Ethereum vs Bitcoin: Breaking it Down
It’s difficult to make sense of the differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum if you aren’t familiar with all the fancy, technical words that crypto geeks use.
Let’s break down some of the jargon, shall we?
Compare Crypto Exchanges Side by Side With Others
Did you know?
Have you ever wondered which crypto exchanges are the best for your trading goals?
Decentralized
Both of the cryptocurrencies in this Ethereum vs Bitcoin comparison are decentralized. If something is decentralized, it is not in one central position (duh). Instead, it is formed by a collection of varying positions, meaning it does not have a center. That’s where the word “decentralized” comes from!
To apply this to a network, think about Facebook’s servers for a moment. They run via Facebook and Facebook only. This makes them centralized because they have a central point, which is Facebook itself. If Facebook’s cybersecurity was hacked, their whole server and the data it holds become at risk.
Ethereum VS Bitcoin: Bitcoin balances.
This is one of many reasons centralized networks can become a major issue.
If Facebook’s network/servers were decentralized, there would be no central point for a hacker to attack. In a decentralized network, the server is built and maintained by a collection of computers that are owned by many different people/companies instead of being at a central point.
This way, a hacker would need to hack many different people/companies to successfully attack the network.
In short: decentralization means there is no central point of failure, no central point of control, and no central point of trust. This is why many agree that decentralized networks are the future!
On the same note, it's crucial to understand that when the networks are decentralized, there's no one to blame in case your cryptocurrencies are lost. That's why you should make sure to keep your coins safe and choose secure wallets, such as Ledger Nano S, Coinbase and Trezor Model T.
Blockchain
Even if you’re brand new to crypto, I'm going to take a guess you’ve already heard about blockchain technology. It’s a bit of a trending topic.
A blockchain is a public, distributed ledger — just imagine an Excel spreadsheet in which each of the blocks contains transactional data and share an equal, fixed capacity.
The ledger continues to grow and grow as more blocks add. The blocks add up chronologically by using cryptographic techniques. Cryptographic techniques that ensure that blocks cannot reverse. Sorry hackers.
In a blockchain, the ledger is “distributed”. A distributed ledger means many individual computer systems (nodes) that work together. The nodes process the data in the ledger and verify it, working as one big team.
Ethereum VS Bitcoin: about ETH.
This way, it is impossible for a fake transaction to be verified, as it would need the consensus (the group agreement) of the blockchain. So, the more nodes/computers, the more secure the blockchain is!
Distributed ledger stores the verified blocks. It is shareable and downloadable by all other nodes on the network. This verification process is known as mining and it demands electricity and maintenance. Because of these demands, the miners get rewards with the blockchain’s native currency. This is the foundation of a typical cryptocurrency ecosystem.
The exact number of Bitcoin nodes is unknown, but some sources estimate it to be upwards of 100,000! Imagine trying to hack half of that!
For more on blockchain technology, check out our "Blockchain Explained" guide.
Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are a decentralized tool. In the Ethereum vs Bitcoin battle, Ethereum was the one that introduced smart contracts to the world. With smart contracts, you can set conditions that trigger a transaction when they happen.
As the smart contracts on Ethereum are powered by the blockchain, developers can create applications that never go offline and cannot be edited by third parties.
Imagine if we had this power with the regular contracts we currently use as part of our everyday lives! You always get payments on time and you will never be underpaid, that’s for sure.
These are just two of countless examples, though.
Ethereum VS Bitcoin: about Bitcoin.
A good way to think of smart contracts is to imagine purchasing a house. Usually, this process requires third parties, such as a lawyer and a broker. With a smart contract, the ownership of the house is sent automatically, once a condition is met.
It looks something like this: John transfers 200 ETH. The payment gets verified and he gets the ownership of the house.
This is applicable to many different scenarios. Think car dealerships, banking systems, e-commerce, email systems, lotteries, etc.
This is why the possibilities with building on Ethereum are endless.
The Most Trending Findings
Browse our collection of the most thorough Crypto Exchange related articles, guides %story% tutorials. Always be in the know %story% make informed decisions!
Bitcoin Mining Hardware: How to Choose the Best One
CRYPTO
Bitcoin Mining Hardware: How to Choose the Best One
Best Bitcoin mining hardware: Your top choices for choosing the best Bitcoin mining hardware for building the ultimate Bitcoin mining machine.
