Comparing the Two
For hundreds of years, gold has dominated the safe-haven asset arena, and it is yet unknown if Bitcoin presents a real threat. There are some small, but potentially significant differences between Bitcoin and Gold in 2017:
Transparency, Safety, Legality
Golds established system for trading, weighing and tracking is pristine. Its very hard to steal it, pass off fake gold, or otherwise corrupt the metal. Bitcoin is also difficult to corrupt, thanks to its encrypted system and complicated algorithms, but the infrastructure to ensure its safety is not yet in place. The Mt. Gox disaster is a good example of why Bitcoin traders must be wary. In this disruptive event, a popular exchange went offline, and all but stole its users Bitcoins, totaling around $460 million. Legally, there are few consequences for such behavior, as Bitcoin remains difficult to track with any level of efficiency.
Rarity
Gold can continue to be mined, but eventually there will be no more Bitcoin. The algorithm that manages the blockchain rewards miners for verifying and processing transactions, but in as little as 10 years, the supply will run out. This higher level of scarcity means that Bitcoin could have a higher price ceiling than gold and is the most important catalyst for the current speculative bubble.