06COMPARISON GUIDE
Compare concepts and their consequences
Six topics to distinguish rules, roles, payment layers and responsibility for keys. For each, consider the conditions under which conclusions hold; the cards lead to separate comparisons.
Bitcoin vs. fiat money
Compare issuance rules, verification methods and the role of institutions in transfers and settlement.
Open comparison ↗02Full Node vs. miner
Distinguish validating blocks and transactions from searching for a new block, and examine how these roles relate.
Open comparison ↗03Private key vs. Seed Phrase
Compare a signing key with a backup used to recover a wallet, and check what additional information recovery may require.
Open comparison ↗04On-chain vs. Lightning Network
Examine differences in settlement, fees, liquidity and the operating conditions of each payment method.
Open comparison ↗05Self-custody vs. custodial service
Compare who controls the keys, whom withdrawals depend on, and how risks, backups and access recovery differ.
Open comparison ↗06Soft Fork vs. Hard Fork
Examine changes to validity rules, compatibility of non-upgraded nodes and risks of activation or a network split.
Open comparison ↗This overview does not recommend an investment or a particular service. Check the articles' conclusions against sources and your situation; the date below applies only to this index.