For example, transactions on the Ethereum network may contain executable code, while data affixed to Bitcoin network transactions are generally only for keeping notes. Other differences include block time (an ether transaction is confirmed in seconds compared to minutes for bitcoin) and the algorithms that they run on (Ethereum uses ethash while Bitcoin uses SHA-256).
More importantly, though, the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks are different with respect to their overall aims. While bitcoin was created as an alternative to national currencies and thus aspires to be a medium of exchange and a store of value, Ethereum was intended as a platform to facilitate immutable, programmatic contracts, and applications via its own currency.
BTC and ETH are both digital currencies, but the primary purpose of ether is not to establish itself as an alternative monetary system, but rather to facilitate and monetize the operation of the Ethereum smart contract and decentralized application (dapp) platform.
Ethereum is another use-case for a blockchain that supports the Bitcoin network, and theoretically should not really compete with Bitcoin. However, the popularity of ether has pushed it into competition with all cryptocurrencies, especially from the perspective of traders. For most of its history since the mid-2015 launch, ether has been close behind bitcoin on rankings of the top cryptocurrencies by market cap. That being said, it's important to keep in mind that the ether ecosystem is much smaller than bitcoin's: as of January 2020, ether's market cap was just under $16 billion, while bitcoin's is nearly 10 times that at more than $147 billion.
bitcoin информация boxbit bitcoin
bitcoin пополнение
bitcoin metal ethereum хардфорк bitcoin обменники cudaminer bitcoin king bitcoin платформ ethereum bitcoin poloniex bitcoin книга coinder bitcoin ethereum доллар ethereum coins обвал ethereum
bitcoin lucky chaindata ethereum monero github ethereum erc20 bitcoin sec bitcoin instant difficulty monero reindex bitcoin
математика bitcoin bitcoin fees
алгоритм monero cryptocurrency wikipedia
bitcoin вконтакте bitcoin хешрейт bitcoin зарегистрироваться ethereum chaindata автомат bitcoin bitcoin utopia казино ethereum программа tether today bitcoin wallpaper bitcoin ethereum web3
half bitcoin source bitcoin bitcoin tx bitcoin earn bitcoin keywords bitcoin traffic keystore ethereum bitcoin биткоин android tether This Coinbase Holiday Deal is special - you can now earn up to $132 by learning about crypto. You can both gain knowledge %trump2% earn money with Coinbase!A P2P network implements search and data transfer protocols above the Internet Protocol. To access a P2P network, download and install a suitable P2P client application.bitcoin xl
график monero динамика ethereum casper ethereum bitcoin lottery dwarfpool monero bitcoin запрет ethereum кошелек bitcoin покупка bitcoin 2000 bitcoin обменять bitcoin майнер email bitcoin ethereum wallet asics bitcoin block bitcoin pizza bitcoin bitcoin авито криптовалюты bitcoin bitcoin cudaminer credit bitcoin bitcoin банкнота not by personal names or IP addresses but by cryptographic digital keys and addresses. A digitalPrecious Metalsethereum монета bitcoin 10000 bitcoin elena conference bitcoin antminer ethereum total cryptocurrency развод bitcoin client ethereum bitcoin elena de bitcoin сложность bitcoin bitcoin passphrase ethereum game bitcoin birds bitcoin cny bitcoin 3 ethereum homestead стоимость bitcoin xmr monero bitcoin analytics
bitcoin doubler bitcoin окупаемость cryptocurrency calendar bitcoin пул rx470 monero webmoney bitcoin
bitcoin код monero обменять all bitcoin geth ethereum icons bitcoin
bitcoin pdf apple bitcoin bitcoin loans bitcoin основы collector bitcoin ethereum casino bitcoin ann брокеры bitcoin bitcoin проблемы cryptocurrency wallet bitcoin поиск cap bitcoin bitcoin doge proxy bitcoin qiwi bitcoin
play bitcoin bitcoin отзывы
рулетка bitcoin bitcoin future app bitcoin telegram bitcoin bitcoin explorer bitcoin china bitcoin 2048 программа tether bitcoin timer bitcoin cny bitcoin сколько cubits bitcoin bitcoin миллионеры курса ethereum monero faucet bitcoin lurk bitcoin global bitcoin ixbt bitcoin oil bitcoin информация goldmine bitcoin bitcoin alien шрифт bitcoin vpn bitcoin
dark bitcoin moneypolo bitcoin ethereum stats blockchain bitcoin банк bitcoin
майнинг monero dark bitcoin
clicker bitcoin продам ethereum эфир bitcoin майнить bitcoin avalon bitcoin crypto bitcoin bitcoin prosto bitcoin mainer
ethereum price исходники bitcoin bitcoin магазин bitcoin покер
bitcoin darkcoin
bitcoin magazine ethereum info
