Topic: The difference between bitcoin and cryptocurrency. (Read 627 times)

Mmm and exactly where does this idea come from? First of all, I don't even see it as something bad or negative, if people would focus more on bitcoin rather than altcoins, that in 99.9% of cases are shitcoins, it would be way better for the whole ecosystem. Second thing, if you do a minimum of research about bitcoin I find it very unluckily not to find something about ETH, BNB, DOT, etc etc, even by mistake you are going to discover them.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, it is one of the cryptocurrency.
And other cryptocurrencies beside Bitcoin is called as altcoins (alternative coins).
I think so far that is what I have learned.
And I think many people actually understand this.
Your analogy actually adds to the confusion. ha ha

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, no doubt. This is the first cryptocurrency not to called a cryptocurrency. And yes it's different from the other cryptocurrencies in terms volatility, risk, and security but we can't remove to our mind that it's a cryptocurrency. If we ask those people who really don't know enough about cryptocurrency they will say it's Bitcoin. So it's better to say that Bitcoin is the real cryptocurrency.

Some people do contradict the difference between bitcoin and cryptocurrencies and its only people who don't know about bitcoin that really wants to know about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, when you go to Google it will gives you the difference but will still bring it here to the forum whereas so many people have the ideas of the difference between bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, a cryptocurrency is the general name of cryptocurrencies so which bitcoin is a part of cryptocurrency and altcoins is also parts of cryptocurrencies but altcoins are subjects to bitcoin because they get influenced through bitcoin for their increment

Bitcoin is cryptocurrency so it make sense if we use the word "altcoin" or "other cryptocurrency".  Simply stating cryptocurrency which also represents Bitcoin may cause misconception especially when we are comparing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.


There is quite a problem in correcting misconception because many newbies and other members who has the tendency to read the title and post reply failed to read other replies, they keep on insisting their on their own knowledge without verifying if they had represented it correctly like the case you stated.  We can observe it in this thread even though many replies corrected them but many still believe that Bitcoin is different from cryptocurrency.  I even plotted the relationship of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency in my earlier reply here but it was ignored.  I think we should not get tired of correcting stuff if we happen to have the right knowledge about it.

I'm not surprised by that newbie's assumption when comparing Binance and Trust Wallet; before I joined the bitcoin soace, I had no idea about them; I always assumed bitcoin was a coin and the popular exchange, Binance, was also a coin, until I was introduced to them and explained in detail what they are. The terms cryptocurrency and bitcoin were the most confusing to me. With a clearer explanation, I can now tell them apart without thinking twice. All newbies should be aware that bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency, and any other cryptocurrency after it should not be treated as an equal to bitcoin because they are all alternative coins. The term altcoin can only refer to any coin other than bitcoin, which was the first cryptocurrency to emerge and continues to be the most valuable.

Correct. Because bitcoin was the first coin, after that other cryptocurrencies (altcoins) were born, the number of coins of which is increasing day by day, so it can be said that bitcoin is the father of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin is a crypto, but bitcoin is a coin, ethereum is also a crypto coin. Just the name "cryptocurency" in cryptocurrency there are coins and tokens. Bitcoin has its own network, ethereum and Binance are coins that also have their own networks too.

Tge ideal understanding comes in this way that we have bitcoin and we have altcoins all in cryptocurrency, bitcoin is an independent cryptocurrency on it own, then every other cryptocurrencies are all refereed to as altcoins except bitcoin, so it's very important to always make the difference when making the discussion and not to conclude by accepting every cryptocurrencies to be thesame as bitcoin because there are scam or shitcoins in altcoins where their developers are not trusted and the project is not realistic than scam.

the people who are here most likely already know this but for sure those who have little knowledge about bitcoin or cryptocurrency in general will find this confusing nice explanation though might help a beginner or two and will show them more options other than but coins  to invest although of course just like the head of the family it’s already established and more often than not must be followed just like bitcoin

Any contentious argument that tend to say Bitcoin is not crypto is a big fallacious Statement which need to be disregarded. Bitcoin is the number coin as far as the crypto market is certain. The creation and existence of Bitcoin is what brought about the crypto market and the advancement has brought about different altcoins projects in the market allowing people to create their own projects and launch them in the crypto market. The consistent launch if new projects in the market keeps increasing the market capitalization of the entire cryptocurrency sphere.

