Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference.

Currently Ethereum is one of the biggest names in alt-coins and Bitcoin's biggest rival, as it is backed by major banking groups.

The key benefit of Ethereum is its smart contracts - apps that run on the blockchain without any downtime.

Unlike other coins - such as LISK, Ethereum runs on its own custom code. This makes Ethereum quite specialised but also potentially much safer than LISK, which runs on the more universal JavaScript.