The cryptocurrency market is constantly changing and evolving. As a result, investors are left with the question of which coin to invest in for maximum return. There are many cryptocurrencies out there, but only two that have been around long enough to compare: litecoin vs bitcoin cash.
Bitcoin has been the most popular cryptocurrency for quite some time now, but there are other coins that have entered the market and continue to grow in popularity. One such coin is litecoin, which was created by former Google engineer Charlie Lee. Bitcoin cash (BCH) came about as a result of a bitcoin hard fork and also has grown in popularity recently because people believe it will be faster than bitcoin. So what should you do if you want to invest?
While it would be hard to pick just one winner, experts believe that BCH may give you slightly higher returns than Litecoin over the long term – but not by much.
Recently, bitcoin has been plagued with high transaction fees and slow confirmation times. When these issues were first discovered, many people turned to litecoin as an alternative digital currency that was cheaper and faster than bitcoin. Now that BCH has entered the market with a larger block size limit, some wonder whether it might be worth considering over litecoin or bitcoin.
This article will explore the differences between LTC and BCH, two of the most popular cryptocurrencies on the market. We will go into detail about their features and similarities, as well as which one is a better investment. To start off, we’ll look at how these currencies work and what they offer to investors.
LTC vs BCH
What is Litecoin (LTC) ?
Litecoin is a digital currency that was created in 2011 by Google engineer Charlie Lee. It is based on the Bitcoin protocol but differs in several ways. For example, Litecoin has a block generation time of only two and a half minutes, compared to Bitcoin’s ten minutes. This means that transactions can be confirmed more quickly. Litecoin also has a higher maximum limit of 69,235,257.07 LTC, compared to Bitcoin’s 18,933,268.75 BCH.
One of the key features of Litecoin is its use of Segregated Witness (SegWit). SegWit allows for transaction malleability fixes, faster transactions, and lower fees. In August 2017, Litecoin became the first major cryptocurrency to implement SegWit.
Litecoin is often referred to as Bitcoin’s silver, while BCH is often referred to as gold. There are many uses of Litecoin in this digital currency era. For starters, litecoin is accepted by most exchanges and can easily be purchased with your local currency. Litecoin is also one of the more stable cryptocurrencies, which makes it an ideal choice for investors who are looking to earn some money without having to worry about price fluctuations that much.
Litecoin has a market cap of $10,613,981,835 as compared to Bitcoin’s $8,252,927,649 market cap – making litecoin significantly valuable than bitcoin. Therefore, experts believe that litecoin could give you slightly higher returns in the long term but not by much.
One of the best things about litecoin is that it is the cheapest and most convenient way to purchase bitcoin. This means that if you wanted to invest in Bitcoin Cash, litecoin would be your best bet because it will allow for a much cheaper transaction when purchasing bitcoin.
For these reasons and more, many choose Litecoin as their preferred cryptocurrency: its low price tag makes this digital asset very attractive to new investors who want access without having to spend too much money on individual coins. There is also less risk involved with litecoins than there are with bitcoins considering how the value of BCH have risen dramatically over recent years – making people hesitant about investing huge amounts into them at once out of fear that they may drop drastically again just as quickly before an investor has time to sell their shares off.
What is Bitcoin Cash (BCH)?
Bitcoin Cash was created on August 01, 2017, as a hard fork of Bitcoin. It is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system that allows for online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. It has a block size limit of eight megabytes, compared to Bitcoin’s one megabyte. This means that transactions can be confirmed faster and at lower costs.
One important thing to note about Bitcoin Cash is that it does not have SegWit implemented yet. However, the development team is working on implementing it in the near future.
BCH inherited the transaction history of BTC, meaning that anyone who had bitcoin at the time of the split automatically received an equal amount of BCH. This is one of the major reasons why it has been gaining such a large amount of support since its inception – many believe that it could overtake BTC in market value and popularity, especially when SegWit is implemented soon to reduce the cost and wait time for transactions once again.
Currently, BCH can be purchased on most cryptocurrency exchanges but cannot yet be directly exchanged for fiat currency like dollars or euros. However, there are plans underway that will allow users to purchase bitcoin cash with their local fiat currencies very soon! That’s right: you won’t have to use litecoin anymore to get your hands on some bitcoin; instead, you can exchange your money directly into BCH through several online platforms coming this year.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: The Difference
The biggest difference between LTC and BCH is their market capitalization. The price of a single coin for Litecoin is currently $153.37, while Bitcoin Cash trades at $435.43 (at the time of writing this article).