Bitcoin's restricted supply has a major impact on its dominance, but there's more to it. Blockchain technology in Bitcoin is reliable. It's unmatched in strength and security. Indeed, Bitcoin has shown its resilience time and time again.

Considering the progress of cryptocurrencies, shouldn't we also explore altcoins' potential? Although Bitcoin leads, altcoins provide unique features. Is it not worthwhile to examine and critique these aspects to have a better understanding of market capitalization and transaction volume?

Everything is unique and Bitcoin is just an oustanding unique cryptocurrency. Even a shit coin is unique too from name to ticker, algorithm and specifications, use cases and so forth.

I believe the discussion is on biggest difference between Bitcoin and altcoins. It is decentralization (Bitcoin) versus centralization (Altcoins). With time, Bitcoin network becomes bigger then stronger and more decentralized from network hashrate and Bitcoin distribution. We can not have all of these with altcoins.

I don't know the purpose of this argument as Bitcoin is not Ethereum, and neither is it Solana, these are distinct names. It's only those who do not know Cryptocurrency that would mistake this. All are under the umbrella name of Cryptocurrency because Cryptography and Currency bind them together in creation and principle just as I explained extensively here

All of them are Cryptocurrencies, but each Cryptocurrency has its different names and varied operations and functions.

You know that in the reality that is happening now, most investors choose to invest in altcoins compared to Bitcoin. And I am one of those who prefers to invest in altcoins. Do you know why?

Because I see more that I can get high chances to earn more than Bitcoin. Although I'm not saying it's bad to invest in Bitcoin, not like that; I just mean, bitcoin is a good investment in the long term if you can buy at least one or more bitcoins. Otherwise, it's better to just take a risk on altcoins. Because there are also other altcoins that are on the top list of the market, and for sure they will not be left behind when the bull run comes. Although they have the same risk somehow,

Because you can make returns off an altcoin does not mean that it has potential, nobody can say altcoins don't give returns if you are lucky, but to get lucky on them is very difficult. 8 out of 10 would eventually become useless or was created to scam the buyers, and the remaining 2 would only rise for a very short period of time, before it falls again, that's no potential if you ask me.

But people are looking at bitcoin as an investment, an asset rather than a currency. So is bitcoin a cryptocurrency? To me, bitcoin is the cryptocurrency, the first in the crypto industry and the most special compared to the rest. Most altcoins are trash and scams, but that doesn't mean we can say that bitcoin is not a cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the first coin, the creator of this market, without bitcoin there would be no cryptocurrency market.

I'm not looking for further references but according to my understanding. Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency created using technology called blockchain or cryptography.
Meanwhile, cryptocurrency is the term for digital currency that uses cryptography or blockchain technology, either its own chain or attached to another chain.

So Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are one part that is specifically Bitcoin, while Cryptocurency is everything including Bitcoin and other coins that use cryptography or blockchain technology.

CMIIW

People mostly hear about Bitcoin first then of other cryptos, so one may think they aren't aware of other cryptos, but sooner or later they come to know about it anyway.

Not all altcoins did people lost their money to. There are other potential ones which I have a few in my radar. Is true that bitcoin surpasses them all, but we shouldn't refrain from the fact that there alts that gives cool profit. Used some of my Dual investment to get to most

Bitcoin is an electronic payment system that is based on cryptography and allows people to make transactions without a third party as a witness. My source of reference about Bitcoin is the white paper. I mentioned it so I don't plagiarize.

For me, Bitcoin with the abbreviation BTC is currency.
Cryptocurrencies are thousands of names and types of coins and tokens that imitate Bitcoin and try to compete with Bitcoin.