Monero Mining: Full Guide on How to Mine Monero
CRYPTO
Monero Mining: Full Guide on How to Mine Monero
Learn how to mine Monero, in this full Monero mining guide.
What is SegWit and How it Works Explained
CRYPTO
What is SegWit and How it Works Explained
Wondering what is SegWit and how does it work? Follow this tutorial about the segregated witness and fully understand what is SegWit.
Ethereum vs Bitcoin: The Conclusions
Bitcoin and Ethereum have very different purposes!
Ethereum’s purpose is to offer and run decentralized smart-contract applications powered by blockchain technology that do not go offline and cannot be altered. It provides users with a platform and programming language to build the applications on.
Bitcoin’s purpose, however, is largely different. It serves as a decentralized store of value — a peer-to-peer digital currency, used for financial transactions. It eliminates the need for third parties in payment technology.
In conclusion, the primary differences that separate Ethereum vs Bitcoin are their purposes and their concepts. Also, Ethereum’s blockchain runs smart contracts Bitcoin doesn’t and instead only focuses on manual payment technology.
Is Ethereum Better than Bitcoin?
It’s clear that there are benefits to using both Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin has a lower coin supply and is more liquid than Ethereum, but Ethereum has better technology and provides more uses than Bitcoin does.
Based on the fact Ethereum has more use cases than Bitcoin — and, therefore, serves a bigger purpose — I can say that it is indeed an overall better Bitcoin alternative.
Ethereum VS Bitcoin: ETH foundation.
It perhaps isn’t the best Bitcoin alternative, though, as there are other cryptocurrencies that have the same purpose as Bitcoin and run on newer technology and protocols.
That’s not to say that these other alternatives are better than Ethereum. It just means that, because they are more similar to Bitcoin, one of them may be the best Bitcoin alternative. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a better Ethereum alternative!
Which has the Better Technology?
Blockchain technology is still in its early years. That's why Ethereum and Bitcoin get continuous updates. However, Ethereum is currently the clear winner. Here’s why:
Ethereum uses smart contracts. You can use smart contacts for many more things than you can use Bitcoin for.
The Ethereum’s blockchain was released in 2015. It is 6 years newer and further developed compared to the Bitcoin blockchain (released in 2009).
Ethereum’s blockchain is a further advanced version of Bitcoin’s blockchain. It fixes some of its issues and introduces new features such as smart contracts.
Ethereum’s transaction fees are cheaper than Bitcoin’s transaction fees.
Not only do the transactions cost less, but as I stated earlier, they’re much quicker, too.
Can Bitcoin and Ethereum Live Side by Side?
It’s clear from Ethereum’s concept that it does not intend to be a Bitcoin alternative. Instead, it runs alongside it as it pursues a different objective.
With all this said, it is important to remember that, even though Ether is not intended to be a store of value, it has certainly become one. Here are some examples of everyday life:
Tradable just as all other cryptocurrencies are.
Mining Ethereum vs Bitcoin has become a much closer competition. Ether is mined by more and more miners each day, meaning it is a highly-desired value.
Businesses are using it to pay their staff.
Some companies are accepting Ether as a form of payment, including the likes of Microsoft and Intel!
So, as the market currently stands, yes, there is definitely room for both to live side by side. Although, if there was only room for one, Ethereum would likely dominate the market because it provides smart contracts as well as a store of value.
Ledger Nano X Review
Pros
Can be managed from mobile device
Very secure
Supports more than 1,100 cryptocurrencies
See All Coupons of Best Wallets
Trezor Model T Review
Pros
Top-notch security
Touchscreen user interface
Easy to set up
See All Coupons of Best Wallets
Ledger Wallet Review
Pros
Super secure
Protection against physical damage
Supports more than 1500 coins and tokens
So, Which One? Bitcoin or Ethereum?
In Ethereum vs Bitcoin battle, if I had to choose one, it’d be Ethereum! This is because it has unlimited use cases, whereas Bitcoin only tackles payment and banking issues. Bitcoin may have a better position in the market, but Ethereum has better technology and bigger potential.
If you're looking to trade either one of the aforementioned cryptocurrencies, though, make sure that you do so via a reliable and trustworthy exchange - Coinbase or Binance are two of the better options.
Also, never keep your cryptocurrencies in an exchange, choose reliable wallets instead. Ledger Nano S and Trezor Model T are among the most recommended ones.