Both digital currencies have seen significant rises in value over the past six months – however, even though they both claim to be “faster” than other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin or ethereum (for example), it might not always be as quick as you expect when transferring money through these platforms. Transactions can take several minutes before being confirmed on Bitcoin cash network and Litecoin network; this could become an issue if you want your payment to go through quickly!
With that being said, the following are some measures using which we will analyze the differences between Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash:
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Speed
The transaction speed is one of the main benefits that both LTC and BCH market themselves on. However, it might not be as advantageous as they make you believe!
In the case of BCH, transaction times are reduced from ten minutes to about 15 seconds due to its larger block size limit – making them faster than those carried out through BTC at the moment.
However, Litecoin has implemented Segregated Witness (SegWit), which speeds up blockchain transactions by reducing storage requirements for each transaction on a given chain while increasing security. The details were laid in an official blog post published back in February 2017, which stated, “A SegWit compatible Blockchain can theoretically process much more transactions per second as compared to a legacy Blockchain because of the improved block size limit.”
In addition to this, Litecoin transactions are usually completed within two and a half minutes – which is significantly faster than Bitcoin Cash!
With the above taken into consideration, it can be said that litecoin beats BCH in terms of transaction speed. However, both cryptocurrencies see similar levels of adoption by retailers & online businesses for payment purposes. Maybe we will begin seeing more stores accepting BCH payments soon if its value continues increasing rapidly!
While there have been lagging issues with each currency from time to time (which could possibly be due to server overloads), these technical difficulties haven’t stopped either platform from gaining increased usage overall throughout 2021 so far.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Fees
As mentioned above, there are several benefits between litecoin and bitcoin cash when it comes to speed – but what about their fees?
Bitcoin Cash has significantly reduced the size of its blocks compared with BTC, which leads to more efficient storage & transacting; however, this is also why BCH charges less for mining a block than legacy Bitcoin (BTC).
On the other hand, Litecoin’s Segregated Witness technology helps achieve faster transaction times without increasing blockchain size, like in the case of BCH. In addition to this: “Litecoin miners can secure and validate transactions much sooner as compared to Bitcoin miners since they don’t need to wait for all the data before beginning work on each block.” As a result, the average transaction fee for Litecoin is significantly lower than that of Bitcoin Cash, around $0.01 – hardly an inexpensive average transaction fee.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Hashrate
The hashrate is the speed at which a cryptocurrency network can confirm transactions.
Bitcoin Cash has seen its hash rate rapidly increase since its launch in August 2017. However, Litecoin still manages to have a decent hashrate (as of now).
This could be due to the fact that BCH has only been around for a few years and has been marketed well as compared to Litecoin. However, if this growth continues, then LTC might soon overtake BHC!
At the time of writing this article, Litecoin’s hashrate was about 334.72 TH/s, and Bitcoin Cash was hashing at 1.67 EH/s.
In conclusion, both litecoin and bitcoin cash have their own advantages when it comes to hashrates, but it is important to do your own research to determine which one is a better investment.
It’s impossible to predict the future of either cryptocurrency or say for certain whether they will continue increasing in value. However, Litecoin has been around since 2011, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon! This makes it an attractive long-term choice compared to BCH which only launched back in August 2017.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Hashrate: Maximum Block Size
BCH was created with the purpose of making the original Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain scalable. Therefore, its block size was set to 8 MB. Since it was created keeping in mind scalability, over the years, its block size has been expanded to 32 MB, which is its current block size.
Litecoin, on the other hand, has a block size limit of only 1 MB. However, theoretically, it is said that with the adoption of SegWit into the LTC network, the block size can be increased up to 4 MB.
Low block size can be a potential issue for Litecoin in the future if its popularity keeps growing at the current rate. And, this is where Bitcoin Cash has an advantage over Litecoin.
Block size determines the number of transactions that can be processed within a specific time frame. The greater the number of transactions, the more is the user activity on a particular blockchain platform. Thus, it is important to determine the maximum and minimum block size of the cryptocurrencies you are investing in.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Security Features
When it comes to security features associated with both LTC vs BCH, they are pretty much similar when you compare their proof-of-work algorithm i.e. SHA 256. Thus, what makes them different from each other is the different hashing algorithms that they use.
