Better Crypto for the Next Bull Run: Bitcoin vs. Ethereum

Written by Dominic Basulto for The Motley Fool->

In the period from 2017 to 2025, Bitcoin significantly outperformed Ethereum.

Bitcoin has emerged as a "strategic" priority of the U.S. government, and that will likely propel it higher in 2027.

If history is any guide, Bitcoin is likely to outperform Ethereum during the next crypto bull market.

The crypto market typically moves in four-year cycles of boom and bust. That's why 2027 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for investors. If 2026 continues to be a bust year for crypto, 2027 could be the start of the next bull market run.

With that in mind, the No. 1 crypto I'm buying for the next bull run is Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), not Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). Although both cryptocurrencies typically move in tandem, Bitcoin is the clear choice for both safety and upside potential.

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With a towering market cap of $1.25 trillion, Bitcoin currently accounts for a staggering 58% of the total value of the crypto market. It is still the market bellwether, typically leading the market higher or lower. So, if crypto is ready for a breakout year in 2027, Bitcoin will be leading the way.

Just look at the historical data. In the period from 2017 to 2025, Bitcoin posted a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38%, while Ethereum grew at a CAGR of 23%. That suggests that Bitcoin simply has more fuel in the tank for a major move upward.

The performance gap is even more pronounced when you consider the crypto bull market in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Bitcoin skyrocketed by 156%, while Ethereum gained 93%. In 2024, Bitcoin soared by 121%, while Ethereum gained 46%.

True, past performance is no guarantee of future results. So maybe you would like to toss out all the historical data from 2017 to 2025? Alright then, let's focus on what's on tap in 2027 and 2028.

This is where it gets very exciting if you're a Bitcoin investor. For one, there's new momentum around the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, with revised attempts to codify it into law. If that happens, it's presumably only a matter of time before the strategic reserve starts buying new Bitcoin in the spot crypto market. That should result in significant upward pressure on the price of Bitcoin.

At the same time, Bitcoin is going "strategic" in other ways. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), for example, has proposed that Bitcoin holdings of the U.S. government could be used to help pare down the $39 trillion national debt. And some top U.S. military leaders have recently suggested that Bitcoin could even be used for national security purposes, including cyber protection and force projection.

By way of contrast, Ethereum seems to have faded from the limelight. The same strategic push around Bitcoin does not exist for Ethereum. Instead of a strategic reserve, there is simply a digital asset stockpile.

Moreover, in previous crypto bull markets, Ethereum had little real competition. That won't be the case in 2027. While Ethereum is still the go-to blockchain network for decentralized finance (DeFi), it is now ceding some of its market leadership role to faster, cheaper blockchain networks such as Solana (CRYPTO: SOL).

For that reason, Ethereum's fruture upside could be capped. That means there's an even higher likelihood that Bitcoin will continue to outperform Ethereum in the coming years.

This new strategic narrative around Bitcoin leads nicely into 2028 when it will undergo its next halving, when the rewards for mining new coins is cut in half and slows supply growth. This Bitcoin halving event is typically a very bullish signal and is unofficially the kick-off of the frothiest, most speculative phase of the crypto bull market.

In 2024, for example, the halving in April led Bitcoin to break through the $100,000 price level by December. In 2025, Bitcoin went on to hit an all-time high of $126,000.

All of which is to say, if you're thinking about choosing a crypto for the bull market run, look no further than Bitcoin. The era of churning out triple-digit percentage returns may be over, but Bitcoin is still highly likely to outperform Ethereum just as it has for the past decade.

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Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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