Bitcoin vs Ethereum: performance comparison
Over the 12 months to Oct 6, 2026, Bitcoin returned -31.5% and Ethereum -42.2%. This page puts the two side by side on the same dates — current prices, performance charts rebased to 100, returns from one month to five years, volatility, the deepest falls and how closely the two move together — recalculated daily from closing prices.
Performance, rebased to 100
Both lines start at 100 on the first shared date: a value of 150 means +50% since then.
- Bitcoin-22.7%
- Ethereum-37.1%
- Bitcoin+138.9%
- Ethereum+117.4%
Returns
| Period | Bitcoin | Ethereum | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +7.4% | +8.9% | Ethereum |
| 3 months | +33.9% | +50.2% | Ethereum |
| 6 months | +25.6% | +29.8% | Ethereum |
| Year to date | -2.6% | -9.6% | Bitcoin |
| 1 year | -31.5% | -42.2% | Bitcoin |
| 3 years | +206.0% | +65.4% | Bitcoin |
| 5 years | +54.2% | -24.1% | Bitcoin |
Price returns between closing prices on the same dates for both assets; dividends and interest are not included. All prices are in US dollars. Data to Oct 6, 2026.
Risk
| Measure | Bitcoin | Ethereum |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility, 1 year (annualized) | 42.1% | 57.0% |
| Volatility, 5 years (annualized, weekly) | 56.8% | 78.4% |
| Deepest fall, 5 years | -74.2%Nov 2021 – Dec 2022 | -77.2%Oct 2021 – Jun 2022 |
| Correlation, 1 year (daily returns) | 0.90 | |
| Correlation, 5 years (weekly returns) | 0.79 | |
Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of returns — higher means bigger swings. The deepest fall is the largest drop from a previous high. Correlation runs from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (in lockstep).
What the numbers say
Over five years (Jan 2021 to Oct 2026), Bitcoin returned +54.2% and Ethereum -24.1%. Bitcoin came out ahead over both one and five years.
Annualized volatility over the past year: Bitcoin 42.1%, Ethereum 57.0% — Ethereum was about 1.4× as volatile. Deepest fall over the period: Bitcoin -74.2% (Nov 2021 – Dec 2022), Ethereum -77.2% (Oct 2021 – Jun 2022).
The correlation of their daily returns over the past year was 0.90. That is a strong positive link: they have tended to move together. Over five years of weekly returns it was 0.79.
Past performance does not predict future returns.
Key differences
- Purpose: Bitcoin is designed mainly as digital money and a store of value; Ethereum is a platform for smart contracts, stablecoins and decentralised finance, and ether pays for its computation.
- Supply: Bitcoin is capped at 21 million coins; ether has no hard cap, but part of every transaction fee is burned, which can offset new issuance.
- Security: Bitcoin is secured by proof-of-work mining; Ethereum switched to proof of stake in September 2022, so ETH holders can earn staking rewards.
- Access: in the US, spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024 and spot ether ETFs in July 2024.
The two assets
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the first and largest cryptocurrency, running since 2009, with supply capped at 21 million coins and new issuance halving roughly every four years. Its price is driven by investor demand and market liquidity — including flows into spot ETFs — and by regulation.
Bitcoin chart and analysis →Ethereum
Ethereum is a programmable blockchain that hosts smart contracts, stablecoins and decentralised applications; its currency, ether (ETH), pays the network's fees. It has no fixed supply cap, and since September 2022 it has been secured by staking (proof of stake) rather than mining.
Ethereum chart and analysis →Frequently asked questions
Which performed better over the past year, Bitcoin or Ethereum?
Bitcoin. In the 12 months to Oct 6, 2026, Bitcoin returned -31.5% and Ethereum -42.2%, a difference of 10.7 percentage points. Past performance does not predict future returns.
Which performed better over the past five years, Bitcoin or Ethereum?
Bitcoin. From Jan 2021 to Oct 2026, Bitcoin returned +54.2% and Ethereum -24.1%. Past performance does not predict future returns.
Which is more volatile, Bitcoin or Ethereum?
Ethereum — about 1.4 times as volatile as Bitcoin. Annualized volatility over the past year: Bitcoin 42.1%, Ethereum 57.0%. Deepest fall over five years: Bitcoin -74.2%, Ethereum -77.2%.
Do Bitcoin and Ethereum move together?
A strong positive link: they have tended to move together. The correlation of their daily returns over the past year was 0.90, on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) to +1 (moving in lockstep). Over five years of weekly returns it was 0.79.
How we calculate
Both series are aligned on the trading days (or weeks) they share, so every return covers the same dates for both assets. Periods up to one year use daily closes; three and five years use weekly closes. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of log returns, the deepest fall is measured on weekly closes, and correlation is the Pearson coefficient of returns over identical intervals. Data: Yahoo Finance and OKX, refreshed daily. All prices are in US dollars.