At 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time on May 22, 2026, the price of Ethereum (1 ETH) is $2,132.82. That represents a $16.47 increase from yesterday and roughly a $533 drop compared with one year ago.
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What is Ethereum?
Ethereum ranks as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, with a current valuation of around $233 billion. It sits well behind Bitcoin’s roughly $1.33 trillion market cap but far ahead of the third-place option, Tether, at $183 billion.
Here’s what makes Ethereum different from other cryptocurrencies: It’s more than just digital money. It’s actually a decentralized computing platform, which means users can build and run applications on it without any oversight from a company or bank.
Put simply, developers create apps on Ethereum’s blockchain network (rather than, say, Amazon or Google servers) to do things like borrow, lend, invest, trade, and more. The token ETH serves as the currency you use to carry out those activities.
Ethereum price history
Ethereum’s initial coin offering (ICO) debuted in 2014 for just 31 cents per share. Since that time, its value has increased by more than 60,000%.
From 2020 to 2025, Ethereum climbed by a still respectable 46%. But that doesn’t capture the full picture. Ethereum has experienced serious volatility, hitting nearly $5,000 at its peak in August 2025. That’s nearly 1.6 million percent growth from its original ICO. It makes that earlier 60,000% increase look pedestrian.
ETH has since posted gains exceeding 80%, losses surpassing 60%, and essentially every wild swing in between. Early 2026 brought a sharp decline in Ethereum’s value for several reasons, ranging from recession concerns to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin selling many millions of dollars worth of ETH.
The key takeaway is that Ethereum can generate massive gains and massive losses—about what you’d expect from other major cryptocurrencies.
Ethereum vs. Bitcoin
After Bitcoin, Ethereum sits in a distant second place in the rankings for largest cryptocurrency.
But remember, Ethereum wasn’t originally created to function primarily as a currency; a decentralized computing platform was the main driving force behind its creation. There are numerous real-world applications for Ethereum, and its developer community is massive. Investors find this appealing because it has the potential to grow beyond being just an “alternative currency.”
Here’s a simple way to understand the difference between these two currencies:
- Bitcoin is often thought of like “digital gold.” It’s strictly a currency.
- Ethereum is like “digital oil.” It powers decentralized apps and contracts.
What is Ethereum staking?
Staking is another characteristic that distinguishes Ethereum from Bitcoin.
Until 2022, Ethereum’s network was secured by thousands of computers racing to solve random puzzles (called “proof of work”). When your computer solved a puzzle, you’d receive some ETH as a reward. It sounds odd (and it was), but it worked well for maintaining an honest account ledger.
Because this process consumed a lot of electricity and didn’t make much sense, Ethereum decided to abandon it in favor of an activity called “staking.” Staking is when you lock up your ETH as a security deposit to help validate transactions. Doing so earns you a reward similar to what you’d get from proof of work. You’re essentially earning interest on your stake.
What affects Ethereum’s price?
Many factors influence the price of Ethereum, including:
- Investor speculation: Like most crypto, Ethereum’s short-term price is heavily driven by trader sentiment and hype. Speculative trading dictates price movements more than anything else in the near term.
- Network usage and decentralized finance adoption: When more people use Ethereum’s network, demand for ETH rises. The decentralized finance (DeFi) boom of 2020-2021 was a great example of this.
- Economic health: Crypto isn’t as sensitive to interest rates as stocks, but the health of the economy still matters. When people have money to invest, they’re more willing to explore alternative assets—like Ethereum.
- Regulations: Because crypto is still somewhat new, regulations are still evolving and major regulatory decisions can either scare or assuage investors.
- Competition from other blockchains: Ethereum isn’t the only “smart contract” platform anymore. Competitors like Solana and Avalanche offer, in some cases, faster and cheaper transactions. Depending on how Ethereum pivots will dictate its value in the long-term.
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
Purchasing ETH directly is the most hands-on investment approach. 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 extension.
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 22, 2026
Ethereum is one of the most prominent cryptocurrencies, but there are plenty more to choose from. Consider the following options when deciding where to place your money.
- Bitcoin: Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency, still the most popular crypto coin on the market. Its primary purpose is to be a store of value and a peer-to-peer payment system.
- Tether: Tether is a “stablecoin.” Its value is directly tied to another asset—in this case, the U.S. dollar. This makes it overall less volatile than Ethereum, but it also lacks Ethereum’s potential for growth.
- XRP: XRP is a cryptocurrency that is designed to move funds from one country to another rapidly and cheaply.
Is it a good time to invest in Ethereum?
Compared to blue-chip giants like Exxon Mobil or IBM, Ethereum is still pretty young. There’s no foolproof way to predict how ETH will perform in the years or decades ahead. Even so, its track record over the past decade has been outstanding, and its value goes far beyond being a tradable coin. It’s the foundation for an expanding world of financial apps and developer tools.
Still, don’t forget that Ethereum has gone through some major downturns. Be ready for volatility, and know it’s not ideal for investors who get uneasy with big price swings. Keep an eye on competing blockchains, and don’t go all-in. Treat ETH as a smaller, thoughtful piece of a well-diversified portfolio.
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?
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.
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.