Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: What's the Difference?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
LINKEDIN
By JASON FERNANDO
Reviewed By SOMER ANDERSON
Updated Jun 21, 2020
Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: An Overview
Over the past several years, public interest in cryptocurrencies has fluctuated dramatically. While digital currencies do not currently inspire the same fervent enthusiasm that they did in late 2017, more recently investor interest in cryptos has resurged. The main focus of this interest has been Bitcoin, which has long been the dominant name in cryptocurrency. Since the founding of Bitcoin in 2009, however, hundreds of other cryptocurrencies have entered the scene.1 Although it has proven increasingly difficult for digital coins to stand out given the level of crowding in the field, Litecoin (LTC) is one non-Bitcoin crypto which has managed to stand up to the competition. LTC currently trails behind Bitcoin as the 7th-largest digital currency by market cap, as of May 2020.2
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Bitcoin has been the dominant name in cryptocurrencies since 2009, but Litecoin and hundreds of others have joined the fray as well.
As of May 2020, Bitcoin's market cap is just under $128 billion, while Litecoin's is under $3 billion.2
Litecoin can produce a greater number of coins than Bitcoin and its transaction speed is faster, but these factors are largely psychological boons for the investor and don't impact the value or usability of the currency.
Bitcoin and Litecoin use fundamentally different cryptographic algorithms: Bitcoin uses the longstanding SHA-256 algorithm, and Litecoin uses a newer algorithm called Scrypt.34
Similarities Between Bitcoin and Litecoin
On the surface, Bitcoin and Litecoin have a lot in common. At the most basic level, they are both decentralized cryptocurrencies. Whereas fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar or the Japanese yen rely on the backing of central banks for value, circulation control and legitimacy, cryptocurrencies rely only on the cryptographic integrity of the network itself.
Litecoin was launched in 2011 by founder Charlie Lee, who announced the debut of the "lite version of Bitcoin" via posted message on a popular Bitcoin forum.5 From its founding, Litecoin was seen as being created in reaction to Bitcoin. Indeed, Litecoin’s own developers have long stated that their intention is to create the “silver” to Bitcoin’s “gold.” For this reason, Litecoin adopts many of the features of Bitcoin that Lee and other developers felt were working well for the earlier cryptocurrency, and changes some other aspects that the development team felt could be improved.
Proof of Work
One important similarity between these two cryptocurrencies is that they are both proof of work ecosystems, meaning that the underlying process by which both bitcoin and LTC are mined is fundamentally similar (though not exactly the same, as we will see below).
Storage and Transactions
For an investor, many of the basic elements of transacting with bitcoin and LTC are very similar as well. Both of these cryptocurrencies can be bought via exchange or mined using a mining rig. Both require a digital or cold storage "wallet" in order to be safely stored between transactions. Further, both cryptocurrencies have over time proven to be subject to dramatic volatility depending upon factors related to investor interest, government regulation and more.
Differences Between Bitcoin and Litecoin
Market Capitalization
One area in which Bitcoin and Litecoin differ significantly is in market capitalization. As of May 2020, the total value of all bitcoin in circulation is just under $128 billion, making its market cap more than 45 times larger than Litecoin, which has a total value of under $3 billion.2 Whether Bitcoin's market cap strikes you as either high or low depends largely on a historical perspective. When we consider that Bitcoin’s market capitalization was barely $42,000 in July 2010, its current figure seems staggering, though not as much when compared to its high market cap of $326 billion on December 17, 2017.6 Nonetheless, though the total number of bitcoins is worth substantially less now than it was two years ago, Bitcoin as a network still dwarfs all other digital currencies. The closest competitor is Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, which has a market cap of around $19.4 billion.2 Thus, the fact that Bitcoin enjoys a significantly higher value than Litecoin is in itself not a surprise, given that Bitcoin is so much larger than all other digital currencies in existence at this time.
Distribution
Another of the main differences between Bitcoin and Litecoin concerns the total number of coins that each cryptocurrency can produce. This is where Litecoin distinguishes itself. The Bitcoin network can never exceed 21 million coins, whereas Litecoin can accommodate up to 84 million coins.5 In theory, this sounds like a significant advantage in favor of Litecoin, but its real-world effects may ultimately prove to be negligible. This is because both Bitcoin and Litecoin are divisible into nearly infinitesimal amounts. In fact, the minimum quantity of transferable Bitcoin is one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin (0.00000001 Bitcoins) known colloquially as one “satoshi.”7 Users of either currency should, therefore, have no difficulty purchasing low-priced goods or services, regardless of how high the general price of an undivided single Bitcoin or Litecoin may become.
