Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
Estimated reading time: 2 min
Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
1. You could lose all the money you invest
The performance of most cryptoassets can be highly volatile, with their value dropping as quickly as it can rise. You should be prepared to lose all the money you invest in cryptoassets.
The cryptoasset market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money or any cryptoassets you purchase due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and firm failure.
2. You should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn't protect this type of investment because it's not a 'specified investment' under the UK regulatory regime – in other words, this type of investment isn't recognised as the sort of investment that the FSCS can protect. Learn more by using the FSCS investment protection checker.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm or Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
3. You may not be able to sell your investment when you want to
There is no guarantee that investments in cryptoassets can be easily sold at any given time. The ability to sell a cryptoasset depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at that time.
Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay and you may be unable to sell your cryptoassets at the time you want.
4. Cryptoasset investments can be complex
Investments in cryptoassets can be complex, making it difficult to understand the risks associated with the investment.
You should do your own research before investing. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Putting all your money into a single type of investment is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA's website here.
For further information about cryptoassets, visit the FCA's website here.
Bitcoin, the first ever cryptocurrency, was designed as a method for transferring wealth. In comparison, Ethereum is a blockchain-based platform designed for the construction of decentralised computer applications (dapps).
Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency Ether (ETH) is the second most popular digital currency after Bitcoin. While many traders invest in both cryptocurrencies, there are a number of key differences that set them apart.
Bitcoin vs Ethereum at a glance
While they share some similarities, Bitcoin and Ethereum are two very different blockchains with distinctly different goals.
Bitcoin is the world’s first cryptocurrency and blockchain, which exists primarily to serve as a decentralised, unrestricted, borderless digital currency. Created in 2009, it led to the evolution of what we now know as the cryptocurrency industry.
As far as modern blockchain technology goes, Bitcoin is rather old and clunky, but that’s all it needs to get the job done. When people talk about Bitcoin (BTC), they are either talking about the coin itself or the network on which Bitcoin transactions are made and recorded. As cryptocurrency adoption has increased, Bitcoin has moved to a “store of value” for many investors.
Ethereum, on the other hand, is a network built for the development of decentralised applications (dapps). The network, or blockchain, is powered by its native cryptocurrency Ether (ETH). Launched in 2015, the blockchain allows the deployment of smart contracts that operate the decentralised applications.
Thousands of dapps have been created over the years, offering services including exchanges, insurance, games and investments, all hosted over the Ethereum blockchain. Most decentralised applications have a native cryptocurrency token, so Ethereum has facilitated a significant proportion of the cryptocurrency market that we see today.
What makes Bitcoin and Ethereum similar?
There are a lot of similarities between Bitcoin and Ether. Both are cryptocurrencies that can be traded over decentralised online exchanges and both run on blockchain technology.
Both coins are valuable. At the time of writing (2026), Bitcoin and Ether are the number one and two coins respectively in terms of market cap. They’re the world’s biggest and most valuable cryptocurrencies.
Both coins are popular. Even with hundreds of other cryptocurrencies now in existence, Bitcoin and Ether remain widely used.
Both coins are old. Some of the newer coins outperform Bitcoin and Ether in various ways. Other coins are quicker to transfer, have lower fees or have extra features.
What makes Bitcoin and Ethereum different?
Fans of Bitcoin or Ethereum will tell you that there are more differences than similarities between the two.
Bitcoin is capped. Bitcoin is capped at a supply of 21 million. There will never be more than 21 million Bitcoin in existence and it’s expected to reach this limit by 2140.
ETH is unlimited. Unlike Bitcoin, ETH has an unlimited supply, although the creation of new coins is very tightly controlled to keep inflation from ruining the coin’s value.
PoS vs PoW. Bitcoin and Ethereum validate transactions in different ways. While Bitcoin uses a process called Proof of Work (PoW), Ethereum switched to a Proof of Stake (PoS) process in 2022.
Technology improvements. Bitcoin’s core technology has largely stayed the same, instead relying on outside tools (called “layer 2 solutions”) for improved accessibility (e.g. the Lightning Network). Meanwhile, Ethereum’s technology undergoes more regular updates and partners with protocols that make it more useful for finance and gaming apps as well as NFTs.
