If you’re trying to decide where to put your money in 2025, this question hits you right in the face every single day: “Should I buy Bitcoin… or just stick with boring old stocks?”
I get it. Crypto feels like the wild kid who shows up to the party with a Lambo, while stocks are the responsible adult who’s been quietly getting richer for 100 years. So which one actually makes more money? Let’s stop the hype and look at the real numbers — past, present, and what’s most likely ahead.
The Crazy Truth About Past Returns
If we’re being brutally honest:
- $10,000 in Bitcoin in 2015 → over $700,000 today (70x)
- $10,000 in Ethereum in 2017 → still over $400,000 (40x)
- $10,000 in the S&P 500 in 2015 → about $38,000 today (less than 4x)
On paper, crypto smoked stocks. Some people turned $5k into millions. But here’s what nobody puts on the TikTok screenshots: for every person who got rich, hundreds of others bought random coins at the top and are still down 80-95%. Most altcoins from 2021 are basically dead.
Stocks? Almost nobody lost everything if they just held an index fund.
2025 Reality Check: The Game Has Changed
Crypto isn’t the Wild West anymore.
- Bitcoin ETFs are here (BlackRock, Fidelity — the big boys own it now)
- Ethereum ETFs just launched
- Trump’s talking “crypto capital of the world”
- Stablecoin payments are going mainstream
Meanwhile, stocks are expensive. The S&P 500 is trading at 28-30 times earnings — one of the highest valuations ever.
So who wins from here?
Expected Returns Going Forward (Realistic Numbers)
Bitcoin (2025–2030) Most serious analysts (Ark, Fidelity, Standard Chartered) say $150k–$300k by 2027-2028 is possible. That’s 2x–5x from today’s $90k-ish price. Wild cycles will still happen, but the days of 100x are probably over for BTC.
Ethereum & Layer-1s Could do 3x–10x if adoption keeps growing, but risk is higher than Bitcoin.
S&P 500 Historical average is 7–10% per year. At today’s high valuations, many pros think 5–8% annual returns (including dividends) is more realistic for the next decade.
Bottom line for the next 5–10 years: Crypto still has higher upside… but also way higher chance of big drops.
Risk: The Part Nobody Wants to Talk About
- Stocks: Worst year ever? Down 50% (2008). You still had half your money.
- Crypto: Worst year? Down 80–95% (2022). Many coins never came back.
If you can’t handle seeing your account drop 70% and still sleep at night, crypto will wreck you — no matter how high it eventually goes.
The Smart Way Most People Are Doing It Now (2025 Strategy)
The richest people I know aren’t picking one side. They’re doing both — like this:
- 80–90% in stocks/index funds (the “I want to be rich eventually” money)
- 10–20% in Bitcoin + Ethereum (the “I want to be stupid rich if this thing actually goes to the moon” money)
That way you get:
- Sleep-at-night safety from stocks
- Life-changing upside if crypto does another 5-10x run (which most analysts still think is coming this cycle)
So… Which Actually Makes More Money?
Short answer:
- If you got in crypto early → already won, congrats
- If you’re starting today → stocks are safer and will almost certainly make you rich over 20–30 years
- If you can handle rollercoasters → a small crypto allocation can seriously speed things up
My personal take? Put most of your money where you won’t panic and sell at the bottom. For 90% of people, that’s stocks. But leaving a little on the table for Bitcoin and Ethereum right now feels like the smartest bet most of us will ever get.
What about you — team stocks, team crypto, or (smart) team both? Drop it below, no judgment here. We’re all just trying to not be broke in 2040. 🚀