Easy and simple.Yes. That's the difference between Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in my opinion.

When people say "Bitcoin, not crypto" they want to create a differentiation so people don't conflate Bitcoin with all the scammy aspects of alternative cryptocurrencies. Altcoins are often associated with rugpulls, premines, pump and dumps, bad monetary policy and many other negative things. Bitcoin will always prioritize decentralization and security and that's why generalized ideas relating to cryptocurrency might not typically apply.

Know what? because people understand that bitcoin stands for cryptocurrency meaning that when people hear crypto they thought about bitcoin but correct that Bitcoin and altcoins are different because blockchain stands for not all crypto as they have their own chain and functions so indeed that it is different at all.

and like some mentioned , the 21 million limited supply why bitcoin becomes more better than other coins that has tons of supply.

IMO, the limited supply of Bitcoins can indeed be a good differentiator too, but there are other answers that are better in my opinion to be used as differentiators between Bitcoin and other crypto assets.

The first is proof that Bitcoin's Blockchain technology is trusted and strong so that it can last longer, making Bitcoin more respected than altcoins. The birth of Bitcoin was truly the beginning of the birth of the world of cryptographic-based coins. And until now, Bitcoin's blockchain technology has proven effective in keeping the network standing strong. This is what causes many institutional investors to become more interested in Bitcoin. The resistance of blockchain technology to hacking means that security and privacy are well maintained.

This has an impact on liquidation and high market cap. This is what causes the number of Bitcoin transactions to be greater when compared to altcoins. Bitcoin is the oldest king. The older you get, the stronger you get. That's why Bitcoin always accumulates market capitalization strength every day.

This mistake is commonly made by newbies. The same way a newbie once told me that Binance is better than Trust Wallet (you can imagine such a comparison). While it's great to see new people getting interested in the crypto space, it's important to clarify many misunderstandings. For example, in this case, there's Bitcoin which falls in the category of cryptocurrency and is not a category itself. Educating these newbies about these differences would really help them make informed decisions and avoid misconceptions that could even lead to loss of funds. Thank goodness that we have this platform for people to ask questions and learn.

Truth be told, I cannot advise someone to put his/her money into some shitcoins or an altcoin. I can only tell a person to invest in Bitcoin because there is prove of a good and bad history of Bitcoin. I would still advise the person to do his/her own research before starting to invest in Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is also a cryptocurrency, but Bitcoin is still far much better than altcoins and shitoins in the crypto world. Some people like the government already know that, but I really believe that they are hiding it from others. Shitcoins aren't worth investing in. Sometimes I don't really know why most gamblers use their BTC for gambling when they have some shitcoins to use.

Thank you brother, I also had such misconception about Bitcoin and the word cryptocurrency because I was lacking on knowledge concerning these things when I actually started this journey but thanks to how lucrative the forum is and the varse knowledge that is embedded here some senior folks and members like JayJuanGee and also series of reading, helped me understood the whole concept of the actual words and till date so many people still don't understand this.

I answered according to my current understanding, if there is something wrong, please correct me. Digital currencies that do not have a physical form are called cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin is one type of cryptocurrency that is popular throughout the world and is much sought after by investors. If asked which is better than cryptocurrency, of course bitcoin because bitcoin can be said to be the cryptocurrency of the solar system. The difference may come from price and technology alone.

In other words, if you buy Bitcoin for investment or trade Bitcoin currency, you are indirectly investing in cryptocurrency because Bitcoin is one of the cryptocurrencies with the largest trading volume and of course a future asset compared to Altcoins.

This is very easy to determine because a coin/cryptocurrency is always behind what Bitcoin represents, and yes, perhaps it can represent money, but never like bitcoin is, because bitcoin is far above all cryptocurrencies, thanks to the bitcoin is that the others exist, the people who only believe in crypto waves and not in bitcoin is like not loving your mother, because thanks to Bitcoin everything is done, if bitcoin makes a movement all the crypto waves go in that direction, because It is the creation, it is the origin of all that, it is that simple, I can't find any other explanation that could make it clearer.

