Vitalik Buterin Offers Nuanced View on Ethereum vs. Bitcoin, Acknowledges BTC Leads

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has publicly acknowledged that Bitcoin (BTC) still holds certain advantages over Ethereum in specific parts of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

His remarks surfaced during a broader discussion on X (formerly Twitter) on June 4, where users were debating Ethereums current technical strengths and its limitations.

> I believe Ethereum is leading in terms of CR and security.

There's some aspects of this where bitcoin is ahead imo

(eg. less code complexity, lower rate of protocol change, higher full node count, less dependence on RPCs)

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) June 3, 2025

Buterin: Bitcoin Leads in Simplicity, Node Count; ETH Stronger on Censorship Resistance

Responding to community insights on Ethereum‘s ongoing development, Buterin agreed that while Ethereum certainly leads in some aspects, Bitcoin remains ahead in others. Specifically, he pointed to Bitcoin’s recognized lead in protocol simplicity. He also noted its typically lower frequency of network updates and its higher current node count.

Another advantage Buterin mentioned for Bitcoin is its reduced reliance on third-party Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services like Infura, Alchemy, or Ankr—infrastructure that some Ethereum applications currently depend on.

However, Buterin also clearly reaffirmed Ethereum‘s dominance in areas like censorship resistance and overall protocol-level security. He credited the network’s continuous upgrades, including the shift to Proof of Stake and the development of rollups, for significantly strengthening Ethereums decentralization and its capacity for trustless transaction execution.

Ethereum Layer 2 Scalability Still a Work in Progress, Says Buterin

Buterin also took time to address the current state of Ethereum‘s Layer 2 (L2) scalability stack, which he acknowledged continues to face major development hurdles. In a follow-up post, he challenged the idea that cross-chain interoperability between L2s has been fully resolved. He stated that existing L2 networks do not yet provide the same deeply trustless and censorship-resistant experience that users get on Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1).

According to Buterin, true interoperability is only achieved when cross-L2 transactions can happen without needing to rely on intermediaries. He brought up the “no regression principle,” emphasizing that Ethereums native L1 transfers must serve as the benchmark for security, trustlessness, and decentralization that L2s should aspire to, not fall short of.

Vitalik Buterin Pushes ‘No-Regression Principle’ for L2s

Cross-L2 actions must match L1 $ETH in trustlessness and censorship-resistance. No compromise on decentralization.

— Coin Edition: Your Crypto News Edge ️ (@CoinEdition) June 4, 2025

Ethereum Price Shows Modest Recovery; Volume Dips

Meanwhile, on the market front, Ethereums price has shown a small recovery. At the time of writing, ETH was trading at $2,640.55. This marks a 0.99% increase over the previous 24 hours. Its market capitalization has climbed to $318.77 billion, reflecting a similar 0.97% gain. However, daily trading volume for ETH fell by 17.20% to $16.61 billion. This drop in volume suggests a possible slowdown in immediate buying activity.

Source: CoinMarketCap

ETHs intraday movement showed a slight dip before it began to ascend in the early evening of June 3. The price peaked above $2,650 before entering a phase of minor volatility. A continued upward trend then resumed around 3:00 AM on June 4, with the asset forming higher lows into the midday trading session.

The current volume-to-market-cap ratio for ETH stands at 4.98%, a figure that points to relatively low market liquidity at the moment. Ethereum‘s circulating and total supply remain fixed at 120.72 million ETH, with no maximum cap currently in place. The asset’s overall profile score from some data providers holds steady at 100%.

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