Broadly speaking, Bitcoin and Ethereum have developed very differently over the years and each have partnered with different protocols to improve accessibility.
What’s Proof of Work (PoW) vs Proof of Stake?
Proof of work and proof of stake are processes used by Bitcoin and Ethereum to keep their blockchains secure and up to date.
A blockchain is another name for a distributed ledger that tracks and updates data.
With the proof of work process, the distributed ledger, or blockchain, is updated by “miners”. Miners are people or entities that utilise computers all over the world to complete mathematical problems in order to create blocks of data for the Bitcoin blockchain. The math problems are designed to be time-consuming and resource-heavy. Miners compete to reach the solution first.
When the math problem is solved, this proves that a certain amount of computational effort has been used. A miner can then process the new data and add it to the blockchain for other members of the distributed ledger to see.
The proof of stake process was designed to be a more efficient and far less energy intensive solution. Rather than miners solving problems to verify data blocks, there are “validators” who lock up Ether (ETH) in their wallets as collateral. Validators are then chosen at random to add new blocks and earn rewards.
In this way, the PoS process encourages long-term holding and is more scaleable in terms of system upgrades.
Proof-of-work is required to make sure a blockchain runs smoothly and to prevent the misrepresentation of data, such as using the same cryptocurrency for two different payments.
As Bitcoin and Ethereum are two of the oldest and most trusted cryptocurrencies, they have both become extremely popular. However, too many people using them has led to a few scaling problems for the proof-of-work protocol.
Having more users requires more computational power to maintain the blockchain, which can result in slower transactions and higher transaction costs. To solve this, Bitcoin and Ethereum are implementing different solutions.
The Bitcoin technology solutions
Over the years, Bitcoin has had offshoots that were specifically designed to solve its scaling problem. Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash are two well-known examples.
Bitcoin as we know it today resisted those hard forks and remained unchanged. Instead, it introduced two solutions called “SegWit” and the “Lightning Network”.
SegWit: A way of arranging data to make transfers faster and easier. The downside is that it requires specifically compatible address types, so you can only use SegWit with certain wallets and certain exchanges. This basically means that Bitcoin users often have to turn SegWit on and off to use it properly. For this reason, most people seem to just keep it turned off.
The Lightning Network: A layer-2 system that sets up secondary payment channels to go around the blockchain. The idea is to keep smaller transactions off the main Bitcoin network to alleviate congestion. As of December 2020 it’s operational, but in limited use and with a range of issues.
The Ethereum Merge: ETH 2.0
Ethereum’s smart contracts are extremely useful, but also slowed down the network. To accommodate this, Ethereum underwent a major upgrade to its protocol called ETH 2.0. This upgrade includes:
Proof-of-stake. Rather than having computers solve problems to verify blocks, it instead has people verify transactions simply by holding ETH in their wallets.
Beacon chain. The beacon chain is the central data layer of ETH 2.0 responsible for creating new blocks, reaching consensus and rewarding validator nodes with freshly minted Ether.
Shard chains. Shards are designed to support the beacon chain by processing certain transactions on shards instead of the beacon chain. This frees up space and makes the network more scalable.
Bitcoin mining vs Ethereum staking
Those that complete the proof-of-work protocols on the Bitcoin blockchains are often referred to as “miners”. When it comes to Ethereum, mining is replaced by staking and performed by “validators.” In both mining and staking scenarios, you aim to be rewarded with the associated cryptocurrency.
Mining is the act of adding a new block to the blockchain, which is usually rewarded with the associated cryptocurrency token. Miners must complete mathematical puzzles using computers in order to add new blocks. Staking simply involves holding ETH in order to earn yield.
For this reason, staking is far easier to achieve for everyday users, as it doesn’t require any special hardware or advanced knowledge. In its simplest form, you can start off by simply signing up to an exchange, purchasing ETH and selecting the ‘Stake’ option.
Mining hardware
Mining Bitcoin requires expensive specialised hardware known as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).
The expense of AISCs alone reduces the amount of participants on the network and means the centralisation of Bitcoin mining is a constant risk. As ASIC circuits have advanced, Bitcoin mining difficulty has increased to ensure that the time taken to add a new block to the chain remains consistent.
