Bitcoin vs 
Bitcoin Cash
One codebase, two philosophies. Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin in 2017 to pursue cheap on-chain payments through bigger blocks; Bitcoin kept blocks small and let fees and layered networks carry the load. The market's verdict so far is visible in the market-cap gap below — but the pair remains the cleanest case study in how blockchains fork over values, not just code.
12 months, both starting at 100 (AUD)
BTC → 73 · BCH → 53| Measure | BTC | BCH |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | A$2459.6B | A$9.0B |
| Rank | #1 | #22 |
| Price | A$122,411 | A$446.41 |
| 90-day change (AUD) | +37.7% | +39.4% |
| 12-month change (AUD) | −29.2% | −47.5% |
| From all-time high | −35.8% | −91.0% |
| Supply model | Capped: 21.0M max | Capped: 21.0M max |
| AU exchanges we verify it on | 5 | 2 |
About Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto: a peer-to-peer digital money with a fixed supply of 21 million coins, secured by proof-of-work mining. It remains the largest crypto asset by value and the reference point the rest of the market trades against.
About Bitcoin Cash
Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin in 2017 over a dispute about block sizes, prioritising cheap on-chain payments over Bitcoin's conservatism. It shares Bitcoin's fixed-supply design but commands a small fraction of its value and security.
FAQ
Which is bigger, Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash?
By market value today: Bitcoin (A$2459.6B vs A$9.0B). Size measures money invested, not quality — but it does measure liquidity, which affects how easily you can buy and sell.
Which performed better this year?
Over the past 12 months in AUD terms: BTC −29.2%, BCH −47.5% — the chart above shows the whole path, which matters more than the endpoints. Past performance is no indicator of future results, in either direction.
Can I buy both in Australia?
Yes — both are listed on AUSTRAC-registered exchanges we verify. BTC appears on 5 of our reviewed platforms and BCH on 2. Compare costs first on the fee calculator, and remember every crypto-to-crypto swap between them is a CGT event.
Should I hold BTC or BCH?
That's a personal decision we don't make for you — this page exists to make the structural differences clear so the choice is yours. What we'd say to anyone: understand what job each coin is designed for, size positions like the risk is real, and check the honest failure statistics before going further down the market-cap list.
Data from our market records (powered by CoinGecko), refreshed with the daily rebuild. General information only, not financial advice — we compare structure and history, we don't pick winners.