Cardano vs Bitcoin: 12 months, side by side.
Both fell in the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, but not by the same amount: Bitcoin -26.6%, Cardano -62.0%, a gap of 35.4 percentage points. Cardano swung 1.7x as hard, and their daily moves lined up closely (correlation 0.80).
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How much each one swung
The gap in risk was large. Cardano's annualized volatility was 76.2%, 1.7x Bitcoin's 44.3%. Cardano had more than twice as many days with a move above 5%: 65 against 17. On a typical day Cardano moved 2.38%, 1.9x the 1.26% of Bitcoin. Their worst day was the same, Feb 5, 2026: Cardano fell 14.3% and Bitcoin 13.9%. Their widest one-day split came on a down day, Jun 4, 2026: Cardano fell 10.2%, Bitcoin 0.3%.
| Measure | Cardano | Bitcoin |
|---|---|---|
| Close on Oct 10, 2025 | $0.6553 | $113,000 |
| Close on Oct 10, 2026 | $0.2488 | $82,913 |
| 1-year change | -62.0% | -26.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 76.2% | 44.3% |
| Median daily move | 2.38% | 1.26% |
| Days with a move over 5% | 65 | 17 |
| Best day | +15.2%, Aug 21, 2026 | +12.2%, Feb 6, 2026 |
| Worst day | -14.3%, Feb 5, 2026 | -13.9%, Feb 5, 2026 |
| Maximum drawdown | -80.3% | -49.2% |
| Lowest close | $0.1435, Jun 25, 2026 | $58,532, Jun 30, 2026 |
| Days that closed higher | 151 of 365 | 175 of 365 |
| $500, one buy | $189.84 | $366.87 |
| $500, 52 weekly buys | $480.93 | $540.43 |
How closely Cardano and Bitcoin moved together
Their daily moves were closely linked, with a correlation of 0.80. They closed in the same direction on 299 of the 365 days and in opposite directions on 66. On average Bitcoin moved 0.47% for every 1% move in Cardano, a smaller reaction than one for one.
Bitcoin had the better day more often than Cardano: on 214 of the 365 days. $500 in each, bought on Oct 10, 2025 and held, ended at $189.84 in Cardano and $366.87 in Bitcoin. The lead changed hands during the year: the Cardano holding was ahead by up to 9% on Oct 13, 2025, and behind by up to 59% on Jun 25, 2026. Bitcoin also did better in eight of the 11 full months. They differed most in June 2026, a month that went the same way for both: Cardano -38.7%, Bitcoin -20.4%.
The deepest falls
Cardano's maximum drawdown went 31.2 percentage points deeper: 80.3%, from $0.7295 on Oct 13, 2025 to $0.1435 on Jun 25, 2026. Bitcoin's worst run was 49.2%. Their lows came within a week of each other: Cardano on Jun 25, 2026, Bitcoin on Jun 30, 2026. By Oct 10, 2026, Cardano was 65.9% below its 12-month high and Bitcoin 28.0% below its own.
Next to the other 17 comparisons
- Only Solana and TRON ended the year further apart.
- Apart from Solana and TRON, no pair differed more in how hard the two coins swung.
- Ranked by correlation, from most to least linked, this pair came thirteenth of 18.
$500 in each: one buy or 52 weekly buys
Spreading the $500 over 52 weekly buys beat a single buy on Oct 10, 2025 for both coins: almost every weekly buy, 50 for Cardano and 51 for Bitcoin, came below the starting price. Only the Bitcoin test ended above $500 ($540.43); the Cardano one finished at $480.93. Bitcoin's weekly test finished $59.50 ahead of Cardano's.
Cardano, one buy
$189.84
-62.0%
763 ADA at $0.6553.
Cardano, 52 weekly buys
$480.93
-3.8%
Average cost $0.2587 per ADA.
Bitcoin, one buy
$366.87
-26.6%
0.00442 BTC at $113,000.
Bitcoin, 52 weekly buys
$540.43
+8.1%
Average cost $76,710 per BTC.
Method: Kraken daily closes (UTC) from Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 10, 2026, one buy of $500 at the first close or $500 / 52 at every seventh close, both valued at the last close with no fees. Other amounts: DCA calculator.
What sets Cardano and Bitcoin apart
Cardano and Bitcoin secure their networks in opposite ways: Bitcoin with proof-of-work mining, Cardano with proof of stake, where ADA holders can stake their coins to help run the network. Both have a hard cap, 21 million BTC and 45 billion ADA. Cardano also runs smart contracts, which Bitcoin's base layer was not designed for.
Cardano ships upgrades in named phases, and its roadmap and on-chain governance votes are a regular topic for ADA holders. Bitcoin changes slowly by design: protocol upgrades are rare and need broad agreement among the people who run its nodes.
Each coin's full year: Cardano trading simulator and Bitcoin trading simulator.
How to compare Cardano and Bitcoin in Staxo
- Step 1
Find both in the Market tab
Cardano and Bitcoin are both among the 10 coins on Staxo's free plan, so you can trade them with the $500 in demo money you start with, using market orders and up to 10 trades a day.
- Step 2
Buy the same amount of each
Start with $100 of Bitcoin and a smaller amount of Cardano: over the last year Cardano swung 1.7x as hard, so equal amounts would not carry equal risk.
- Step 3
Check them side by side
Open your Portfolio once a day and count the days the two positions go opposite ways. Over the last 12 months that happened on 66 of 365 days, often enough to notice within two weeks.
- Step 4
Read the RSI on both charts
The coin screen shows the RSI(14) on the free plan. Over the last year Cardano spent more days below 30 (29 against 22) and Bitcoin more days above 70 (15 against 6), so watch how differently the two stretch. Staxo Pro adds MACD, Bollinger Bands and candlestick charts, plus short selling and leverage at 1x, 2x and 5x.
Cardano vs Bitcoin questions
Which was more volatile, Cardano or Bitcoin?
Cardano, by a wide margin: 76.2% annualized volatility from Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 10, 2026, 1.7x the 44.3% of Bitcoin. It also had 65 days with a move over 5%, against 17.
Do Cardano and Bitcoin move together?
Mostly. The correlation of their daily returns was 0.80 over the 365 days to Oct 10, 2026 (1 means always together), and 66 days went in opposite directions.
Which did better over the last 12 months, Cardano or Bitcoin?
Bitcoin lost less: -26.6% against -62.0% for Cardano from Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 10, 2026. $500 in 52 weekly buys ended at $480.93 in Cardano and $540.43 in Bitcoin. That describes the past year only and says nothing about which will do better next.
More comparisons
Trade Cardano and Bitcoin with $500 in demo money.
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Educational content, not investment advice. The figures describe prices from Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 10, 2026 and say nothing about which coin does better next. Staxo is a simulator: you practice with demo money, never real money.