Bitcoin (BTC) is mainly designed to be digital money and a store of value — like “digital gold.”
Ethereum (ETH) is designed to be a programmable blockchain, so developers can build apps, smart contracts, NFTs, DeFi tools, and more on top of it.
Key differences
1. Purpose
Bitcoin: Focused on sending and storing value
Ethereum: Focused on running decentralized applications
2. Token role
BTC: Used mostly as money/value transfer
ETH: Used to pay network fees and power Ethereum apps
3. Technology
Bitcoin: Simpler and more limited by design
Ethereum: More flexible because it supports smart contracts
4. Supply
Bitcoin: Max supply of 21 million
ETH: No fixed hard cap in the same way Bitcoin has
5. Typical use cases
Bitcoin: Long-term holding, payments, value storage
Ethereum: DeFi, NFTs, token creation, gaming, Web3 apps
Easy way to think about it
Bitcoin = digital gold
Ethereum = blockchain app platform
$BTC
$ETH
Ethereum (ETH) is designed to be a programmable blockchain, so developers can build apps, smart contracts, NFTs, DeFi tools, and more on top of it.
Key differences
1. Purpose
Bitcoin: Focused on sending and storing value
Ethereum: Focused on running decentralized applications
2. Token role
BTC: Used mostly as money/value transfer
ETH: Used to pay network fees and power Ethereum apps
3. Technology
Bitcoin: Simpler and more limited by design
Ethereum: More flexible because it supports smart contracts
4. Supply
Bitcoin: Max supply of 21 million
ETH: No fixed hard cap in the same way Bitcoin has
5. Typical use cases
Bitcoin: Long-term holding, payments, value storage
Ethereum: DeFi, NFTs, token creation, gaming, Web3 apps
Easy way to think about it
Bitcoin = digital gold
Ethereum = blockchain app platform
$BTC
$ETH