Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: Which crypto is the better 2021 investment?

Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: Which crypto is the better 2021 investment?

Cryptocurrencies are soaring this year. Already, Bitcoin is up 98% to just over $57,000 as of the end of the day on Monday. That compares to a 30% gain by the S&P 500 Index during the same span.

But Bitcoin's big gain isn't even close to the top return that can be found in the crypto world. In fact, the second-largest crypto is growing much faster. So far in 2021, Ethereum is up a staggering 434% to just over $4,000, according to Coindesk data.

That four-times-higher growth also means that the No. 2 crypto (Ethereum) is making ground on No. 1 crypto (Bitcoin). As of the end of the day Monday, the market capitalization of Bitcoin—the combined value of all its digital coins—stands at $1.1 trillion. That’s compared to Ethereum's nearly $500 billion market capitalization.