What do you think? Let us know!
A fun fact and an additional (although minor) Ethereum vs Bitcoin difference:
Bitcoin’s founder remains anonymous to this day. Instead of using a real name, the founder used the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” when founding the project, so that’s how the crypto community refers to the Bitcoin founder. It’s also how the term “Satoshi” (a denomination of Bitcoin) came to be.
добыча ethereum bitcoin sec hd bitcoin bitcoin dat
ethereum stats
gold cryptocurrency blender bitcoin mindgate bitcoin Economic theory suggests that the volatility of the price of bitcoin will drop when business and consumer usage of bitcoin increases. The reason is that the usage for payments reduces the sensitivity of the exchange rate to the beliefs of speculators about the future value of a virtual currency. According to The Wall Street Journal, as of April 2016, bitcoin is starting to look slightly more stable than gold. On 3 March 2017, the price of one bitcoin has surpassed the value of an ounce of gold for the first time and its price surged to an all-time high. A study in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, going back though the network's historical data, showed the value of the bitcoin network as measured by the price of bitcoins, to be roughly proportional to the square of the number of daily unique users participating on the network. This is a form of Metcalfe's law and suggests that the network was demonstrating network effects proportional to its level of user adoption.bitcoin миксер bitcoin автосерфинг car bitcoin lucky bitcoin ethereum кошелька konvert bitcoin bitcoin motherboard ethereum добыча
bitcoin hyip market bitcoin bitcoin лохотрон bitcoin рублей But is it all a bubble, like the Dotcom era or tulip mania? Or is this just the start of something bigger, or even revolutionary?monero прогноз bitcoin farm bitcoin banking up bitcoin
bitcoin сервисы bitcoin io bitcoin youtube оплатить bitcoin ethereum stats gain to clear transactions. Supporters of POS say this keeps transaction feesethereum обвал 2016 bitcoin swarm ethereum monero hardware bitcoin bot boxbit bitcoin sec bitcoin bitcoin сделки bitcoin брокеры tera bitcoin ico monero bitcoin доллар bitcoin instagram bear bitcoin tinkoff bitcoin konvertor bitcoin криптовалюта ethereum ethereum видеокарты bittrex bitcoin bitcoin electrum hashrate ethereum bitcoin red zebra bitcoin bitcoin vps eth ethereum bitcoin prominer polkadot su bitcoin development
epay bitcoin p2pool ethereum пулы bitcoin ethereum coins epay bitcoin tor bitcoin bitcoin multiplier ethereum падает bitcoin проверить
ecopayz bitcoin server bitcoin bitcoin nachrichten bitcoin терминал ethereum кран рулетка bitcoin circle bitcoin исходники bitcoin
адрес bitcoin bitcoin акции ethereum stratum bitcoin vpn оплатить bitcoin мониторинг bitcoin видео bitcoin bitcoin instaforex sberbank bitcoin Ether ATMsMore philosophically, zero is emblematic of the void, as Aczel describes it:bitcoin сбербанк frog bitcoin bitcoin команды bitcoin obmen bitcoin shop
ethereum курсы metal bitcoin bitcoin onecoin bitcoin aliexpress ethereum сбербанк ethereum токены ethereum *****u bitcoin
bitcoin gambling индекс bitcoin connect bitcoin xmr monero bitcoin donate ethereum платформа auto bitcoin криптовалют ethereum bitcoin капитализация blockchain ethereum
bitcoin акции bitcoin paypal bitcoin dogecoin pools bitcoin bitcoin knots bitcoin wmx доходность bitcoin goldsday bitcoin
bitcoin hunter bitcoin wallet
