Prices / Ethereum
Cult of Money Price, volume-weighted across 8 exchanges · US Price $2,056 from 5 US exchanges · Updated 6:40 AM ET · How we calculate it
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Ethereum At A Glance
Where To Buy Ethereum: What Your Money Actually Gets You
Live prices from each exchange, minus its lowest-tier trading fee. Sorted by how much Ethereum you end up with, not by who pays us.
| Exchange | Price | Fee | You Get | Worth Now | Available In | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Binance.US | $2,056 | 0.02% | 0.486320 ETH | $999.75$0.2498 cost | US (most states) | – | Visit site |
 OKX | $2,056 | 0.10% | 0.486004 ETH | $999.10$0.8978 cost | International. US: OKX US (0.35% fee) | – | Visit site |
 Bitstamp | $2,055 | 0.40% | 0.484570 ETH | $996.15$3.85 cost | UK, EU, Global. US: closing to new activity Feb. 1, 2027 | Operational | Visit site |
 Crypto.com | $2,056 | 0.50% | 0.483900 ETH | $994.78$5.22 cost | US (not NY), UK, EU, CA, AU | Operational | Visit site |
 Kraken | $2,055 | 0.80% | 0.482610 ETH | $992.12$7.88 cost | US, UK, EU, CA, AU | Partially Degraded Service | Visit site |
 Gemini | $2,056 | 1.20% | 0.480629 ETH | $988.05$11.95 cost | US, UK, EU, CA, AU | Operational | Visit site |
Fees are each exchange's advanced-trading taker fee for its lowest tier. One-tap "Buy" buttons in exchange apps usually cost more. Global OKX is shown; US residents use OKX US at a 0.35% fee. Prices updated 6:40 AM ET. Status comes from each exchange's public status page. Compare every coin.
Ethereum Markets
Every exchange our collector reads for Ethereum. Spread is the gap between the buy and sell price right now.
| Exchange | Region | Bid | Ask | Spread | 24h Volume | Vs. Our Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto.com | US | $2,056 | $2,056 | 0.001% | $119.3M | +0.02% |
| Kraken | US | $2,055 | $2,055 | 0.001% | $73.9M | -0.01% |
| Bitstamp | US | $2,055 | $2,055 | 0.007% | $24.5M | -0.02% |
| OKX | International | $2,056 | $2,056 | 0.001% | $21.4M | -0.01% |
| Binance.US | US | $2,056 | $2,056 | 0.004% | $2.3M | +0.00% |
 MEXC | International | $2,054 | $2,056 | 0.105% | $378,463 | -0.03% |
 Gate | International | $2,055 | $2,056 | 0.017% | $46,933 | -0.01% |
| Gemini | US | $2,056 | $2,056 | 0.001% | – | -0.01% |
What Is Ethereum?
Ethereum is a blockchain that runs programs, not just payments. Those programs, called smart contracts, are code that executes on its own when set conditions are met, and they power lending apps, stablecoins, trading platforms and NFTs. Ether (ETH) is the network's native coin, used to pay the transaction fees known as gas.
Vitalik Buterin proposed Ethereum in a 2013 white paper, and co-founders including Gavin Wood and Joseph Lubin helped build it. Ether went on sale in a 42-day crowdsale in July 2014, and the network went live on July 30, 2015, according to ethereum.org's history of the network. The Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit, funds research and development, but it doesn't own or run the network. Independent validators around the world do.
How Ethereum Works
Ethereum runs on proof of stake. Validators lock up ETH as collateral, propose and vote on new blocks, and earn rewards for doing it honestly. A validator that breaks the rules can have part of its stake destroyed, a penalty called slashing. Running your own validator takes 32 ETH, though staking services let people take part with less.
Ethereum switched to this system from proof of work in an upgrade called the Merge on September 15, 2022, which cut the network's energy use by about 99.95%, according to ethereum.org.
ETH has no maximum supply. New coins go to validators as rewards, but since the London upgrade in August 2021, part of every transaction fee is burned, or permanently destroyed. Total supply can rise or fall depending on how busy the network is. Our piece on whether ETH is deflationary covers the math.
Most everyday activity now happens on layer 2 networks, separate chains that bundle transactions and post the results back to Ethereum. Recent upgrades, including Dencun in March 2024 and Fusaka in December 2025, added data space for those networks to cut their fees.
What People Use It For
Ethereum holds more decentralized finance, or DeFi, activity than any other blockchain, according to DefiLlama. DeFi apps let people lend, borrow and trade without a bank or broker in the middle. Ethereum also carries more dollar-pegged stablecoins than any other chain, DefiLlama's stablecoin tracker shows, and people use them for payments and trading. NFTs, tokenized funds and on-chain games are built on it too.
