At 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time on May 14, 2026, the current price of Ethereum (1 ETH) is $2,258.01. That’s a $28.94 decrease from yesterday and roughly a $350 gain over the past year.
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What is Ethereum?
In terms of market cap, Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency—currently valued at around $233 billion. That’s well behind Bitcoin’s massive $1.33 trillion market cap, but still comfortably ahead of the third-largest coin, Tether, which sits near $183 billion.
What really sets Ethereum apart from most other cryptocurrencies is that it’s more than just digital money; it’s a decentralized computing platform. In other words, people can build and run applications on Ethereum without needing a central company or bank to manage things.
To put that simply, think that instead of developers hosting their apps on Amazon or Google servers, they can use Ethereum’s blockchain to power things like borrowing, lending, investing, and trading. ETH, the network’s native token, is what you use to pay for those activities.
Ethereum price history
When Ethereum launched its initial coin offering (ICO) back in 2014, each token sold for about 31 cents. Since then, its value has skyrocketed more than 60,000%.
In the five years from 2020 to 2025, Ethereum climbed another 46%—still an impressive gain, but that’s only part of the picture. ETH has seen its share of dramatic ups and downs, hitting nearly $5,000 at its peak in August 2025. That’s roughly a 1.6 million percent increase from its launch price, which makes the original 60,000% jump seem modest by comparison.
Along the way, Ethereum’s price has surged by over 80%, plunged more than 60%, and done just about everything in between. In early 2026, it slid sharply again thanks to recession fears and news that co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold millions of dollars’ worth of ETH.
The bottom line? Ethereum offers the potential for huge gains, but also steep losses. It’s essentially as volatile as any major cryptocurrency out there.
Ethereum vs. Bitcoin
After Bitcoin, Ethereum holds the spot as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market value.
However, Ethereum wasn’t originally designed just to be a digital currency. Its real purpose was to serve as a decentralized computing platform—and that vision has led to countless real-world uses. Its massive developer community continues to build new tools, apps, and financial systems on top of it, which many investors see as a sign of long-term potential beyond serving as money alone.
A straightforward way to think about the difference between Bitcoin and Ethereum is this:
- Bitcoin is like digital gold, a pure store of value and medium of exchange.
- Ethereum is like digital oil, fuel that powers decentralized apps, smart contracts, and much of the crypto ecosystem.
What is Ethereum staking?
Staking is another feature that sets Ethereum apart from Bitcoin.
Up until 2022, Ethereum used a system called “proof of work” to keep its network secure. Thousands of computers competed to solve complex puzzles, and whoever solved one first earned a bit of ETH as a reward. It might sound strange, but the process worked well for maintaining an accurate, trustworthy ledger.
The downside was that proof of work consumed a tremendous amount of electricity—and wasn’t the most efficient way to run things. So, Ethereum switched to a new system known as “staking.” With staking, you lock up some of your ETH as collateral to help confirm transactions and keep the network running smoothly. In return, you earn rewards—similar to earning interest on your holdings.
What affects Ethereum’s price?
Several things can impact Ethereum’s price:
- Investor speculation: Like most cryptocurrencies, Ethereum’s short-term price often moves with market buzz and trader sentiment. When excitement builds, prices can jump quickly—and fall just as fast when hype fades.
- Network use and DeFi adoption: The more people use Ethereum’s network, the more demand there is for ETH. The DeFi boom in 2020–2021 was a great example of how increased activity can boost prices.
- Economic conditions: While Ethereum doesn’t always react to interest rates the same way stocks do, the overall health of the economy still matters. When people feel financially stable, they’re usually more willing to invest in alternative assets like crypto.
- Regulation: Because the crypto world is still evolving, government decisions and new regulations can have a big influence—sometimes calming investors, other times sparking uncertainty.
- Competition: Ethereum faces tough competition from other smart contract blockchains like Solana and Avalanche. How well it continues to innovate and scale will shape its long-term position in the market.
