With the coming of Bitcoin in the year 2009, cryptocurrency has become popular around the globe. So much so that various types of cryptocurrencies are circulating in the markets of different countries. States/Countries have to make new rules concerning Cryptoโs sale, purchase and regulation. A cryptocurrency is a form of e-cash where your assets which are in digital forms, are stored in a ledger(account) using strong cryptography to secure ownership of money or coins. Cardano and XRP are two platforms where the trading of cryptocurrency takes place.
Key Takeaways
- Cardano is a platform for creating decentralized applications, while XRP is a digital currency used for transactions.
- Cardano uses a proof-of-stake consensus algorithm, while XRP uses a consensus algorithm called Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA).
- Cardano has a larger and more active community of developers, while financial institutions more widely adopt XRP.
Cardano vs XRP
Cardano is a blockchain platform for smart contracts, similar to Ethereum, known for its scientific philosophy and peer-reviewed research, focusing on security, scalability, and sustainability. XRP is a digital asset and technology that primarily facilitates fast, low-cost international transactions on the Ripple network.

Cardano as a platform was developed in 2015, but it was launched in 2017 by Charles Hoskinson, also the co-founder of Ethereum. Ethereum, after Bitcoin, is the second-largest cryptocurrency according to market capitalization. It is a public blockchain platform and open source. It can facilitate peer-to-peer transactions. Cardano is run by Cardano Foundation, which is situated in Zug, Switzerland.
XRP is a cryptocurrency of Ripple. Ripple was developed by Ripple Labs Inc. in the United States of America. Ripple was released in the year 2012 by Arthur Britto and David Schwartz. In 2013, the company created its currency with the name XRP. Banks and other Payment platforms began to take an interest in XRP because it transfers money with no fees and minimal wait time.
Comparison Table
Parameters of Comparison | Cardano | XRP |
---|---|---|
Developer | Cardano Foundation, IOHK, EMURGO are its developers. | Ripple Labs Inc. is the developer of XRP. |
Operating System | It runs on Cross-Platform.ย ย | It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS. |
Type | Distributed Computing is the type of Cardano. | The real-time gross settlement, currency exchange, remittance etc. are the works done by XRP(Ripple) |
Programming Language | It is written in the Haskell language. | It is written in the C++ language. |
Headquarters | It is situated in Zug, Switzerland. | It is situated in San Francisco, USA. |
What is Cardano?
Cardano was founded by Charles Hoskinson, who also founded Ethereum. But after a dispute with another founder, he left the company. He wanted to create an entity that would gain profit and venture capital. So he founded IOHK, a blockchain company that formed Cardano with Cardano Foundation and Emurgo. The blockchain platform is named after an Italian polymath Gerolamo Cardano.ย
Cardano has its cryptocurrency named Ada, named after Ada Lovelace, a brilliant mathematician and writer. Cardano uses design principles like interoperability, scalability, and regulatory compliance instead of using white paper. It uses a PoS(proof of stake) protocol called Ouroboros. Cardano is very different from other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which use PoW(proof of work) protocols.
Because of PoS, Cardano uses very little energy annually, about 6GW compared to others which are 0.01%. It is one of the biggest PoS cryptocurrencies in recent times. Cardano has different layers like Ada is on the settlement layer. The computation layer is the second layer. The smart Contract language of Cardano makes it much easier for developers to run end-to-end tests on their programs. It had its initial release on 27 Sep 2017. It was written in Haskell.

What is XRP?
XRP is the digital currency that is created by the company Ripple. Arthur Britto and David Schwart wrote Ripple, and then it was shown to Ryan Fugger. Ripple was earlier named as OpenCoin. In the year 2012 company, Ripple Labs Inc. was launched in San Francisco, United States. In 2013, XRP was created as it transferred money to financial institutions with very little wait time.
As a result, XRP became very famous, and it aroused the interest of banks and payment companies. Almost 100 banks signed up with Ripple in the year 2018. But they were avoiding XRP because of volatility problems. XRP is a digital asset of Ripple. Its native is XRP Ledger. XRP can settle transactions in almost 3-5 seconds. XRP doesnโt need any middlemen or intermediaries, which makes it quick and efficient.
XRP uses innovative technology in the payment world, which makes it faster, scalable and less costly. XRP is a very stable technology and has a decentralized network of 150+ validators word wide. Ripple is an open-source platform that supports currency, commodities, cryptocurrency, or other units of value. Itโs free globally and doesnโt take any charges. It was written in C++ language. It runs on various operating systems like Ubuntu, Windows, macOS etc.ย

Main Differences Between Cardano and XRP
- Cardano Foundation, IOHK, and EMURGO are the developers of Cardano, but it was founded by Charles Hoskinson. Ripple Labs Inc. is the developer of XRP.ย
- Cross-Platform is the operating system of Cardano. Linux, Windows, and macOS are the operating system of XRP.
- Distributed Computing is the speciality of Cardano. The real-time gross settlement, currency exchange, remittance etc., are the speciality of XRP.
- Cardano is written in the Haskell language. XRP is written in the C++ language.
- Cardano is situated in Zug, Switzerland. XRP is situated in San Francisco, USA.

- https://wiki.smu.edu.sg/1920t2isss608/img_auth.php/2/20/Report_G7_Cryptocurrency.pdf
- https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijmie&volume=9&issue=6&article=023
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.