Bitcoin Cash makes use of SHA 256 along with Bitcoin’s UTXO model, while Litecoin makes use of Scrypt along with its own unique Segregated Witness technology.
What this means is that if you are looking for a more secure investment, then you should consider investing in BCH rather than Litecoin. However, if you’re looking for faster transactions and lower transaction fees, then Litecoin would be a better option.
Moreover, Litecoin is more flexible and compatible with the hardware wallet Ledger Nano S. Litecoin was earlier dependent on a third-party browser plugin for executing transactions, but now it has its own network i.e. Lightning Network that allows you to execute litecoin transactions directly from your LTC-wallet in just a few seconds!
On the other hand, BCH can’t be stored on a ledger as of now, so if security is what you’re looking for, then Bitcoin Cash wouldn’t be an ideal investment option at this point in time.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Community Support
Bitcoin Cash was created as an alternative to Bitcoin with the intention of addressing some of its issues. However, this doesn’t mean that it has received unanimous support from the community.
On the contrary, Litecoin has been around since 2011 and is considered to be one of the most successful cryptocurrencies in terms of adoption and community support.
This is evident from the fact that Litecoin is accepted by more than 100 merchants worldwide while Bitcoin Cash is still in its early stages and only has a handful of supporting merchants.
Moreover, the team behind Litecoin is more active and communicative than the team behind Bitcoin Cash.
Thus, if you are looking for a cryptocurrency that has strong community support and is less volatile, then Litecoin would be a better investment option than Bitcoin Cash.
However, if you’re looking for high returns and are willing to take risks, then investing in Bitcoin Cash might be a good idea.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Distribution
Bitcoin Cash was created after a fork in the original bitcoin blockchain. Thus, everyone who owned Bitcoins before August 2017 also has access to an equal number of BCH coins at no extra cost, that is 21 million.
However, this is not the case with Litecoin, which has increased its total supply by four times i.e. 84 million LTC, whereas its price remained almost the same. This means that if you want to invest in Litecoin, then you’re putting your money into something whose value cannot increase drastically, unlike Bitcoin Cash. Moreover, since there are more available units for everybody involved in trading bitcoins and altcoins on various exchanges, including big exchanges like Coinbase, GDAX, and Bitstamp.
Thus, if you’re looking for a more secure investment option that has the potential to increase in value in the long run, then Bitcoin Cash would be a better investment than Litecoin. However, if you’re looking for a currency that is more widely accepted and has a team that is more communicative and active, then Litecoin would be a better choice.
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Market Capitalization
There is a difference between the market capitalization of both these cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin Cash has a total market cap of $8,324,162,315 at present, whereas Litecoin’s current valuation stands at $10,805,682,071!
This means that it is significantly more difficult to invest in Bitcoin Cash as compared to Litecoin. Hence, if you’re looking for less volatility in your investment options, then Litecoin would be better suited to your needs. On the other hand, if you’re looking for high returns with the relatively high risk involved, then investing in Bitcoin Cash makes more sense.
Thus, depending on what kind of investor you are – cautious or risky – either one of these currencies can prove to be great investments for long-term purposes, respectively!
Litecoin vs Bitcoin Cash: Mining
Bitcoin Cash was created as an alternative to Bitcoin, and the primary reason behind this is its larger block size limit. This means that it can process transactions faster than bitcoin cash vs litecoin.
Bitcoin mining is the process of verifying and committing transactions to the blockchain. Thus, miners are essential for the security and stability of any cryptocurrency network.
Bitcoin Cash has a slightly better advantage in terms of mining as its algorithm is ASIC-resistant, which means that it can be mined using regular computers or smartphones. Litecoin, on the other hand, uses a Scrypt algorithm that is only compatible with certain types of hardware known as Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). This gives an edge to Bitcoin Cash when it comes to bitcoin mining.
Hence, if you’re looking for a currency whose mining process is more accessible and less reliant on specialized hardware, then Bitcoin Cash would be a better investment than Litecoin.
So, which one should you invest in? Litecoin or Bitcoin Cash?
The answer to this question depends on your investment goals and risk appetite. If you’re looking for a more secure investment with modest returns, then Litecoin would be a better option. However, if you’re looking for high returns with some risk involved, then investing in Bitcoin Cash would be a good idea! Whichever route you decide to go down, make sure that you do your research first so that you can make an informed decision!