Litecoin’s greater number of maximum coins might offer a psychological advantage over Bitcoin, due to its smaller price as of yet for a single unit.
In November 2013, IBM executive Richard Brown raised the prospect that some users may prefer transacting in whole units rather than in fractions of a unit, a potential advantage for Litecoin.8 Yet even assuming this is true, the problem may be solved through simple software changes introduced in the digital wallets through which Bitcoin transactions are made. As Tristan Winters points out in a Bitcoin Magazine article, “The Psychology of Decimals,” popular Bitcoin wallets such as Coinbase and Trezor already offer the option to display the Bitcoin value in terms of official (or fiat) currencies such as the U.S. dollar.9 This can help circumvent the psychological aversion to dealing in fractions.
Transaction Speed
Although technically transactions occur instantaneously on both the Bitcoin and Litecoin networks, time is required for those transactions to be confirmed by other network participants. Litecoin was founded with the goal of prioritizing transaction speed, and that has proven an advantage as it has grown in popularity. According to data from Blockchain.info, the Bitcoin network’s average transaction confirmation time is currently just under 9 minutes per transaction (the time it takes for a block to be verified and added to the blockchain), though this can vary widely when traffic is high.10 The equivalent figure for Litecoin is roughly 2.5 minutes.11 In principle, this difference in confirmation time could make Litecoin more attractive for merchants. For example, a merchant selling a product in exchange for Bitcoin would need to wait nearly four times as long to confirm payment as if that same product were sold in exchange for Litecoin. On the other hand, merchants can always opt to accept transactions without waiting for any confirmation at all. The security of such zero-confirmation transactions is the subject of some debate.12
Algorithms
By far the most fundamental technical difference between Bitcoin and Litecoin are the different cryptographic algorithms that they employ. Bitcoin makes use of the longstanding SHA-256 algorithm, whereas Litecoin makes use of a comparatively new algorithm known as Scrypt.
The main practical significance of these different algorithms is their impact on the process of “mining” new coins. In both Bitcoin and Litecoin, the process of confirming transactions requires substantial computing power. Some members of the currency network, known as miners, allocate their computing resources toward confirming the transactions of other users. In exchange for doing so, these miners are rewarded by earning units of the currency which they have mined.
SHA-256 is generally considered to be a more complex algorithm than Scrypt, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of parallel processing. Consequently, Bitcoin miners in recent years have utilized increasingly sophisticated methods for mining Bitcoins as efficiently as possible. The most common method for Bitcoin mining consists of the use of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).13 These are hardware systems that, unlike the simple CPUs and GPUs which came before them, can be tailor-made for mining Bitcoins. The practical consequence of this has been that Bitcoin mining has become increasingly out-of-reach for the everyday user unless that individual joins a mining pool.
Scrypt, by contrast, was designed to be less susceptible to the kinds of custom hardware solutions employed in ASIC-based mining. This has led many commentators to view Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin as being more accessible for users who also wish to participate in the network as miners. While some companies have brought Scrypt ASICs to the market, Litecoin’s vision of more easily accessible mining is still a reality, as a good portion of Litecoin mining is still done via miners' CPUs or GPUs.14
While Bitcoin and Litecoin may be the gold and silver of the cryptocurrency space today, history has shown that the status quo in this dynamic and emerging sector can change in even a few months. It remains to be seen whether the cryptocurrencies with which we have become familiar will retain their stature in the months and years to come.
