Public Blockchain Examples: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and More

When people talk about blockchain, they usually mean one of two things: Bitcoin or Ethereum. But those two aren’t the whole story. Public blockchains are open networks where anyone can join, send transactions, or run code - no permission needed. They’re not owned by companies, governments, or banks. They run on thousands of computers around the world, all agreeing on what’s true. That’s the magic. And while Bitcoin started it all, Ethereum changed the game completely.

Bitcoin: The Original Digital Cash

Bitcoin isn’t just the first blockchain. It’s still the most secure. Launched on January 3, 2009, it was built to be digital money you could send directly to someone without a middleman. No bank. No fee collector. Just you, the network, and math.

It’s simple by design. Bitcoin’s job is to record who owns what. It doesn’t run apps. It doesn’t host websites. It just moves value. That’s why it’s called “digital gold.” People hold it because it’s hard to make more, hard to censor, and hard to destroy. Every 10 minutes, a new block gets added. Each block holds about 1MB of transactions. The network processes maybe 4 to 7 transactions per second. Slow? Yes. But that slowness is intentional. It makes attacks expensive.

As of 2023, Bitcoin’s network uses over 200 exahashes per second of computing power. That’s more than the entire top 500 supercomputers in the world combined. To take over Bitcoin, you’d need to control more than half that power - a cost estimated at $14.5 billion. That’s not just hard. It’s practically impossible.

There are over 15,000 full nodes running Bitcoin around the globe. That’s more than any other blockchain. Nodes are computers that store the full history of every Bitcoin ever sent. The more nodes, the harder it is to lie about what happened. Bitcoin’s code hasn’t changed much since 2009. That’s not because it’s outdated. It’s because it works. And it’s trusted.

Ethereum: The World Computer

Ethereum didn’t just copy Bitcoin. It rewrote the rules. In 2013, Vitalik Buterin proposed a blockchain that could run programs - not just payments. That’s what made Ethereum different. Instead of just tracking who owns coins, it could execute code. That code? Smart contracts. Self-running agreements that trigger when conditions are met.

Launched in July 2015, Ethereum quickly became the home of decentralized apps (dapps). Want to lend money without a bank? There’s a dapp for that. Want to trade unique digital art? That’s NFTs, mostly on Ethereum. Want to swap tokens automatically? DeFi protocols run on Ethereum. As of late 2023, over 4,000 dapps were live on Ethereum, with more than 50 million smart contracts deployed.

But Ethereum wasn’t perfect. It was slow. And expensive. During the 2021 crypto boom, a simple transaction could cost $180 in gas fees. That’s not user-friendly. So in September 2022, Ethereum did something no other major blockchain had done: it switched from mining to staking. Called “The Merge,” it cut energy use by 99.95%. Miners with giant rigs were replaced by validators who lock up 32 ETH (about $51,200 at the time) to help secure the network.

Now, blocks come every 12 seconds. Throughputs are 15-30 transactions per second. Gas fees average around $3.50 - still higher than Bitcoin’s $1.20, but far better than before. And Ethereum isn’t done. The upcoming “Dencun” upgrade in early 2024 will introduce proto-danksharding, which could slash Layer-2 transaction costs by 90%. That’s huge for scaling.

Other Public Blockchains You Should Know

Bitcoin and Ethereum aren’t alone. Other public blockchains are trying to solve different problems.

Cardano launched in 2017 with a focus on academic rigor. It uses a proof-of-stake system called Ouroboros and claims to be more energy-efficient than Bitcoin. It has over 2,000 nodes and a 10-second block time. But it’s still catching up in real-world usage.

Solana, launched in 2020, is all about speed. It claims to handle 65,000 transactions per second. That’s faster than Visa. But speed came at a cost. In 2022 alone, Solana had six major outages. When the network goes down, everything stops. That’s not ideal for financial apps.

Then there’s Polygon, which isn’t a standalone chain but a Layer-2 solution built on top of Ethereum. It’s used by big brands like Starbucks and Meta to run low-cost NFT projects. It’s not a public blockchain on its own - it relies on Ethereum’s security.

Each of these networks makes trade-offs. You can’t have maximum security, maximum speed, and maximum decentralization all at once. That’s the blockchain trilemma. Bitcoin picks security and decentralization. Ethereum picks functionality and is working on scalability. Solana picks speed but sacrifices uptime. Cardano picks research-backed design but lags in adoption.

Who Uses These Blockchains?

Bitcoin users are mostly holders. A 2023 Glassnode report showed that 62.3% of Bitcoin addresses haven’t moved coins in over a year. People buy it, hold it, and forget about it. Reddit’s r/Bitcoin community is full of posts like “Just bought my first 0.01 BTC as long-term savings - am I crazy?” with thousands of upvotes. The narrative is clear: Bitcoin is money, not a tool.

Ethereum users? They’re builders. Developers. Traders. People who interact with apps. Reddit’s r/ethereum is full of questions like “Best resources for learning Solidity in 2023?” and “Why is my transaction stuck?” There are 1.8 million daily active Ethereum wallets, compared to 850,000 for Bitcoin. Ethereum isn’t just a currency - it’s a platform.

On Trustpilot, Coinbase users praise Bitcoin for its simplicity and Ethereum for its power - but complain about high fees. That’s the split. Bitcoin is easy. Ethereum is powerful - but complicated.

Market and Regulation: Where Do They Stand?

As of late 2023, Bitcoin holds 52.3% of the entire $1.15 trillion crypto market. Ethereum is second at 18.7%. That’s not just popularity - it’s institutional trust. Fifteen U.S. public companies, including MicroStrategy and Tesla, hold over $12 billion in Bitcoin on their balance sheets. Not a single one holds Ethereum as a corporate asset.

Regulators see them differently too. The European Union’s MiCA law, effective in December 2024, treats Bitcoin as a “virtual asset” and Ethereum as a “utility token.” That means different rules for taxes, disclosures, and compliance. In the U.S., the SEC hasn’t ruled on Ethereum’s status. Gary Gensler has said many tokens beyond Bitcoin likely qualify as securities - a legal gray area that could affect how Ethereum is used in finance.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s Taproot upgrade in 2021 improved privacy and efficiency. The upcoming Taproot Assets protocol, launching in early 2024, will let users issue tokens on Bitcoin - without changing its core rules. That’s a big deal. It means Bitcoin could start supporting NFTs and tokenized assets - without becoming Ethereum.

What’s the Right Choice?

There’s no single “best” public blockchain. It depends on what you need.

If you want to store value, protect against inflation, or hold digital cash that can’t be frozen - Bitcoin is the most proven option. It’s battle-tested, decentralized, and simple.

If you want to use apps, trade tokens, lend money, buy NFTs, or build something on top of a blockchain - Ethereum is where the action is. It’s the most developed ecosystem, with the most tools, developers, and users.

For casual users? Start with Bitcoin. It’s easier to understand. For developers? Learn Ethereum. It’s where the future is being built.

Public blockchains aren’t going away. They’re evolving. Bitcoin stays focused. Ethereum keeps innovating. Others come and go. But the core idea remains: trust without a middleman. That’s powerful. And it’s here to stay.