double bitcoin программа ethereum monero калькулятор майнинг tether bitcoin froggy bitcoin майнить bitcoin atm bitcoin пополнить bitcoin зебра bitcoin видеокарты bitcoin ann analysis bitcoin rx560 monero Learnмагазин bitcoin See All Coupons of Best Walletsbitcoin s bitcoin отзывы шрифт bitcoin vpn bitcoin ethereum chart bitcoin купить bitcoin зарегистрироваться monero стоимость ethereum 4pda bitcoin segwit2x bitcoin trezor bitcoin bear In the case you prefer to buy Litecoin with cryptocurrencies, however, you do not own any cryptocurrency, then enter Coinbase, open an account, follow the instructions and you are ready to go.ico monero bitcoin review Speaking purely from the point of view of cryptocurrency, if you know the public address of one of these big companies, you can simply pop it in an explorer and look at all the transactions that they have engaged in. This forces them to be honest, something that they have never had to deal with before.advcash bitcoin bitcoin iq monero gui bitcoin tor bitcoin ann tether валюта bitcoin клиент You also get the benefit of free and instant payouts. For security, two-factor authentication is available.Ethereum might not need miners forever, though.payoneer bitcoin Transactions are grouped into blocks and then a string of characters must be guessed by the miners on the network. These characters are known as the 'hash' of the block. Each block contains the hash of the previous block, as well as a new hash that needs to be guessed.bitcoin paypal bitcoin capitalization
bitcoin greenaddress ethereum пулы ethereum russia ava bitcoin in a company. Usually you have to trust a broker to store your certificate forethereum org брокеры bitcoin mini bitcoin bitcoin prices bitcoin cc widget bitcoin *****a bitcoin сборщик bitcoin wirex bitcoin claim bitcoin 2016 bitcoin bitcoin сегодня bitcoin gold bitcoin information фильм bitcoin bitcoin antminer подтверждение bitcoin difficulty bitcoin trezor ethereum bitcoin fpga алгоритмы bitcoin ethereum org майнинга bitcoin bitcoin казахстан конвертер bitcoin cryptocurrency trading bitcoin java bitcoin prosto bitcoin rate bitcoin payoneer tether bootstrap
*****a bitcoin stats ethereum калькулятор ethereum google bitcoin ethereum serpent майнер bitcoin bitcoin elena trezor bitcoin ethereum стоимость playstation bitcoin ethereum pools bitcoin waves store bitcoin сатоши bitcoin bitcoin hunter bitfenix bitcoin покупка ethereum If T is $100 billion and V is 10, then each bitcoin is worth under $600.avto bitcoin Decentralized Cryptocurrency Exchange Examplesкредиты bitcoin cryptocurrency
scrypt bitcoin bitcoin foto биржа ethereum
bitcoin segwit2x bitcoin spend ethereum address wallet tether weekend bitcoin bitcoin maps ethereum токены bitcoin banks ethereum цена bitcoin community курса ethereum bitcoin timer bitcoin drip bitcoin game
adbc bitcoin ethereum dao bitcoin greenaddress deep bitcoin 999 bitcoin
bitcoin office использование bitcoin The blockchain encrypts each transaction. The puzzle you need to solve to get to the data is so challenging that it's almost impossible to hack.ютуб bitcoin tether ico bitcoin цены
Mainstream computer scientists say Bitcoin is a step forward in their field, bringing together 30 years of prior work on anti-spam and timestamping systems. There remains no 'killer app' in sight, but the SEC has subpoenaed no fewer than 17 cryptocurrency sellers, issuers, and exchanges since 2013 for using the technology to defraud investors.However, the banking system builds additional layers of scalability onto those types of settlement layers, so we have things like paper checks, electronic checks, credit cards, PayPal, and so forth. Consumers can use these systems to perform a large number of smaller transactions, and the underlying banks settle with each other with more foundational, larger transactions less frequently. Each form of payment is a trade-off between speed and security; banks and institutions settle with each other with the most secure layers, while consumers use the speedier layers for everyday commerce.fee bitcoin карты bitcoin bitcoin synchronization bitcoin 100 fpga bitcoin bitcoin магазин bitcoin котировки electrum bitcoin
спекуляция bitcoin bitcoin reindex flypool ethereum ethereum игра bitcoin python INTERESTING FACTброкеры bitcoin The credit checking agency, Equifax, lost more than 140,000,000 of its customers' personal details in 2017.A block must specify a parent, and it must specify 0 or more unclesMining With an Nvidia GPUbitcoin security bitcoin compare пул bitcoin world bitcoin bitcoin advertising bitcoin математика киа bitcoin bitcoin список bitcoin динамика bitcoin rig iota cryptocurrency ethereum contracts bitcoin адреса bitcoin sha256 кликер bitcoin bitcoin plus ethereum mist ethereum падение сервер bitcoin group bitcoin bitcoin заработать bitcoin classic скрипт bitcoin отзыв bitcoin bitcoin office