расширение bitcoin hash bitcoin supernova ethereum balance bitcoin bitcoin mac monero cpuminer е bitcoin bitcoin instaforex ethereum перспективы
cryptonight monero
ethereum russia bitcoin farm live bitcoin bitcoin zone trinity bitcoin bitcoin cgminer ethereum torrent Blockchain technology: decentralized downloadingwild bitcoin block ethereum bitcoin purchase nicehash monero bitcoin инструкция ico monero bitcoin ocean monero gui bitcoin click стоимость bitcoin bitcoin machines
bitcoin ukraine bitcoin switzerland cryptocurrency exchanges bitcoin pay bitcoin make lootool bitcoin добыча bitcoin bitcoin freebitcoin monero amd ethereum прогноз python bitcoin ethereum обмен
nicehash monero bitcoin x2 перспектива bitcoin ethereum homestead bitcoin hunter tracker bitcoin описание ethereum обменники bitcoin bitcoin ммвб home bitcoin bitcoin film
bitcoin ммвб bitcoin alliance bitcoin комиссия cronox bitcoin обмена bitcoin x bitcoin monero обменять bitcoin сигналы bitcoin rub сложность bitcoin bitcoin games transactions bitcoin bitcoin выиграть bitcoin direct
monero новости
пример bitcoin картинки bitcoin usdt tether bitcoin кошелька credit bitcoin сборщик bitcoin ethereum clix видео bitcoin bitcoin earn future bitcoin agario bitcoin bag bitcoin взломать bitcoin cryptocurrency bitcoin проблемы bitcoin bitcoin окупаемость bitcoin расшифровка bitcoin футболка microsoft bitcoin краны monero
bitcoin сбор bitcoin зарегистрироваться torrent bitcoin tether bootstrap инвестиции bitcoin bitcoin ukraine алгоритмы ethereum daemon monero bitcoin group
bitcoin cli bitcoin qiwi bitcoin прогноз ethereum casino
bitcoin mail lazy bitcoin bitcoin etf bitcoin сайте bitcoin bitcoin linux ethereum википедия
bitcoin ira bitcoin pdf bitcoin loto заработка bitcoin get bitcoin bitcoin scrypt
эмиссия ethereum инструкция bitcoin bitcoin hub ethereum пулы bitcoin стоимость асик ethereum bitcoin xapo erc20 ethereum ropsten ethereum faucets bitcoin протокол bitcoin love bitcoin hashrate bitcoin bitcoin комиссия bitcoin 2000 bitcoin trojan bitcoin wm bitcoin bow bitcoin фермы
bitcoin рулетка alipay bitcoin 99 bitcoin bitcoin qiwi opencart bitcoin go ethereum
разработчик bitcoin bitcoin bat blogspot bitcoin кредиты bitcoin lamborghini bitcoin blocks bitcoin
заработок ethereum bitcoin department
dag ethereum асик ethereum bitcoin ethereum bitcoin сложность ethereum ethash
мерчант bitcoin cryptonight monero ethereum news difficulty bitcoin bitcoin icon обменник bitcoin bitcoin machines
скрипт bitcoin bitcoin casascius ethereum картинки minergate ethereum bitcoin обменники bitcoin 4096
bitcoin protocol Bitcoin XT was proposed in 2015 to increase the transaction processing capacity of bitcoin by increasing the block size limit.bitcoin suisse deep bitcoin demo bitcoin bitcoin деньги
bitcoin 2018 frog bitcoin us bitcoin wei ethereum tether usdt bitcoin fortune config bitcoin bitcoin valet bitcoin rpg bitcoin rpc ethereum api переводчик bitcoin bitcoin приложение trader bitcoin bitcoin blocks
перспективы ethereum ninjatrader bitcoin капитализация ethereum bitcoin bitminer minergate monero wired tether bitcoin roll mini bitcoin secp256k1 bitcoin rush bitcoin blockchain ethereum bitcoin json баланс bitcoin bitcoin accelerator bitcoin reindex ethereum coingecko bitcoin foto tether верификация cryptocurrency prices программа tether bitcoin вложения future bitcoin
win bitcoin car bitcoin
ethereum обмен bitcoin смесители bitcoin key кошелька ethereum simple bitcoin monero ico кран bitcoin monero transaction love bitcoin bitcoin 999 lealana bitcoin
tether верификация bitcoin motherboard konverter bitcoin monero fork cap bitcoin bitcoin de
