Nasdaq-100 vs Ethereum: which won?
Ethereum crushed Nasdaq-100 since 2015 — more than 280× as much.
Ethereum
Winner$1,804,032
1,804× · +105.4%/yr
Nasdaq-100
Runner-up$6,449
6.45× · +19.6%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 2015 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Ethereum | Nasdaq-100 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $1,804,032 | $6,449 |
| Total return | 1,804× | 6.45× |
| Annual return | +105.4% | +19.6% |
| Best single year | +9141% (2017) | +16% (2026) |
| Worst single year | −82% (2018) | −14% (2022) |
| Deepest drop | −82.9% | −33.1% |
| The ride | White-knuckle rollercoaster | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 2015 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Ethereum stake is worth about $1,804,032 — a 1,804× return, or roughly +105.4% a year. The same money in Nasdaq-100 grew to about $6,449 (6.45×). Ethereum wins this window decisively: more than 280× as much, or about $1,797,584 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Ethereum's path was a white-knuckle rollercoaster, while Nasdaq-100 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Ethereum's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Ethereum's ugliest calendar year was −82% (2018) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −82.9%, recovered by 2021. Nasdaq-100 bottomed at −14% (2022) with a deepest drop of −33.1%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 40.5% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Nasdaq-100 or Ethereum a better investment since 2015?
- Over 2015–2026, Ethereum was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $1,804,032 (1,804×), versus about $6,449 (6.45×) for Nasdaq-100 — more than 280× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Ethereum be worth versus Nasdaq-100?
- Starting at the end of 2015, $1,000 in Ethereum would be worth about $1,804,032 today, and in Nasdaq-100 about $6,449 — a difference of roughly $1,797,584 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Nasdaq-100 or Ethereum?
- Ethereum was the wilder ride — white-knuckle rollercoaster — with a deepest fall of −82.9%, while Nasdaq-100 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −33.1%).
- Did Ethereum always beat Nasdaq-100?
- No. This compares a single start year (2015, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.