What are the key differences between Ethereum and Cardano?

1 History and goals

Ethereum was launched in 2015 as the first platform to enable smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps) on a blockchain. Its goal is to become a global computer that can execute any code and host any service without intermediaries or censorship. Cardano was founded in 2017 by Charles Hoskinson, a former co-founder of Ethereum, who wanted to create a more scientific and rigorous approach to blockchain development. Its goal is to become a social and financial operating system that can address the challenges of scalability, interoperability, and sustainability.

3 Development and governance

Ethereum and Cardano have different approaches to development and governance, which reflect their philosophies and cultures. Ethereum follows a more experimental and agile method, where it iterates and improves its features based on feedback and demand. It also has a more decentralized and community-driven governance, where proposals and decisions are made by various stakeholders, such as developers, users, and miners. Cardano follows a more formal and systematic method, where it applies academic research and peer review to its design and implementation. It also has a more structured and hierarchical governance, where proposals and decisions are made by a network of entities, such as the Cardano Foundation, IOHK, Emurgo, and the treasury system.

4 Smart contracts and DApps

Ethereum and Cardano both enable smart contracts and DApps, but they have different languages, frameworks, and standards for creating and running them. Ethereum uses Solidity, a high-level language that is easy to learn and use, but also prone to errors and bugs. It also uses the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), a runtime environment that executes the code and manages the state of the network. Ethereum has a large and diverse ecosystem of DApps, covering various domains such as finance, gaming, identity, and social media. Cardano uses Plutus, a low-level language that is more secure and reliable, but also more complex and challenging. It also uses the K framework, a formal specification language that verifies the correctness and functionality of the code. Cardano is still in the process of launching its smart contract and DApp platform, called Goguen, which aims to offer more flexibility, interoperability, and usability.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?