Its basically the same thing except Bitcoin is a subset of a cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency is the whole.

You are right there are lots of people that don't understand about digital currency and cryptocurrencies.  It maybe an arguement but according to several articles, digital currencies and cryptocurrency are two different things.
this article: Explained: The difference between cryptocurrency and digital currency states about the difference between digital currency and cryptocurrency.  They even have an infographics about its differences.

We don't even need a family structure as example because it is way off the chart.  Just a simple graphical presentation such as this can clearly show what you are trying to explain.

You are actually getting it wrong. Cryptocurrency is called a virtual currency that deployed on a blockchain through cryptography. On the other hand, Bitcoin is a p2p decentralised virtual currency deployed on a blockchain through cryptography. That means all the cryptocurrency deployed on the blockchain through cryptographic. But yes, you can make a difference between Bitcoin and altcoins. Except for Bitcoin, everything deployed on the blockchain through cryptography as a virtual currency is called an altcoin. The major thing is that Bitcoin is fully decentralised, and there is no team that can influence the market. But all other cryptocurrencies have a team that can influence them. So they are not truly decentralised anyway.

Besides knowing that Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency, BTC has also remained the first and is always in the top 1 crypto in this industry. Because of adoption and technology, their difference is very wide.

Besides that, their purposes are also very far from each other, because when it comes to security investment, investors prefer to choose Bitcoin in the long term over other cryptocurrencies. Many tried to bring down Bitcoin, but they succeeded, and many other cryptos have already fallen.

Bitcoin is popular among all cryptocurrency assets because of its success and there are also lots of other coins which is necessary but their success and qualities remains hidden when we talk about Bitcoin's features and success. I think everyone knows about other cryptos but they don't accept it due to uncertainty and risk factors involved in it. Every coin which is present in crypto space are closely related with bitcoin so keep in mind that whenever price goes down then coins with already minimum price will died but bitcoin will move again to top position after sometimes.

By just hearing about bitcoin you cannot be successful because there is higher volatility in its price which you should know about its management. There are also many individuals who have knowledge about bitcoin but due to rules and regulations of every country they become unable to take benefit of bitcoin.

Is it so black and white?

The symbiotic link between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is intriguing. Bitcoin was a pioneer, but wouldnt another digital asset have taken its place if BTC didn't? With or without Bitcoin, the technological and conceptual foundations were laid. How you view the link between Bitcoin and altcoins, especially in terms of dependency and the idea that one cannot survive without the other, is intriguing. Dont you think its a dynamic ecology where one thing improves the other?

I also think as you say, because coins other than Bitcoin are just coins that are only for a moment and in fact some people only use them for fun as long as they can still get profit from them. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is a coin that is very valuable and also very valuable so that some people will not carelessly release it into the market after they buy it at a lower price.

Maybe because they don't know how many victims of hype from unprofitable altcoins have returned to Bitcoin, because Bitcoin can also provide more certain profits in the long term without having to follow the hype moment. Greed is indeed difficult to eradicate, but it can still be eliminated as long as someone has felt bad things about their wrong decisions in the past so that they will eventually return to Bitcoin by no longer trusting any altcoin.

Apart from being the first digital currency to be introduced,  bitcoin offers a whole lot of benefits compared to other coins
(alt coins). Bitcoin supersedes other coins here:

• a means of payment because it is highly divisible
• Decentralization
• Anonymity
• Store of value
• Low transaction costs
• Faster processing speed etc.

Other coins are springing up as the day passes by. The already existing coins are improving and advancing technologically.  Trying hard to match up with bitcoin or even overpower it.  Considering this level of competition between bitcoin and altcoins, the line between these two is becoming thin. This is surely a good sign of cryptocurrency dominance or adoption.