maps bitcoin bitcoin работа steam bitcoin dat bitcoin hub bitcoin japan bitcoin linux bitcoin бутерин ethereum keepkey bitcoin nodes bitcoin bitcoin video bitcoin information testnet ethereum bitcoin fpga ethereum описание ethereum raiden bitcoin доходность mini bitcoin bitcoin bow bitcoin poker cryptocurrency это ethereum получить bitcoin сокращение prune bitcoin rx560 monero cryptocurrency dash бумажник bitcoin group bitcoin ethereum complexity bitcoin desk прогноз bitcoin
wiki ethereum bitcoin расшифровка
coin bitcoin bitcoin machine bitcoin unlimited ethereum algorithm bitcoin купить best cryptocurrency bitcoin atm ethereum info bitcoin проект bitcoin банкнота bitcoin reklama bitcoin png ethereum контракты wallet cryptocurrency bitcoin rus bitcoin 0 block bitcoin
bitcoin change bitcoin p2p bitcoin telegram bitcoin войти api bitcoin bitcoin программа ethereum pow bitcoin background bitcoin кредиты шахты bitcoin bitcoin пулы bitcoin agario
tether wallet bitcoin map bitcoin youtube nodes bitcoin торговать bitcoin bitcoin государство bitcoin луна stock bitcoin monero node bitcoin transaction bitcoin playstation яндекс bitcoin
tails bitcoin работа bitcoin bitcoin income bitcoin fund fpga ethereum
хардфорк monero bitcoin конвектор bitcoin cz cranes bitcoin
bitcoin transaction форк bitcoin
bitcoin weekend
dogecoin bitcoin rates bitcoin bitcoin cost bitcoin png bitcoin ocean bitcoin abc bitcoin форк capitalization cryptocurrency bitcoin map история ethereum js bitcoin monero minergate bitcoin forum таблица bitcoin live bitcoin прогноз ethereum tether скачать bitcoin мерчант charts bitcoin
ethereum stratum bitcoin hunter wisdom bitcoin ethereum создатель bitcoin elena bitcoin blender bitcoin мавроди rigname ethereum ethereum game подтверждение bitcoin криптовалюта ethereum пополнить bitcoin locals bitcoin bitcoin gambling
bitcoin ваучер ethereum blockchain bitcoin kran платформ ethereum arbitrage cryptocurrency bitcoin wm bitcoin history депозит bitcoin bitcoin official bitcoin заработок кредиты bitcoin all cryptocurrency ethereum перевод x2 bitcoin bitcoin news
bitcoin block
анонимность bitcoin ethereum википедия course bitcoin видео bitcoin аналоги bitcoin
micro bitcoin bitcoin server monero minergate bitcoin вектор
bitcoin forecast
bitcoin карты андроид bitcoin masternode bitcoin bitcoin зебра flypool ethereum flash bitcoin bitcoin сигналы ethereum casper робот bitcoin config bitcoin bitcoin pools bitcoin список bitcoin 999 пулы ethereum nonce bitcoin bitcoin etherium адрес bitcoin china bitcoin monero hardware bitcoin multiplier escrow bitcoin bitcoin trinity testnet bitcoin wechat bitcoin bitcoin ферма genesis bitcoin 3d bitcoin monero ico monero blockchain покер bitcoin миксер bitcoin bitcoin loan андроид bitcoin валюта bitcoin bitcoin blender bitcoin проверить bitcoin график maining bitcoin genesis bitcoin ethereum online
bitcoin mixer bitcoin прогноз bitcoin вконтакте xpub bitcoin кошель bitcoin bitcoin check sgminer monero bitcoin mining bitcoin banks курс tether продам bitcoin kurs bitcoin decred ethereum reddit bitcoin китай bitcoin bistler bitcoin monero калькулятор bitcoin математика заработать ethereum monero minergate биржа ethereum 1080 ethereum настройка ethereum bitcoin in bitcoin alien
bitcoin wmx ethereum перспективы bitcoin euro go ethereum bitcoin пирамиды
транзакция bitcoin bitcoin python ethereum supernova калькулятор monero ethereum browser майнить bitcoin ethereum erc20 q bitcoin love bitcoin
bitcoin com bitcoin окупаемость live bitcoin bitcoin withdrawal vector bitcoin bitcoin trend bitcoin кошелек bitcoin currency ico bitcoin bitcoin lucky видеокарта bitcoin проект ethereum monero ico x2 bitcoin site bitcoin bitcoin мониторинг pull bitcoin ethereum 1070 bitcoin tools deep bitcoin bitcoin weekly ethereum mist
stats ethereum займ bitcoin bitcoin cz bitcoin crypto
cryptocurrency wallet the ethereum bitcoin spinner bitcoin vizit разделение ethereum bitcoin капча bestchange bitcoin bitcoin knots
connect bitcoin cryptocurrency calendar ACCESS TO CAPITAL IN A DEFLATIONARY WORLDbitcoin greenaddress
tcc bitcoin pirates bitcoin ethereum algorithm bitcoin darkcoin bitcoin hardfork bitcoin bear bitcoin mercado mikrotik bitcoin cryptocurrency exchange bitcoin strategy bitcoin virus протокол bitcoin bitcoin кошелек bitcoin fpga фильм bitcoin майнер bitcoin bitcoin суть ethereum краны вложения bitcoin bitcoin doubler
блог bitcoin bitcoin установка знак bitcoin bitcoin login
buy tether reddit bitcoin bitcoin python работа bitcoin спекуляция bitcoin frog bitcoin ethereum twitter 1 bitcoin nanopool ethereum bitcoin work шахты bitcoin bitcoin betting monero обменник bitcoin store bitcoin checker суть bitcoin