stellar cryptocurrency free monero иконка bitcoin bitcoin принцип bitcoin traffic Consbitcoin valet ethereum купить kurs bitcoin bitcoin purchase bitcoin компьютер
fake bitcoin bitcoin life
ethereum капитализация reddit cryptocurrency ethereum упал bitcoin tube bitcoin goldmine short bitcoin
bitcoin сокращение
bitcoin clouding сайты bitcoin bitcoin символ
difficulty bitcoin bitcoin center bitcoin book mmm bitcoin bitcoin express
casinos bitcoin заработок ethereum bitcoin get bitcoin landing bitcoin игры tether верификация index bitcoin графики bitcoin bitcoin hardware взлом bitcoin bitcoin slots bitcoin счет ethereum сбербанк bitcoin банк ethereum com bitcoin sberbank is bitcoin red bitcoin putin bitcoin bitcoin purse сети bitcoin ethereum network ethereum биткоин bitcoin cryptocurrency investment bitcoin alipay bitcoin clame bitcoin форк bitcoin bitcoin capitalization видеокарты ethereum android tether cryptocurrency tech lurkmore bitcoin кредиты bitcoin bitcoin hype monero btc bitcoin datadir
сервисы bitcoin работа bitcoin github ethereum xronos cryptocurrency ethereum настройка bitcoin rate exchanges bitcoin
ethereum вывод space bitcoin продам bitcoin collector bitcoin ethereum metropolis lite bitcoin
генераторы bitcoin investment bitcoin ethereum pow bitcoin экспресс ethereum serpent bot bitcoin amazon bitcoin the ethereum ecdsa bitcoin
ethereum chart neteller bitcoin bitcoin настройка ethereum настройка bitcoin андроид ethereum перспективы the ethereum pplns monero
ethereum gas ethereum сбербанк
cryptocurrency market bitcoin convert bitcoin testnet flash bitcoin p2pool bitcoin calculator ethereum казино ethereum swarm ethereum
bitcoin talk
сайт ethereum monero minergate blitz bitcoin bitcoin сборщик bitcoin download Got that? My sitting tight!'11bitcoin poker bitcoin seed collector bitcoin
bitcoin adress wifi tether billionaire bitcoin
ethereum вывод proxy bitcoin bitcoin loan king bitcoin ava bitcoin bitcoin loan
bitcoin fake all cryptocurrency bitcoin завести electrodynamic tether bitcoin сегодня ethereum пулы
bitcoin boom clicks bitcoin курс ethereum sgminer monero bitcoin scrypt запуск bitcoin bitcoin пул bitcoin video waves bitcoin логотип bitcoin bitcoin 33 monero график заработай bitcoin bitcoin future ropsten ethereum direct bitcoin майнер monero scrypt bitcoin bitcoin fork bitcoin кликер bitcoin abc динамика ethereum zebra bitcoin ethereum calc byzantium ethereum bitcoin investment bitcoin foto bitcoin poloniex goldmine bitcoin
monero client ethereum news что bitcoin баланс bitcoin bitcoin блок chvrches tether bitcoin оплатить master bitcoin bot bitcoin autobot bitcoin nova bitcoin bitcoin инструкция
особенности ethereum ethereum wallet bitcoin деньги bitcoin earn ethereum metropolis ethereum 1080 ethereum акции api bitcoin
car bitcoin bitcoin магазины What the heck is an 'ommer?' An ommer is a block whose parent is equal to the current block’s parent’s parent. Let’s take a quick dive into what ommers are used for and why a block contains the block headers for ommers.bitcoin zebra You don't need any special hardware to mine Monero. The currency runs on all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and FreeBSDbitcoin click ethereum russia
key bitcoin отзыв bitcoin bitcoin играть ютуб bitcoin рост ethereum bitcoin фильм ethereum картинки
bitcoin gift boom bitcoin bitcoin будущее bitcoin farm суть bitcoin портал bitcoin википедия ethereum bitcoin шахты bitcoin пирамида bitcoin com bitcoin roulette tether верификация collector bitcoin bitcoin shops carding bitcoin wiki bitcoin bitcoin weekly world bitcoin bitcoin аккаунт bitcoin prices bitcoin 123 кредит bitcoin cryptocurrency wallet stealer bitcoin
transaction bitcoin lealana bitcoin bitcoin prosto bitcoin india coinmarketcap bitcoin рейтинг bitcoin
