Bitcoin and Ethereum are two of the top three cryptocurrencies available on the market, out of over 16,000. Indeed, according to Yahoo Finance, Ethereum may replace Bitcoin, citing the platform’s bespoke contracts as a more adaptable alternative to Bitcoin. But how does Ethereum compare to Bitcoin in terms of functionality, applications, and more? UniFarm’s Bitcoin vs. Ethereum guide compares and contrasts these two digital currencies.

In 1999, Nobel Laureate in Economics Milton Friedman predicted that the Internet would be one of the primary influences decreasing the government’s role. He also believed that trustworthy electronic cash was lacking, and in 2009, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin was formed, precisely as he predicted.

Cryptocurrency: An Overview

Cryptocurrency functions in a similar fashion to “traditional” money (the Dollar, Euro, Pound, Yen, Rupee, and so on). The primary distinction between cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies is that cryptocurrencies are decentralized, which means they are not controlled by a central authority such as a bank or government.

Most crucially, cryptocurrencies rely on blockchain, which is a collection of information stored in a block. These transactions are recorded in chronological sequence and made public.

The Basics of Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that allows users to send and receive money all over the world. It was created in 2009 by an individual or a group of individuals known as Satoshi Nakamoto. Cryptography is used to secure payments, as previously stated. The most important aspect of Bitcoin is that it helps keep people’s identities private when sending and receiving money.

We are all aware that when we execute a transaction through a bank, we are charged a fee or a service charge. Bitcoin, on the other hand, has a very cheap transaction fee, making it a more appealing alternative to traditional electronic transactions.

The Basics of Ethereum

Ethereum is a cryptocurrency that uses Ether tokens and was founded in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin. This is the same as the Bitcoin network’s bitcoins. Ether is a cryptocurrency that may be used to create and deploy decentralized applications with back-end code distributed across a peer-to-peer network. In contrast to a traditional application, where the back-end code is stored on a centralized server, this is not the case. Ether can also be used to pay for services like the processing power necessary to add a block to the blockchain and transaction fees.

Ether is a cryptocurrency that functions similarly to Bitcoin and may be used to make peer-to-peer payments. It can also be used to make smart contracts. Smart contracts function in such a way that when a set of predetermined rules is met, a specific output is produced.

Bitcoin vs. Ethereum

The debate between Bitcoin and Ethereum is gaining traction these days.

Bitcoin has grown in popularity and recognition throughout the world. It also has the greatest market capitalization of any cryptocurrency currently available. It is, in a sense, the current global champion of cryptocurrencies.

Ethereum, on the other hand, is on the other end of the spectrum. Although Ethereum did not have the same revolutionary impact as Bitcoin, its author learned from Bitcoin and created new functionalities based on Bitcoin’s ideals. It is currently the second most valued cryptocurrency on the market.

	Bitcoin	Ethereum
Total Number of Coins	21 million BTC	119 Million ETH
Market Capitalization	807 Billion USD	389 Billion USD
No. of Transactions Per Day	219,345	658,051
Block Size	628.286 Kbytes	25.134 Kbytes

The History

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to be created; as previously stated, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced it in 2009. It’s unclear whether this is an individual or a group of people, or whether they are alive or dead.

As previously stated, Vitalik Buterin, a researcher and programmer, released Ethereum in 2015. He upgraded the platform by incorporating blockchain and Bitcoin concepts and adding a lot more features. The Ethereum platform for distributed apps and smart contracts was built by Buterin.

The Concepts

Peer-to-peer transactions are possible using Bitcoin. It functions as a substitute for fiat currencies, but without the drawbacks that come with them. You won’t have to pay large transaction fees, and you won’t have to deal with a centralized body that controls how bitcoins operate.

Ethereum not only allows for peer-to-peer transactions but also serves as a framework for developing smart contracts and distributed applications. Users can exchange just about anything of value with a smart contract, including shares, money, real estate, and so on.

Mining

Miners can use the proof of work method to validate transactions in Bitcoin. The same is true for Ethereum. With proof of work, miners all around the world compete to be the first to add a block to the blockchain by solving a difficult mathematical challenge.

Ethereum, on the other hand, works on proof of stake as a method of transaction confirmation. A person can mine or validate transactions in a block based on how many coins he owns with proof of stake. The more a person’s mining power, the more coins he owns.

When a miner contributes a block to the network in Bitcoin, he is rewarded with 6.25 BTCs, a rate that was fixed in November 2021. When a block is added to the blockchain in Etherium, a miner, or validator, earns 3 Ether as a reward, which will never be halved.

Transacgtion Fees

Bitcoin transaction costs are completely optional. You can pay the miner more money to have him pay extra attention to your transaction; however, if you don’t pay a charge, the transaction will still go through.

On the other side, in order for your Ethereum transaction to be successful, you must provide some Ether. Your Ether will be turned into a unit known as gas. This gas fuels the processing required to add your transaction to the blockchain.

Time Taken to Add a Block to the Chain

Where Bitcoin takes 10 minutes to add a block to the blockchain, Ethereum takes only about 12 to 15 seconds.

Bitcoin or Ethereum: Which one is Better?

The answer to the question of which cryptocurrency is better in the Bitcoin vs. Ethereum debate is that it fully depends on your needs. While Bitcoin excels as a peer-to-peer payment system, Ethereum shines when it comes to developing and deploying distributed applications and smart contracts. Choosing a winner between Bitcoin and Ethereum is totally up to you.