---
title: "What is the difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin?"
url: "https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-the-difference-between-ethereum-and-bitcoin"
type: "question"
language: "en"
intent: "informational"
entity: "Ethereum"
topic: "Blockchain"
published: "2026-09-18 07:10:23"
updated: "2026-09-18 16:10:23"
---

# What is the difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin?

## Short answer

Bitcoin works mainly as a ledger for payments. Ethereum is a programmable state machine: its Ethereum Virtual Machine runs general-purpose smart contracts. Bitcoin uses proof-of-work mining, while Ethereum has used proof of stake since 2022. Bitcoin's supply is capped, but ETH has no fixed cap; its net supply depends on issuance to validators minus burned transaction fees.

## Answer

Sources: EVM design [5], ETH supply [3], and the consensus comparison in the SEC ETF analysis .

## Related questions

- [What was the Ethereum Merge?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-was-the-ethereum-merge)
- [What are Ethereum gas fees and why do they change?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-are-ethereum-gas-fees-and-why-do-they-change)
- [How much ETH do you need to stake on Ethereum?](https://worldwiki.io/q/how-much-eth-do-you-need-to-stake-on-ethereum)
- [Is Ethereum the same as ether (ETH)?](https://worldwiki.io/q/is-ethereum-the-same-as-ether-eth)

## Sources

1. [What is Ethereum? (A Complete Guide)](https://ethereum.org/what-is-ethereum/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/196
2. [Introduction to smart contracts](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/smart-contracts/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/197
3. [What is Ether (ETH)?](https://ethereum.org/what-is-ether/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/198
4. [Timeline of all Ethereum forks (2014 to present)](https://ethereum.org/ethereum-forks/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/186
5. [Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/evm/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/199
6. [Gas and fees](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/gas/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/200
7. [Proof-of-stake (PoS)](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/pos/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/161
8. [Prague-Electra (Pectra)](https://ethereum.org/roadmap/pectra/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/201
9. [The Merge](https://ethereum.org/roadmap/merge/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/160
10. [Ethereum Activates Fusaka Upgrade, Aiming to Cut Node Costs, Speed Layer-2 Settlements](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/12/03/ethereum-activates-fusaka-upgrade-aiming-to-cut-node-costs-speed-layer-2-settlements) — CoinDesk · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/202
11. [Layer 2](https://ethereum.org/layer-2/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/203
12. [Client diversity](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/client-diversity/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/191