If people don't know the real usage or purpose of Bitcoin then it means we have failed but that's not what is happening here. What's is happening is that it's those centralized services that are the most accessable means to use Bitcoin currently but things will change in the future when more adoption happens and more people starts working on Bitcoin. We'll have more developers bringing out sites and companies to help facilitate the use of Bitcoin in a decentralized manner. More DEX will be patronages and non custodial wallets will become the norm of the day. We just have to give Bitcoin sometimes because it isn't that long it got developed and launched. We're just 14yrs into Bitcoin existence and alot has already been accomplished which will only keep increasing as the years come by.


Please understand this, without Bitcoin there'll be no cryptocurency industry. Without the father there'll be no family if we're speaking literally. If Bitcoin didn't exist other altcoins won't have been in existence which means others altcoins came as a result of Bitcoin. But in 2023 saying family has to be made up of biological children isn't entirely right. You can adopt children so Bitcoin can still be the father and other children (altcoins must not come from him), they can adopt children or they come into existence in other ways like through surrogacy. Just because most altcoins didn't come as a result of Bitcoin doesn't mean Bitcoin isn't the father and just so you know we have hundreds of altcoins that are fork of Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bcash and the rest.

This illustration is not entirely correct.
Using the family means all cryptocurrencies sprung up from one or two coins. Like they were all Bitcoin before they started splitting into several coins. That's not correct.
Yeah, Bitcoin is at the top. It was the first crypto coin, it has the highest value, it's decentralized and  it has the highest market cap but all these other coins did not come out from Bitcoin.
Every coin is independent on its own. Bitcoin only paved the way for all of them.

Bitcoin paved the way in the sense that, it was after Bitcoin was created that other coins were created using the technology used by Bitcoin.
So think of it like an industry instead of a family. 

You are right, but I don't agree with you because I think that if a person is engaged with this forum and does not even know the difference between Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, then I think he should not stay on this forum. Moreover, for those who don't know about it, I will a little bit describe the literal meaning of cryptocurrency in terms of cryptography. Cryptography is a Greek word that means hidden writing. Bitcoin is The name Bitcoin was later given to it. The first Bitcoin was named after its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who later named it after a white paper.Cryptocurrency is synonymous with Bitcoin; the foundation of cryptocurrency is placed on Bitcoin. If there was no Bitcoin, cryptocurrency would not flow, which means that cryptocurrency is dependent on Bitcoin. Now, because Bitcoin itself laid the foundation of cryptocurrency. And as the founder of cryptocurrency, why is it not possible to say that Bitcoin and altcoin depend on the market, etc. These people think that this altcoin will replace Bitcoin, but this thinking is totally wrong. 

I hope the meaning of the word is understood. Now let's talk about the difference between Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in conceptual terms. Well, both are from the same perspective, but each has its own merits. All other things are similar; the only difference is that the trading supply is limited to 21 million, while the supply of cryptocurrency depends on the coin and how much it holds.

I think it can be summed up into a simple sentence:

Not all Bitcoin is cryptocurrency but not all cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. Now if you were to ask which as the most viable, valuable, tested and trusted cryptocurrency, then the obvious answer would be Bitcoin.

It is better to make people understand that difference otherwise when the scam coins start angering new investors, they should know that not all cryptocurrency is bad. Bitcoin is Bitcoin and altcoins are altcoins.

It's simple, Bitcoin is one of cryptocurrency while cryptocurrency is a name of general currency that using cryptography. There's no coin has a name "cryptocurrency", you can check it by yourself.

Unfortunately most people use Bitcoin through third party e.g. centralized exchange, but it's not mean Bitcoin was failed. Not many people really know the real usage and purpose of Bitcoin is.

Bitcoin to me is the only cryptocurrency that is worth investing on and other altcoins were created from the duplicate of bitcoin to scam people of their hard earned money. Bitcoin is decentralized and don't need a third party to help carry out transactions and it is a store of value, while the others are bunch of shitcoins that are valueless and will make you run at loss when you invest in them.

So many people knows about other cryptocurrency but they might not know the difference between them and bitcoin, while some people because of greed they end up  preferring to invest in altcoins believing that they can make big profit from it due to the hype by the dev.