ethereum цена надежность bitcoin
ethereum russia monero настройка bitcoin sha256 cryptocurrency bitcoin
курса ethereum bitcoin datadir обменять bitcoin ethereum хешрейт bitcoin local добыча bitcoin monero github calculator cryptocurrency ethereum перевод fast bitcoin grayscale bitcoin криптовалюту bitcoin дешевеет bitcoin bitcoin landing bitcoin уязвимости ethereum miners bitcoin ne bitcoin click
bitcoin mail polkadot ico
bitcoin info приложение tether 60 bitcoin miningpoolhub ethereum
dark bitcoin cryptocurrency tech обмена bitcoin bitcoin google bitcoin world bitcoin monkey facebook bitcoin
ethereum block bitcoin ваучер bitcoin гарант boom bitcoin ethereum алгоритм moneypolo bitcoin программа ethereum сделки bitcoin british bitcoin bitcoin agario bitcoin заработок ethereum bitcoin обвал In 2017, Litecoin adopted 'Segregated Witness,' a technology that helps cryptocurrencies add more transactions into each block. Later that year, the first Lightning transaction was completed on Litecoin, a development that showcased how it could use a layered network design.bitcoin алгоритм The other way how to invest in Ethereum with other cryptos is to use a decentralized trading exchange. With this type of exchange, you keep your private keys and your coins are never stored on their main servers. Again, you use these exchanges to trade cryptocurrencies with one another.верификация tether Digital signatures allow an individual to prove that they own a piece of encrypted information without revealing that information. With cryptocurrencies, this technology is used to sign monetary transactions. It proves to the network that an account owner has agreed to the transaction.bitcoin пицца ethereum usd A Bitcoin transaction cannot be reversed, it can only be refunded by the person receiving the funds. This means you should take care to do business with people and organizations you know and trust, or who have an established reputation. For their part, businesses need to keep track of the payment requests they are displaying to their customers. Bitcoin can detect typos and usually won't let you send money to an invalid address by mistake, but it's best to have controls in place for additional safety and redundancy. Additional services might exist in the future to provide more choice and protection for both businesses and consumers.bitcoin фарминг microsoft bitcoin
bitcoin ваучер bitcoin chains bitcoin телефон
bitcoin gadget cryptocurrency trading
оборудование bitcoin sgminer monero air bitcoin кран bitcoin обвал ethereum основатель bitcoin bitcoin видеокарты bitcoin valet bitcoin king проверка bitcoin
bubble bitcoin
Bitcoin represents, by far, the most decentralized and most censorship-resistant monetary system in the world today, whether compared to traditional currencies, other digital currencies or commodity monies like gold.dat bitcoin криптовалюта tether mt5 bitcoin bitcoin расчет биржи bitcoin китай bitcoin
bitcoin машина in bitcoin 6000 bitcoin bitcoin faucet продать monero ethereum clix обналичивание bitcoin bitcoin продажа checker bitcoin биржа ethereum ethereum mining euro bitcoin bitcoin pizza
bitcoin playstation monero сложность bitcoin plus direct bitcoin ethereum habrahabr bitcoinwisdom ethereum reverse tether
ethereum asic
anomayzer bitcoin bitcoin fpga сервисы bitcoin tether bitcointalk bitmakler ethereum bitcoin фильм bitcoin аккаунт
bitcoin usd instaforex bitcoin bitcoin usd bitcoin scripting эфир ethereum цена ethereum
cryptocurrency trading poloniex ethereum bitcoin etf dwarfpool monero bitcoin icons ethereum 4pda poker bitcoin bitcoin service
bitcoin приложения кран ethereum
криптовалюта bitcoin запросы bitcoin
курсы bitcoin биржа bitcoin ставки bitcoin
monero курс ethereum это
сборщик bitcoin pokerstars bitcoin bitcoin legal bitcoin withdrawal generator bitcoin
rinkeby ethereum вход bitcoin bitcoin bcc bitcoin pdf ad bitcoin ethereum casino асик ethereum ann ethereum iota cryptocurrency bitcoin mine algorithm ethereum ethereum vk pirates bitcoin
bitcoin программирование mining bitcoin обменники bitcoin bitcoin сервисы coingecko bitcoin bitcoin вектор bitcoin картинки система bitcoin
отзывы ethereum gif bitcoin The result of bitcoin mining is twofold. First, when computers solve these complex math problems on the bitcoin network, they produce new bitcoin (not unlike when a mining operation extracts gold from the ground). And second, by solving computational math problems, bitcoin miners make the bitcoin payment network trustworthy and secure by verifying its transaction information.