Bitcoin cash (BCH) is often seen as a direct competitor to bitcoin (BTC). Created in August 2017 as a hard fork of the bitcoin blockchain, BCH was designed to improve upon some of BTC’s perceived flaws. Namely, BCH boasts a larger block size limit which allows for faster transactions and is ASIC-resistant, meaning that it can be mined using regular computers or smartphones.
Litecoin (LTC) is often seen as the silver to bitcoin’s gold. Created in October 2011 by former Google engineer Charlie Lee, LTC was designed to improve upon bitcoin’s shortcomings. Chief among these are its slow transaction speeds and high fees. LTC has a block size limit of 84MB – compared to BTC’s hard-coded limit of just one megabyte – and uses the Scrypt algorithm, which makes it compatible with most common hardware.
When comparing litecoin vs bitcoin cash, market capitalization is an important metric to look at. At the time of writing, BCH has a total market cap of US$830 million, while LTC’s is US$11 billion. This means that it is significantly more difficult to invest in BCH as compared to LTC.
Mining is also an important consideration when making your decision. Bitcoin Cash has a slight advantage in terms of mining as its algorithm is ASIC-resistant, meaning that it can be mined using regular computers or smartphones. Litecoin, on the other hand, uses the Scrypt algorithm, which is only compatible with certain types of hardware known as Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). This gives an edge to Bitcoin Cash when it comes to mining.
Hence, if you’re looking for a currency whose mining process is more accessible and less reliant on specialized hardware, then Bitcoin Cash would be a better investment than Litecoin.
How to Buy Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC)?
Now that you know the key differences between litecoin vs bitcoin cash, we can look at how to buy either one. The easiest and most convenient way is through a crypto exchange, as it allows users to use a credit/debit card or bank transfer (ACH) for payment and automatically converts your local currency into crypto.
For those looking to take advantage of potential price volatility in these cryptocurrencies, trading platforms such as Coinbase and Bitstamp allow you to buy and sell BTC with EUR if USD isn’t your cup of tea!
With that being said, the following are the ways to purchase these two cryptos:
- Direct Purchase: Purchase BCH/LTC directly from an individual online or in person.
- Exchange: Purchase BCH/LTC via USD on one of the many exchanges that support BTC/USD trading (i.e., Coinbase, Bitstamp, GDAX). Once you have purchased your digital coins, withdraw it to a hardware-based bitcoin wallet, such as Trezor or Ledger Nano S, where possible for maximum security!
- Crypto ATM: If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up an exchange account, you can purchase Litecoin or Bitcoin Cash at a Crypto ATM. At the time of writing, there are over 1800 Crypto ATMs worldwide that allow for BCH/LTC purchases!
Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges to Buy Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin:
Of course, if you’re looking to buy litecoin or bitcoin cash, then an exchange is the best place to do so. Here we’ve listed some of the top exchanges that support BCH and LTC:
- Coinbase: This is one of the most popular exchanges for buying and selling cryptocurrencies. Coinbase only supports BTC/USD trading pairs, so if you’re looking to buy litecoin or bitcoin cash with fiat currency (i.e., USD), then this is your best bet!
- Bitstamp: Bitstamp offers BCH purchase via bank transfer or credit card payment method in USD, EUR, or GBP. It also allows margin trading, which gives users an ability to trade on leverage without having to pledge collateral!
- Coinmama: CoinMama specializes in providing a peer-to-peer marketplace where individuals from around the world can easily get bitcoins using their preferred methods, including Cash & Gift cards! This exchange was recently granted Payment Institution License by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance!
- Changelly: This is a unique exchange that allows you to purchase BCH and LTC with USD by going through the process of Shapeshift. It offers one of the cheapest rates in the crypto market, albeit not as user-friendly as some other exchanges on this list due to its hidden fee structure!
- GDAX: GDAX is Coinbase’s official trading platform which provides an interface for individuals interested in buying/selling BTC with fiat currencies (i.e., EUR, GBP). In addition to supporting BCH & LTC purchases via bank transfer or credit card payment method, it also supports margin trading, where users can trade up to three times their deposited amount without having to pledge collateral against their position!
Conclusion
So there you have it! The key differences between litecoin and bitcoin cash as well as the best way to buy each respective coin. Whichever route you decide to go down, make sure that you do your research first so that you can make an informed decision! It is important to note that litecoin and bitcoin cash are currently the two top cryptocurrencies in terms of total market cap value, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be profitable investments. Happy investing!