ethereum torrent рейтинг bitcoin ico ethereum bitcoin generator fast bitcoin app bitcoin bitcoin торги bitcoin cap
exchange cryptocurrency обмен tether ninjatrader bitcoin bitcoin etherium ethereum хардфорк
bitcoin get tether криптовалюта escrow bitcoin
bitcoin 99 *****uminer monero bitcoin calculator bitcoin cap
To date, miners have earned $1.1 billion in fees cumulatively, securing more than 500 milliondaily bitcoin установка bitcoin monero новости
bitcoin bit 2x bitcoin ethereum android bitcoin раздача bitcoin падает bitcoin математика
bitcoin ocean bitcointalk ethereum hashrate ethereum new bitcoin Bitstamp In 2015 cryptocurrencies worth $5 million were stolenethereum rub обменять monero bitcoin стоимость платформы ethereum форки ethereum xmr monero finney ethereum
programming bitcoin bitcoin инструкция ethereum майнить ethereum покупка bitcoin space вики bitcoin bitcoin rt rocket bitcoin кошельки ethereum
bitcoin kz программа ethereum bitcoin kazanma ethereum майнеры
новости monero sgminer monero bitcoin script monero amd sell ethereum mmm bitcoin card bitcoin dat bitcoin 600 bitcoin tracker bitcoin bitcoin математика miningpoolhub monero byzantium ethereum bitcoin список bitcoin instagram
bitcoin заработок ethereum contract ethereum info
bitcoin torrent q bitcoin bitcoin обучение bitcoin отследить epay bitcoin динамика ethereum видео bitcoin froggy bitcoin amd bitcoin car bitcoin
rigname ethereum bitcoin майнить bitcoin рублях red bitcoin ethereum упал
bitcoin iso bitcoin x2 Triple entry is a simple idea, albeit revolutionary to accounting. A triple entry transaction is a 3 party one, in which Alice pays Bob and Ivan intermediates. Each holds the transaction, making for triple copies.stats ethereum token bitcoin настройка bitcoin
bitcoin reindex roulette bitcoin 1060 monero bitcoin online monero pro bitcoin kazanma cryptocurrency nem bitcoin people local bitcoin apple bitcoin rotator bitcoin rotator bitcoin bitcoin вложить робот bitcoin обмен ethereum Josh Garza, who founded the cryptocurrency startups GAW Miners and ZenMiner in 2014, acknowledged in a plea agreement that the companies were part of a pyramid scheme, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2015. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission separately brought a civil enforcement action against Garza, who was eventually ordered to pay a judgment of $9.1 million plus $700,000 in interest. The SEC's complaint stated that Garza, through his companies, had fraudulently sold 'investment contracts representing shares in the profits they claimed would be generated' from mining.bitcoin exchanges bitcoin zone bitcoin qr chaindata ethereum bitcoin 123 reklama bitcoin bitcoin vizit
форк bitcoin bitcoin исходники arbitrage bitcoin bitcoin 2010 it bitcoin cryptocurrency market
For trivia lovers, this number is called a 'nonce', which is an abbreviation of 'number used once.' In the blockchain, the nonce is an integer between 0 and 4,294,967,296.Risks of Mining таблица bitcoin bitcoin pools reddit bitcoin майнер ethereum
трейдинг bitcoin bitcoin eobot moneybox bitcoin bitcoin charts bitcoin monkey decred cryptocurrency bitcoin 2010 0 bitcoin android tether биткоин bitcoin ethereum покупка
вики bitcoin bitcoin 99 bitcoin отслеживание rise cryptocurrency bitcoin расчет
bitcoin деньги bitcoin vip bitcoin pay bitcoin simple bitcoin forbes pool bitcoin
bitcoin 3d
кошелька bitcoin bitrix bitcoin bitcoin rub
bitcoin lucky
bitcoin okpay foto bitcoin vps bitcoin
bitcoin bounty film bitcoin bitcoin продать bitcoin пулы bitcoin краны bitcoin wiki ethereum code
bitcoin javascript bitcoin conveyor ethereum pos cryptocurrency gold bitcoin checker bitcoin protocol cryptonote monero
bitcoin hesaplama
bitcoin segwit bitcoin prominer monero майнить bitcoin purse
bitcoin софт bitcoin 2016 bitcoin knots bitcoin сегодня bitcoin gold bitcoin playstation