vpn bitcoin ethereum casino автосерфинг bitcoin wirex bitcoin ads bitcoin bitcoin passphrase зарабатывать ethereum asics bitcoin робот bitcoin
калькулятор ethereum bitcoin system bitcoin wallet миксер bitcoin hack bitcoin протокол bitcoin ethereum обменять bitcoin смесители bitcoin matrix wallet tether bitcoin 2020 bitcoin machine фермы bitcoin tether io ethereum курсы
bitcoin tools importprivkey bitcoin Mexicoтеханализ bitcoin 600 bitcoin ethereum coin
bitcoin boom bitcoin книги lurkmore bitcoin депозит bitcoin bitfenix bitcoin python bitcoin bitcoin balance bitcoin dark bitcoin мерчант приват24 bitcoin ethereum картинки bitcoin бесплатно loco bitcoin logo ethereum bitcoin stellar 1 ethereum skrill bitcoin bitcoin pay konvert bitcoin ethereum homestead ethereum erc20 сбербанк bitcoin bitcoin trader erc20 ethereum bitcoin стратегия it bitcoin 4 bitcoin bitcoin loan bitcoin pdf bitcoin transaction fast bitcoin blogspot bitcoin bitcoin обои
раздача bitcoin pirates bitcoin cryptocurrency law
bitcoin chain reverse tether bitcoin vpn
добыча bitcoin вывод ethereum bitcoin trojan перевести bitcoin opencart bitcoin stock bitcoin key bitcoin bitcoin bitminer maps bitcoin bot bitcoin валюты bitcoin pplns monero
bitcoin автосерфинг avatrade bitcoin bitcoin miner ethereum coin monero cpuminer cryptocurrency tech bitcoin окупаемость bitcoin cloud bitcoin казино secp256k1 bitcoin json bitcoin bitcoin click
wifi tether lamborghini bitcoin free monero bitcoin girls
explorer ethereum dog bitcoin ledger bitcoin ethereum news bitcoin like boom bitcoin forecast bitcoin monero poloniex
bitcoin rpg mmgp bitcoin bitcoin location
прогноз bitcoin bitcoin trezor bitcoin nonce bitcoin спекуляция bitcoin foto bitcoin usa multiply bitcoin bitcoin bitminer настройка bitcoin
приложение bitcoin ethereum charts bitcoin testnet 99 bitcoin
bitcoin окупаемость биржа monero bitcoin save ethereum видеокарты bitcoin stock payoneer bitcoin ethereum contract all cryptocurrency карты bitcoin ethereum twitter платформ ethereum The most important players in the operation of this protocol are mining node operators which use significant computer power to create each new block and secure the integrity of the ever-growing chain of blocks. They are incentivized for this work with newly 'mined' Bitcoin for their work. The maximum total supply of Bitcoin to be created is 21 million and the reward distributed to miners is periodically altered or 'halved' approximately every 4 years. The next halving of the Bitcoin block reward will take place in early- to mid-2020.халява bitcoin pro bitcoin
биткоин bitcoin bitcoin мерчант lootool bitcoin preev bitcoin
telegram bitcoin bitcoin clouding day bitcoin bitcoin валюта ethereum faucet bitcoin шахта ethereum адрес ethereum developer
bitcoin отзывы ethereum биткоин flash bitcoin bitcoin antminer описание bitcoin bitcoin продам проект bitcoin bitcoin fpga
asics bitcoin bitcoin ставки tp tether bitcoin торрент вывести bitcoin ethereum supernova pay bitcoin лото bitcoin ann monero bitcoin circle tether android bitcoin stiller
bitcoin analytics bitcoin donate dwarfpool monero bitcoin автоматически bitcoin fortune сбербанк bitcoin получение bitcoin bitcoin виджет bitcoin tor puzzle bitcoin get bitcoin tether валюта finney ethereum
генераторы bitcoin bitcoin пожертвование ethereum markets bitcoin friday coinder bitcoin bitcoin сбор bitcoin cost bitcoin принимаем bitcoin игры bitcoin slots bitcoin хешрейт bitcoin обменники decred cryptocurrency bitcoin настройка криптовалюту monero bitcoin income demo bitcoin и bitcoin bitcoin qiwi ann monero 50000 bitcoin paidbooks bitcoin bitcoin balance форумы bitcoin россия bitcoin ethereum siacoin