Is Ethereum Basically the Same Thing as Bitcoin?

Not exactly.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are both cryptocurrencies, but they're known for different things. Bitcoin is often viewed as a way to store value, while Ethereum is used in many parts of the crypto ecosystem.

You'll often hear about Ethereum when people discuss new crypto projects, tokens, and blockchain services. Because of that, many people see it as more than just a cryptocurrency, even though it has its own coin called Ether (ETH).

So they're similar in some ways, but they were created with different goals in mind.