Ethereum vs Cardano: Who Wins the Next Bull Run?

5h ago•

bullish:

bearish:

Just as Pectra is fueling momentum for Ethereum, Cardano is also gaining ground quietly in developer circles and on-chain metrics. Despite ADA’s recent underperformance compared to ETH, the signals beneath the surface suggest a repositioning. Is the market sleeping on Cardano or is ADA just waiting for capital to rotate back?

This Cardano vs Ethereum showdown is more than a price chart battle, it targets long term infrastructure vs short term hype. As a reult, the tide may be turning.

ADA Lags Behind ETH For Now

Zooming in on recent price action, Cardano’s ADA had a 7% intraday gain, slightly beating Ethereum’s 5%. But stepping back, the bigger picture tells a different story.

The ADA/ETH ratio which is an important indicator of relative strength, has been trending down since April 2025.This is currently at lower levels, meaning ADA is weaker compared to ETH. This is the same pattern seen in Q2, with ETH going up 36%, and ADA down 13%.

This isn’t just relative underperformance. This is Ethereum absorbing more capital as sentiment is positive around the upgrade.

Flashback to November: Rotation in Action

History is perspective. In November 2023, ADA had a 286% rally to a December high of $1.32. ETH was up 68% during that time but the ADA/ETH ratio jumped 166%, meaning capital was flowing into Cardano.

That wasn’t just speculation, it was capital rotation. A similar setup may be brewing. But for ADA to get momentum back, the ADA/ETH ratio needs to stabilize or reverse convincingly.

Developer Activity: Cardano Quietly Outbuilding ETH

While Ethereum is getting all the headlines with Pectra, Cardano is quietly dominating the GitHub charts. According to recent data, Cardano is 4th in global developer activity and way ahead of Ethereum which is 13th. Cardano garners 355 average weekly commits across 550 repositories. Ethereum garners 215 weekly commits across 278 repositories

This development activity is real progress on the Cardano roadmap, spelling scalability upgrades, more DeFi utility and new integrations.

Daily active addresses add to the case for ADA’s bounce. Cardano’s daily addresses surged 24.6% last week while Ethereum is down 14% to 453,000 active users.

While Ethereum got the short term attention with Pectra, Cardano’s fundamental strength is rising. If this continues, the Cardano vs Ethereum narrative may switch in ADA’s favor over the next quarter.

Ethereum’s Pectra Bump: Sustainable or Flash in the Pan?

Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade, launched in May 2025, introduced 11 EIPs to improve wallet UX, Layer-2 scalability, staking flows and validator efficiency. The result? ETH surged 28%, its biggest weekly gain since 2021.

However not everyone is convinced the rally is sustainable. According to a recent MarketWatch article, Ethereum still has execution costs and speed issues that may not be fully addressed by Pectra alone.

“Pectra is a step forward, but Ethereum’s bottlenecks remain real. It may not fully restore ETH’s lead long-term.” — MarketWatch analyst

Conclusion: Cardano’s Quiet Strength vs Ethereum’s Spotlight

During ADA’s November breakout, the ADA/ETH ratio was the first signal to watch. It might just be again. The Cardano vs Ethereum battle both technical and philosophical. Ethereum gets the hype with headline upgrades. Cardano builds quietly and consistently.

ADA’s recent underperformance is market caution, but its development lead and on-chain recovery is growing confidence. If Ethereum’s Pectra momentum fades and ADA keeps gaining fundamental strength, rotation rebound could just happen..

Summary

Cardano vs Ethereum debacle is heating up again. Despite underperformance, ADA is showing strength beneath the surface. Developer activity on Cardano is higher than Ethereum, and daily active addresses are up. Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade triggered a short term pump but may not sustain long term gains. ADA/ETH ratio is the metric to watch. If it stabilizes or reverses, capital rotation into Cardano will accelerate.