How to decide whether to invest in Bitcoin or Ether
Bitcoin and Ether are two of the most trusted cryptocurrencies currently in existence. They would represent a reasonable starting point for any cryptocurrency investor.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin has dominated the cryptocurrency markets since its inception in 2009 and was for a while the only option for cryptocurrency investors. Thanks to its market leading origins, the token has remained number one. At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s market cap has grown to over $1 trillion and has outpaced the growth of all other coins.
Over the decade, the cryptocurrency has moved from a transactional token to a store of value for many investors due to its “tried and tested” track record. Bitcoin’s strongest advantage over Ether as an investment lies with scarcity. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin in existence. This gives the coin strong fundamentals from a supply and demand point of view, and led to some likening it to “digital gold”.
With further technical upgrades, applications may be built to run on the Bitcoin blockchain giving it some of the functionality that smart contracts bring to Ethereum.
Ether
Ether is the fuel of the Ethereum blockchain. Investing in Ether is seen by most as an investment and a belief in the development of the Ethereum network. Traditionally, as Ethereum has grown, so has Ether.
The Ethereum network is utilised by both dapps and centralised organisations such as Microsoft. A flexibility for development and appetite for innovation has been the backbone of its success. Many investors view Ether as a proxy investment for all of the protocols and businesses that utilise the Ethereum blockchain. The more protocols that are added, the better. Future upgrades to the network, such as ETH 2.0, will make the network even more accessible.
Where to buy BTC and ETH
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Prices: Bitcoin vs Ethereum
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Our expert says
"Bitcoin and Ethereum are crypto royalty, but they’re fundamentally quite different. While Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency, Ethereum actually laid the groundwork for a lot of the most important development in the crypto space, including smart contracts, decentralised finance and even NFTs. Since the approval and launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, BTC has become more of a store-of-value asset, whilst Ethereum might suit investors looking for a slightly higher risk/reward profile when dipping their toes into the crypto markets."
Bitcoin vs Ethereum is a comparison that has always been hard to make due to the two cryptocurrencies’ wildly different purposes. However, comparisons of these two cryptocurrency giants may become easier in the future.
There are many “cross-chain” developments in the pipeline for Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are designed to allow users to connect different blockchains together and transfer coins more freely. Users can already “import” Bitcoin onto the Ethereum blockchain to be used in dapps.
Although launching with similar intentions, Bitcoin and Ethereum have progressed down very different development paths. After many years apart, cross-chain developments could now hold the key to connecting these two titans of the cryptocurrency industry and reinforcing their top market cap positions.
Frequently asked questions
Both Bitcoin and Ethereum have their pros and cons. While Bitcoin is the most popular and successful cryptocurrency, its technology is somewhat old and rigid. That makes it hard to improve or adapt. ETH's market cap may not be as big as Bitcoin's, but the core technology of the Ethereum platform is able to be regularly updated and is used for a range of decentralised services, including gaming, NFTs and payment applications. In some ways, this means Ethereum has greater potential.
Some analysts argue that Ethereum (ETH) will overtake Bitcoin as the dominant coin because it has more use cases than Bitcoin. Ethereum's platform supports applications including gaming, De-Fi and NFTs.
Sources
*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.
Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
Andrew Munro was the global cryptocurrency editor at Finder, covering all aspects of cryptocurrency and the blockchain. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales.
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James Hendy was a writer for Finder. After developing a keen interest in traditional financial investing, James transitioned across to the cryptocurrency markets in 2018. Writing for cryptocurrency exchanges, he has documented some of the key blockchain technological advancements. James has a Masters of Science from the University of Leeds and when he isn't writing, you will either find him down at the beach, reading (coffee in hand) or at the nearest live music event.
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This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to buy World Liberty Financial, lists some exchanges where you can get it and provides daily price data on (WLFI).
If you’re looking to buy Bitcoin (BTC), we explain how to do it, where you can invest in Bitcoin, and what to watch out for; along with tips on whether now is good time to be investing in Bitcoin.
Learn how to buy Ethereum in the UK with our simple step-by-step guide and tips on what to know before you get started.
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