I don't think so because when we are on the forum we often see long discussions of altcoins so I don't think many people understand other cryptocurrencies apart from bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency if analogous is just a container to facilitate all forms of digital currency and in it there must be bitcoin or indeed altcoins.
I'm not going to describe anything about mum or dad but the most important thing to know is that bitcoin is the biggest and no one can rival them to date for digital currency regardless of whether it's mum or dad I don't really care because when you say the biggest then that answers everything.

Actually I disagree with your statement, you must have written this when you had less knowledge on the industry because what's happening here is the misconception that all cryptocurency are Bitcoin as most investors think the shitcoins they're investing in are like Bitcoin that'll always bounce back up after getting hit down by the bear market. People know that we have different cryptocurency in the market and not just Bitcoin but they mistake them to belike Bitcoin which is where they all make mistake as what they're investing in are just garbage that won't exist in few years time. Most of them don't even survive the bear market. The difference between Bitcoin and cryptocurency is that Bitcoin is just one of the cryptocurency existing while cryptocurency is the general name we give to all cryptocurency. Bitcoin is also a cryptocurency but other cryptocurency aren't Bitcoin and can never be.


Yea your illustration is perfect as Bitcoin is the head while the rest are just other part of the family that can be replaced anytime but just because we have other cryptocurency doesn't make them worthy of been invested into because many of them are just trash that would only make you to lose and not make you profit. Bitcoin controls the whole market so if you Invest in other altcoins doesn't save you when the market is having a correction and they all have to wait for Bitcoin to be having a bullish market for them to start giving you profits which you can't be certain about which one will get the market hype. Infact you should avoid the other part of the family (based on OP explanation) and focus of accumulation the head of the family which is Bitcoin. Just to add another difference, you can be guarantee of making profits with Bitcoin if the market is pumping because Bitcoin leads the pump but you can't with other cryptocurency as you won't know which one will have a good season. Ps not all cryptocurency are bullish during the bull market.

So, what is cryptocurrency a form of digital medium of exchange, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency aka a Digital medium of exchange and now at the same time other digital currencies in the crypto market except Bitcoin are Altcoins (Alternate coins), cryptocurrencies hold a few common characteristics as pre-described supply (tokenomics),
What?? Transactions are not secured by cryptography because there is no encryption on the transaction details except for the public addresses and private keys, Transections are secured by the proof of consensus whether it's POW POS or any other used on the blockchain. In other words, this public or private ledger is called blockchain which secures the transaction. It's too confusing OP is better to create topic after a good research and analysis (Count it as a suggestion, not an attack).

What you knew and shared here is a misinformation.

In fact, let's read Bitcoin prehistory to know Bitcoin is not a first cryptocurrency.

Altcoins are non-Bitcoin coins and a few altcoins were created before Bitcoin, major of altcoins were created after Bitcoin.

We all know that bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency invented by Satoshi in 2009 later other cryptocurrencies were also inventing till now and we called them cryptocurrencies but for the difference, we called bitcoin a cryptocurrency and the rest altcoins so if you have anycoin it means you have a cryptocurrency like if you have a bitcoin you have a cryptocurrency and if you have a cryptocurrency you may or maybe not a bitcoin. let me give you another example, Cash, credit cards, and Venmo are all forms of currency transaction in the same way Bitcoin Ethereum, and dogecoin are different coins but they are a form of cryptocurrency due to the popularity of Bitcoin we call Bitcoin a cryptocurrency and people are confused in this they think that both are different one but actually they are the same forms.

If you mean by many people is many people outside this forum then you may be right, but since we don't have any data so we can't be certain, but if you mean by many people is many people in this forum, then you probably wrong, most of the people in here is bitcoin and crypto enthusiast, they should know the basic like distinguishing between Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and Altcoin, they has their own section in this forum.

You can have your bitcoin wrapped on several networks..

I don't remember exactly which thread I saw it in but it was on this forum.  there are many people who say that only bitcoin is cryptocurrency and altcoin is not cryptocurrency, some even say that "crypto" is not "cryptocurrency", both words are different.   I'm actually quite funny and confused about how they view bitcoin and altcoins.

