This question keeps coming back: can the XRP price realistically catch up to the ETH price by the end of the decade? On the surface, it sounds ambitious.
The gap between the two is still large, but recent analyst forecasts have made the discussion feel less hypothetical and more worth revisiting.
Right now, the difference is clear. XRP trades around $2.10 with a market cap just over $127 billion. Ethereum, on the other hand, sits near $3,100 with a valuation around $375 billion. That puts roughly $250 billion between them, which is not a small gap by any measure.
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How Much Would XRP Need to Move?
From a numbers standpoint, the XRP price doesn’t need an unrealistic move just to enter the same conversation. A rally of about 217% would push XRP toward the $6.60 area, lifting its market cap close to $400 billion. Several analyst models suggest that kind of move is possible over the next few years.
Changelly sees XRP reaching the $6 range as early as April 2028. Telegon places similar targets around 2027, while Standard Chartered has gone further, floating a potential $10 XRP by that timeframe. If any of these projections play out, XRP would start brushing up against Ethereum’s current valuation range.
The challenge, though, is that XRP rarely moves alone. Big-cap crypto assets tend to rise together, which complicates the idea of XRP catching up while Ethereum stays flat.
#XRP vs #Ethereum: Can XRP Catch Up by 2030?🧵🧵🧵 pic.twitter.com/Va3AbdGDFX
— TheCryptoBasic (@thecryptobasic) January 17, 2026
Ethereum Isn’t Standing Still Either
This is where the ETH price becomes the real wildcard. Most forecasts don’t assume Ethereum will just pause and wait. Changelly projects ETH near $14,673 by January 2030, which would be roughly a 470% gain from today. That would push Ethereum’s market cap toward $1.76 trillion.
Telegon’s estimates land in a similar zone, with ETH expected to trade somewhere between $12,296 and $15,131 by 2030. Even if XRP performs well, Ethereum’s projected growth keeps the distance between the two intact.
In other words, XRP would need to significantly outperform Ethereum, not just rally, to truly close the gap. Some XRP supporters go even further, pointing to forecasts that call for a $100 XRP by 2030.
That kind of move would imply a market cap north of $6 trillion, which would put XRP far ahead of current Ethereum projections. Unsurprisingly, many analysts see those targets as a stretch, especially with XRP still needing to firmly establish levels like $10 first.
Ethereum bulls, meanwhile, aren’t shy with their own long-term outlooks. Projections such as Tom Lee’s $62,000 ETH scenario suggest Ethereum could maintain a massive lead regardless of how well XRP performs.
Read Also: Why Holding ONDO Today Could Be Like Holding XRP in 2016
So, Can XRP Catch Ethereum?
The idea of XRP overtaking Ethereum by 2030 is bold, but the road there is steep. The XRP price may have room to grow, but the ETH price is also expected to climb, keeping the valuation gap wide. For now, this debate feels more like a long-term thought experiment than a flippening that’s right around the corner.
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