Cardano (ADA) vs Tezos (XTZ): comparison
Side-by-side comparison of Cardano and Tezos: how their prices moved, how they differ technically and what each is used for.
ADA and XTZ: key specs
| Cardano (ADA) | Tezos (XTZ) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.208015 | $0.255228 |
| Ticker | ADA | XTZ |
| Type | native blockchain coin | native blockchain coin |
| Launched | 2017 | 2018 |
| Created by | Charles Hoskinson | Arthur Breitman, Kathleen Breitman |
| Consensus | Proof of Stake (Ouroboros) | Liquid Proof of Stake |
| Block time | ~20 sec | — |
| Max supply | 45 B ADA | — |
| Transaction privacy | public transactions | public transactions |
| Circulating supply | 37.51 B ADA | 1.1 B XTZ |
| Market cap | $7.81 B | $279.46 M |
| Market cap rank | #19 | #145 |
CoinGecko data as of Sep 11, 2026, 19:33. How we calculate the data
Price change: ADA vs XTZ
Both prices are set to 100 at the start of the period, so the chart shows which coin grew or fell more, not the prices themselves.
| Period | ADA | XTZ |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | −6.42% | +11.37% |
| 30 days | +10.71% | +30.91% |
| 90 days | +20.56% | +6.89% |
The correlation of their daily price changes over the last 90 days is 0.61 (moderate).
ADA or XTZ: what each is used for
- Smart contracts and appsCardano and Tezos
How Cardano and Tezos work
How Cardano works
Cardano uses the Ouroboros consensus protocol, with a block about every 20 seconds, and an extended UTXO model. ADA holders can delegate to stake pools without locking their coins. The maximum supply is 45 billion ADA.
What Cardano is used for
ADA pays fees, is staked to secure the network and is used in Cardano-based DeFi and NFT applications.
How Tezos works
Tezos can upgrade itself: holders vote on protocol amendments, which are activated without a hard fork. It uses Liquid Proof of Stake, where holders delegate to "bakers" without locking their coins.
What Tezos is used for
XTZ pays fees, is used for staking and governance and powers NFT and DeFi applications on Tezos.