For me, the cryptocurrency market has only 2 types, bitcoin is one and the other are altcoins, whether token or coin, they are altcoins and have the same risks, they cannot be safer than bitcoin.

Just don't get confuse about other technical words regarding to that since bitcoin is also a crypto and this is the most strongest adopted coin among any other listed on the market. But it also need those altcoin so that it can have healthy conversion especially if we want to earn some profits for exchanging it. But since you came up with those points then its still good that you correlate those things and think about such things. But try to dig more deeper important information since its more helpful for you if you search the technicalities of bitcoins and other altcoins since it can make you earn good profits. Some may not buy those fancy wordings you use but at least you came up with some topic that somehow cool to discuss since some newbie might find the topic you created interesting.

You've clearly and wonderfully taken the time to grasp, analyze, and reframe this bitcoin discussion into a palatable and relevant fashion. Bitcoin—a constant presence, right? Its broad appeal and trustworthiness derive from being the first in a vast and sometimes scary digital money world. Coins like Ethereum, Cardano, and BNB have their own appeal and investment possibilities.

A light but persistent concern remains: While we're wrapped in Bitcoin's considerable shadow, how do we take a moment to fully evaluate these other cryptocurrencies' capabilities? Can we detach our beliefs from Bitcoin and let our investment strategy sail into the unpredictable but potentially lucrative waters of other digital currencies? Its an issue, a difficulty, but worth considering, no?

After reading the title of this topic, I actually hope there will be an explanation about the differences between Bitcoin and crypto. 

But apparently this is only about Bitcoin and Altcoins. I think even a beginner in his early stages of learning will know that there are other digital currencies besides Bitcoin called Altcoins. And there are altcoins that have coins nested in their respective networks called Tokens.

But beginners sometimes can't differentiate between tokens and coins (L1, L2 and so on). Because some time ago I still often misunderstood the difference between tokens and coins. Because I'm still a beginner at this.

a poor comparison in my opinion. It is much better to compare bitcoin to digital gold and altcoins to a digital form of stock shares. So Bitcoin is gold and etherum is equivalent to Apple shares, why? Because the value of bitcoin is based on low supply and desire to possess (like gold), and the value of ETH is based on the utilities built on it the value of BNB depends on what it can be used for (e.g. discount on binance, participation in laucpads, etc.) and so on.
Comparison to mom and dad doesn't add much and seems infantile to me

Certainly, I appreciate your effort to clarify the distinction between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Your family analogy is indeed helpful in explaining this concept to a wider audience.

It's crucial to grasp that Bitcoin is just one member of the larger family of cryptocurrencies. While Bitcoin holds a prominent position as the first and most well-known cryptocurrency, it's not synonymous with the entire category. In simpler terms, think of Bitcoin as the father in the family of cryptocurrencies. There are other members in this crypto family, like Ethereum, Binance Coin, Cardano, Polkadot, and many more, which together form the broader cryptocurrency landscape.

Coinremitter, the crypto payment gateway, plays a vital role in facilitating transactions within this digital family. It ensures secure and efficient movement of various cryptocurrencies, much like how a financial service helps manage transactions within a household. https://coinremitter.com/?utm_source=rep&utm_medium=bitcointalks supports not just Bitcoin but also a wide range of other cryptocurrencies, making it a valuable resource for anyone navigating the crypto world.

In essence, Bitcoin is the father of cryptocurrencies, but it's not the entire family. Coinremitter, as a crypto payment gateway, is here to simplify and enhance the use of this diverse digital currency family. Understanding these distinctions is key to embracing the full potential of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Ops you need to unlearn what you presently carry as knowledge about cryptocurrency because from your writing you have deviated a lot from the reality and tried a definition of what cryptcucrency is and without having to make repetitive comments since most of the comments already point out your errors and where you have the misconceptions,  bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and all the cryptocurrencies uses blockchain unless those copy cats that are government own and other few ones e.g CBDC.