Holders can also stake ETH to earn rewards, either by running a validator, through an exchange or through a liquid staking service that hands back a tradable token. Investors who don't want to hold the coin directly can buy spot ether ETFs, which the SEC cleared for listing in May 2024 and which began trading that July, and some of those funds now stake part of their ETH. BlackRock's iShares Staked Ethereum Trust launched in March 2026 with that design.
Risks To Know
Smart contracts carry code risk. A bug in an app built on Ethereum can let attackers drain funds, and transactions can't be reversed afterward. In 2016, an attack on a project called The DAO took more than 3.6 million ETH and led to a split that created Ethereum Classic, according to ethereum.org.
Exchange custody is a risk as well. In February 2025, attackers stole about $1.5 billion in ETH from the Bybit exchange, a theft the FBI attributed to North Korea.
Staking is concentrated among a few large providers. Lido, the biggest, held about 21% of all staked ETH in mid-2026, according to its own market share reporting, and staked coins can face slashing penalties or withdrawal waits. Gas fees on Ethereum's main chain can also spike during busy periods.
How To Buy Ethereum
ETH is sold on every major US crypto exchange, including Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Bitstamp, Binance.US, Crypto.com and OKX. Bitstamp's US service stops taking new deposits and purchases on Feb. 1, 2027. International buyers can also use Bitget, MEXC and Gate. The table below compares how much ETH each one delivers for the same amount of money after fees.
Spot ether ETFs are another route, bought through a regular brokerage account. If you buy the coin and plan to use apps, you'll need a self-custody wallet. Check that you're sending ETH on the right network before any transfer, since a layer 2 address and a main-chain address look identical.
Ethereum And Your Taxes
The IRS treats ETH as property. Selling it, swapping it for another token or paying gas with it can each trigger a capital gain or loss. Staking rewards count as ordinary income once you can sell or move them, under IRS Revenue Ruling 2023-14.
Spot ether ETFs can be held in an IRA. Read more on how taxes on crypto work.
FAQ
Is Ethereum A Good Investment?
That depends on what you're betting on and how much risk you can carry. ETH's value is tied to demand for the network, so weigh how much activity is moving to layer 2 networks, competition from faster chains like Solana and the effect of staking yields and fee burns on supply. Its price has swung sharply, so also consider how a large drop would affect your other goals.
What Is The Max Supply Of Ethereum?
Ethereum has no max supply. New ETH is issued to validators as staking rewards, while a portion of every transaction fee is burned. When the network is busy, the burn can outpace new issuance and total supply shrinks. When activity is light, supply grows slowly. The live supply figure on this page updates daily.
Who Created Ethereum?
Vitalik Buterin, a programmer and writer from the early bitcoin community, proposed Ethereum in a 2013 white paper and is its best-known founder. The founding team also included Gavin Wood and Joseph Lubin, among others. The Ethereum Foundation supports development today, but no single person or company controls the network, and changes go through a public proposal process.
Can I Buy Ethereum In An IRA?
Yes. Spot ether ETFs trade on US stock exchanges, so you can hold them in a brokerage IRA like any other fund, and some of them stake their ETH to earn extra rewards for shareholders. Specialty crypto IRA providers also let you own ETH directly. Compare the options in our breakdown of how to invest in crypto in your IRA or 401k.
Where Can I Buy Ethereum In The US?
Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Bitstamp, Binance.US, Crypto.com and OKX all sell ETH to US customers, and spot ether ETFs trade at most brokerages. Costs vary by platform, so the table on this page compares what you'd actually receive at each exchange for the same purchase.
How Does Staking Ethereum Work?
Staking means locking up ETH to help secure the network in exchange for rewards. You can run your own validator with 32 ETH, stake a smaller amount through an exchange, or use a liquid staking service that gives you a tradable token in return. Each option carries different risks, from slashing penalties to the provider itself failing. Our piece on what staking is explains the choices.
Ethereum Guides
Sources
- Ethereum white paper
- ethereum.org: history of Ethereum
- ethereum.org: the Merge
- ethereum.org: staking
- ethereum.org: gas and fees
- ethereum.org: Fusaka
- Lido market share reporting
- FBI public service announcement on the Bybit theft, February 26, 2025
- SEC order approving spot ether ETP listings, Release No. 34-100224, May 23, 2024
- DefiLlama: DeFi activity by chain and stablecoins by chain
- Cointelegraph on BlackRock's iShares Staked Ethereum Trust
- IRS Notice 2014-21
- IRS Revenue Ruling 2023-14
- IRS instructions for Form 1099-DA