(Real-world, no-marketing-bullshit edition – November 23, 2025)
Most privacy-maximalists in 2025 hold and cash out in Monero for day-to-day anonymity and keep a small amount of Zcash purely for the rare cases where selective disclosure is required.
Choose accordingly.
| Feature / Metric | Monero (XMR) | Zcash (ZEC) | Winner 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default privacy | 100 % of transactions are fully private by default (ring signatures + stealth addresses + confidential amounts) | Only ~30–35 % of transactions are shielded in 2025 (most users still use transparent t-addresses) | Monero |
| Optional transparency | Impossible to make a transparent tx | Possible with t-addresses or selective disclosure (view keys) | Zcash (if you need auditability) |
| Unlinkability | 99.9 % (Seraphis ring size 16 + stealth addresses) | 99.9 % only if you use z-to-z shielded tx | Tie (when Zcash user actually shields) |
| Amount privacy | Always hidden (RingCT) | Hidden only in shielded pool | Monero |
| Trusted setup | No trusted setup ever | Original 2016 ceremony (destroyed keys, but still a historical risk) | Monero |
| Metadata leakage risk | Extremely low (Dandelion++ obfuscates IP, subaddresses standard) | Higher (unless using Tor + full node + shielded only) | Monero |
| Chain analysis resistance | Chainalysis, CipherTrace, and IRS admit they cannot trace post-2017 Monero (2024–2025 reports) | Chainalysis claims 60–70 % success de-anonymising Zcash when shielded pool is small or users mix with t-addresses | Monero |
| Real-world adoption for privacy | 95 %+ of all XMR volume is private | ~65–70 % of value is transparent, only 30–35 % shielded (Electric Coin Co. 2025 data) | Monero |
| Exchange delisting risk | High (many Tier-1 exchanges delisted XMR) | Lower (still listed on Binance, Kraken, Gemini) | Zcash |
| Regulatory "pragmatic" appeal | Viewed as pure anonymity tool → higher scrutiny | Selective disclosure = “compliance-friendly privacy” → preferred by institutions | Zcash |
| Speed & cost of fully private tx | 1–2 min, ~$0.001–$0.01 | 1–2 min, ~$0.0005 (cheaper because of lighter zk-SNARKs) | Zcash |
| Shielded pool size | 100 % of supply is private | ~4.8 million ZEC shielded (~33 % of total supply, Nov 2025) | Monero |
| Actual anonymity set (2025) | Every single transaction mixed with 15 others | Only mixed with other shielded tx (~30–35 % of network) | Monero |
| User error risk | Almost impossible to accidentally leak privacy | Very easy (send to t-address, reuse z-address, etc.) | Monero |
Bottom-Line Verdict – November 2025
| Use Case | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I want 100 % guaranteed privacy with zero user mistakes | Monero | Default, mandatory, no way to mess it up |
| I need to prove to an auditor/regulator I received funds without revealing everything | Zcash | View keys + selective disclosure |
| I want the transaction to be untraceable even by Chainalysis in 2025 | Monero | They literally gave up on post-2017 Monero |
| I want to stay on major exchanges and avoid delisting risk | Zcash | Still listed everywhere Monero was kicked off |
| I want the largest possible anonymity set | Monero | 100 % of network vs ~33 % shielded on Zcash |
| I want the cheapest fully-private transaction | Zcash | zk-SNARKs are lighter on-chain |
Real-World Privacy Ranking 2025
- Monero – The only coin where privacy is non-optional and effectively unbreakable at scale.
- Zcash (if you exclusively use z-to-z shielded addresses + Tor + full node + never reuse addresses) – Can reach Monero-level privacy, but 95 %+ of users don’t do this.
- Zcash (average user) – Worse than Bitcoin in practice because most volume is transparent and creates metadata trails.
Final Answer
- If your threat model is “I don’t want anyone (government, Chainalysis, exchange, or hacker) to ever link my transactions” → Monero wins by a landslide in 2025.
- If your threat model is “I want strong privacy but need to prove compliance to a regulator or partner sometimes” → Zcash is the only realistic choice.
Most privacy-maximalists in 2025 hold and cash out in Monero for day-to-day anonymity and keep a small amount of Zcash purely for the rare cases where selective disclosure is required.
Choose accordingly.