But aside from that,  all other coins run on blockchain technology and there is nothing like Bitcoin vs cryptocurrency because cryptocurrency is the unified name for all the exciting cryptocurrencies we have both the centralized and the decentralized cryptocurrencyies.

Cryptocurrency is a technology that serves as a channel to facilitate the conducting of various financial transactions and ensure that costs are low and service is efficient. whereas Bitcoin aims to simplify and hasten the speed of transactions without government interference or restrictions.
Bitcoin is just one out of so many cryptocurrencies out there but with it's high market cap, it's regarded as the best digital coin.

Your father is also human, and you, your sister, or your mother are also human, so what's the difference? Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency, that's what I understand. As for the difference, bitcoin is entirely decentralized, while altcoins are mostly centralized. I saw someone on this forum claiming bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, and the rest are not. But that view comes from a bitcoin maximalist, so I think there's no arguing with them.

Everyone will have different opinions, I hardly care about this, what I care about is what we are here for and how to achieve our goals, that's what we should care about.

Bitcoin = a currency/SoV
Cryptocurrency = the broader industry of coins/tokens with different purposes(pseudo-shares/equity, smart contract platforms, sometimes bitcoin competitors that are bound to fail, etc)

It's that simple. No need for mommy/daddy analogies that pretty much just means that bitcoin is the biggest.


A currency using cryptography doesn't make it a cryptocurrency by definition.

Also 90%+ of cryptocurrencies use blockchain.

In other words, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and is the most famous of them all and maybe considered as the pioneering one in its present form - but not all cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. Just like saying that Paris is a place in France but not all France is Paris. Well, anyway, this is a very basic tenet and people who are into cryptocurrency got it from the very start of their crypto journey and for those people who still don't know it then maybe they are living in the caves.

I am sure those who don't know about other cryptocurrencies than Bitcoin they don't know about the usecases of it and they just leaned that there is a virtual currency which name is Bitcoin. And one more thing, just understanding about Bitcoin that it's a crypto isn't enough at all. You have to know about the pros and cons and have some technical knowledge about how to use or spend.

This is a very common example and not too much informative. I believe that who has a very little knowledge about crypto or he is just starting must know about the common differences between Bitcoin and Altcoins. The word "Altcoin" means Alternative Coin. So it's an alternative of Bitcoin.

Are you sure?

I believe more people invested money in altcoins (alternate cryptocurrencies) and lost their money with altcoins than with Bitcoin. Altcoin communities are more noisy, actively shill their "potential" altcoins and if you check Coinmarketcap.com, Coingecko.com, thousands of altcoin will appear. It's hard to ignore them when you can buy them with cheaper prices.

This sentence is too long but contains confusing information and incorrect too.

Both Bitcoin and altcoins use blockchains, very few altcoins like DAG don't have a blockchain. Difference is Bitcoin network is decentralized whilst altcoin networks are centralized.

 I've come to realise that many people still don't understand that there are other cryptocurrencies apart from the bitcoin, yes the bitcoin is considered a cryptocurrency but they're two things altogether, bitcoin is the supreme digital currency and all digital currencies around the world are known as cryptocurrency, it is an form of currency be it digitally or virtually that uses cryptography to secure it's transactions,whereas bitcoin uses a decentralized ledger called the blockchain to maintain and secure a transparent record of transactions.

 Let me bring it to layman's term for people to understand better, in a society there's a family and I'll use the family to represent cryptocurrency now, the family has a head and that is the father which I'll use to represent bitcoin, now inside that family there are other members like the mother, sister,brother  which forms the family, that's how their are other digital currencies that makes up the cryptocurrency as well, now you can say the father is a member and head  of the family but can't say the father and family are same thing, same way as saying bitcoin is the head and supreme cryptocurrency but can't say bitcoin and cryptocurrency is same thing, I hope these illustrations will help you understand my explanations better, also there other cryptocurrencies like etherium, bnb, cardano, polkadot etc.