1. Primary Objective
Item Bitcoin (BTC) Ethereum (ETH)
Purpose Alternative digital payment method to traditional money, store of value. Platform for creating decentralized applications and smart contracts.
2. Date of Creation
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Year 2009 2015
Founder Satoshi Nakamoto (Unknown) Vitalik Buterin
3. Technology and Functions
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Blockchain Focuses on transferring and storing value only. Supports smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps).
Programming Limited in terms of customization and programming. Programming language (Solidity) allows writing programs on the blockchain.
Flexibility Somewhat fixed. More flexible and scalable for multiple uses.
4. Mining and Verification Mechanism
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Algorithm SHA-256 Previously: Ethash (PoW), currently: PoS after the upgrade to Ethereum 2.0
Verification Type Proof of Work Proof of Stake since The Merge in 2022
5. Speed and Fees
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Block Time Approximately 10 minutes Approximately 12-15 seconds
Fees Typically lower than ETH (but vary depending on congestion) Can be very high during peak times
6. Supply
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Max Supply Only 21 million coins No maximum supply, but there is a mechanism to burn some coins and reduce inflation.
7. Real-world Use
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Use Means of payment, hedge against inflation, store of value. Building applications like decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), games.
8. Market Capitalization and Popularity (up to 2025)
Item Bitcoin Ethereum
Market Capitalization The highest among all cryptocurrencies. Second after Bitcoin.
Fame Most famous and recognized globally. Famous among developers and tech projects.
✅ Summary
Bitcoin: A digital gold – focuses on value storage and financial transactions.
Ethereum: A decentralized software platform – focuses on creating smart applications.
If you are looking for a long-term investment or a hedge against inflation: Bitcoin may be a suitable option.
If you are interested in projects and applications on the blockchain: Ethereum provides a flexible environment for innovation.