Ethereum was launched in 2015, building on the innovations of Bitcoin, and there are some significant differences between the two.
Both allow you to use digital currencies without the need for a payment service provider or bank. But Ethereum is programmable, so you can also build and deploy decentralized applications on the Ethereum network.
Bitcoin allows us to communicate basic information about what we deem valuable. Determining value without an authority is powerful enough. Ethereum takes it a step further by enabling not only communication, but also the ability for users to write any regular program or contract. There is no limit to the types of contracts that can be created and agreed upon, so major innovations happen on the Ethereum network all the time.
While Bitcoin is just a payment network, Ethereum is more like a marketplace for financial services, games, social networks, and other applications.
