You can't compare both because bitcoin is a breakthrough of centuries, there was no digital currency until bitcoin was invented, Ethereum was just invented to improve some things and bring more innovation to the crypto space, both are great coins and started below a dollar and today they are worth a alot of money, also whether you like it or not eth or other altcoins will always follow bitcoin trend, it's never going to stop.
Yes, I agree with what you said, bitcoin is the forerunner of crypto, the influence of bitcoin on the crypto market is absolute, when bitcoin goes down almost all crypto assets also fall, and vice versa when bitcoin strengthens, other assets also strengthen.