How to buy and invest in Ethereum
There are many ways to invest in Ethereum with varying degrees of risk. Below are some of the most popular options.
Buy Ethereum on a crypto exchange
Directly purchasing ETH is the most hands-on investment method. Open an account with a cryptocurrency exchange and link your bank account to buy and hold the ETH in a digital wallet.
Invest in Ethereum ETFs
If you’d rather not manage crypto directly, including dealing with wallets and private keys, an Ethereum ETF might be a better fit. These funds effectively hold the crypto on your behalf while their shares trade on stock exchanges like a regular stock.
Buy Ethereum-related stocks
Investing in publicly traded companies that are closely tied to Ethereum is a way to bet on ETH without owning it. This could include blockchain tech companies, firms that hold a significant amount of ETH on their balance sheets, etc. This lets you benefit from its performance by proxy.
Open a crypto IRA that holds Ethereum
A crypto IRA lets you hold Ethereum in a tax-advantaged retirement account. It works like a traditional or Roth IRA—with the same contribution limits and tax benefits.
Cryptocurrency prices on May 14, 2026
Ethereum is one of the most ubiquitous cryptocurrencies, but it’s far from the only option. Consider the following options when deciding where to place your money.
- Bitcoin: Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and remains the most widely recognized at the time of this writing. It’s a decentralized digital currency created to act as both a store of value and a peer-to-peer payment network.
- Tether: Tether is a stablecoin, meaning its price stays closely tied to an underlying asset—in this case, the U.S. dollar. Because it’s designed for stability, Tether is generally less volatile than Ethereum, though it doesn’t have the same growth potential.
- XRP: XRP is built for fast and affordable cross-border transactions. It enables people and institutions to move money between countries quickly and at a fraction of traditional banking costs.
Is it a good time to invest in Ethereum?
Compared to established blue-chip stocks like IBM and Exxon Mobil, Ethereum is still relatively young. Its future performance is impossible to predict with any certainty. Its track record over the past decade has been impressive, though. Beyond its market value, Ethereum’s real strength lies in serving as the foundation for a vast and expanding ecosystem of decentralized finance platforms and developer tools.
Still, Ethereum’s past is marked by sharp downturns. Investors should be prepared for ups and downs. It’s not the right fit for those who get anxious during market swings. Keep an eye on rival blockchain projects, and don’t put too much of your portfolio into ETH; use it as a smaller, strategic position within a diversified investment mix.
Frequently asked questions
How much will Ethereum be worth in 2030?
Cryptocurrency experts are bullish on Ethereum’s long-term trajectory. Standard Chartered has predicted ETH could even eclipse Bitcoin by then, reaching $40,000 by the next decade. More conservative estimates place it closer to $10,000. Either way, that’s a meteoric rise from its early 2026 valuation.
What is Ethereum’s all-time high price?
As of this writing, Ethereum reached its highest price ever in August 2025, hitting nearly $5,000.
Can you buy a fraction of Ethereum?
Yes. Most cryptocurrency exchanges allow for fractional investing, giving you the ability to buy portions of a single crypto coin—including ETH.
How do I start investing in Ethereum as a beginner?
If you want to invest directly in Ethereum by owning the currency, you’ll typically open an account with a cryptocurrency exchange. Once the account is created, you can transfer your money from your bank account to your crypto account and begin making purchases. Alternatively, you can indirectly invest in Ethereum via an ETF or a company that’s closely tied to Ethereum’s success.
What is Ethereum staking?
Staking involves locking up your ETH to help validate transactions on Ethereum’s decentralized network. The upside to doing this is that you’ll receive a return similar to interest with a high-yield savings account.
Is Ethereum better than Bitcoin?
Neither Ethereum or Bitcoin is objectively “better.” They do different things. Bitcoin is primarily a store of value, while Ethereum is both a platform that powers a large ecosystem of applications and a cryptocurrency. Bitcoin tends to be less volatile and more established as a payment method, while Ethereum gives you more functionality, and likely more potential for growth.