01Two separate choices
A privacy coin makes two choices that have little to do with each other: how blocks are made, its proof of work, and how payments are hidden, its privacy technology. Monero pairs RandomX with ring signatures. Zcash pairs Equihash with zero-knowledge proofs. Zecnero takes RandomX from Monero and the shielded pools from Zcash.
02Monero, Zcash and Zecnero side by side
| Monero | Zcash | Zecnero | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proof of work | RandomX (rx/0), since 2019 | Equihash | RandomX variant rx/zecnero, with its own Argon2 salt |
| Mined on | CPUs | ASICs | CPUs |
| Privacy technology | Ring signatures, stealth addresses and RingCT (hidden amounts) | zk-SNARKs: the Sapling and Orchard shielded pools | zk-SNARKs: Zcash’s Sapling and Orchard pools, unchanged. Sprout removed. |
| Default | Private by default, for every transaction | Optional: transparent and shielded transactions are both allowed | Every payment shielded. Transparent outputs only in mining rewards, which are shielded before they are spent. |
| A spend is hidden among | A ring of 16: the real output and 15 decoys (as of October 2026) | Every note in the shielded pool it uses | Every note in the shielded pool it uses. The pools are new and small, and grow with use. |
| Status | Running since 2014 | Running since 2016 | Public testnet; Mainnet has not launched |
The rule that every payment is shielded applies on Mainnet from block 1. The testnet switches to it at block 16,529, expected around October 8, 2026 at 22:00 UTC. Zecnero, Zcash and Monero compared covers supply and launch as well.
03How a shielded payment hides
In a Sapling or Orchard payment the sender, the receiver, the amount and the memo are encrypted. A zero-knowledge proof shows that the payment is valid, that it spends notes that exist and have not been spent, without saying which ones. The cryptography is Zcash’s, unchanged.
The group a payment hides among is its anonymity set. For a ring signature it is the ring. For a shielded payment it is every note in the pool, which makes the size of the pool matter.
Zecnero’s shielded pools are new and small, and its anonymity set grows with use.
04rx/zecnero and Monero’s rx/0
Zecnero uses the RandomX v1.2 reference settings and changes one value, the Argon2 salt: ZecneroRX + 0x01 where Monero uses RandomX + 0x03. Every other parameter stays at the audited default.
A different salt gives a different cache, dataset and hash function. Monero hashrate and hardware cannot be pointed at Zecnero unchanged, and the two chains do not share work. Any miner can add rx/zecnero; Zecnero’s build of XMRig, xmrig-zecnero, already has it.
05Mining rewards on a shielded chain
Until the first halving, a block pays its miner 6.25 ZMR less the 3% founder stream, plus fees, in a coinbase transaction. Coinbase may pay a transparent address or, as in Zcash since ZIP 213, a shielded one. Mined coins can be spent after 100 blocks. On Mainnet, and on the testnet from block 16,529, transparent mined coins must first be shielded into a Sapling or Orchard address; the wallet already applies that rule on the testnet.
On the testnet pool, the installer logs in with a Sapling address (ntestsapling1…) and the pool pays that address; from block 16,529 the pool takes Sapling logins only. Solo miners are paid to their transparent mining address and shield the coins with the wallet before spending them.
The wallet today supports transparent and Sapling addresses. Orchard is part of the protocol, and the wallet refuses it for now; Zecnero vs Zcash explains why.
06Where it stands
The public testnet is live, and its coins have no value. Mainnet has not launched. There is no premine; the one allocation is a 3% founder stream, written into consensus, until the first halving. What is Zecnero has the rest.
Sources
Monero
- Private by default: What is Monero?
- Ring size 16: Moneropedia, ring size
- Stealth addresses and RingCT: Moneropedia, stealth address, Moneropedia, RingCT
- RandomX since 2019: Moneropedia, RandomX
Zcash
- Transparent and shielded transactions: z.cash, shielded and transparent Zcash
- Equihash, Sapling and Orchard: the Zcash protocol specification (PDF)
- Shielded coinbase: ZIP 213
- Mining needs an ASIC: Zcash documentation, mining guide
Zecnero
- The specification
Zecnero is an independent project. It is not affiliated with the Electric Coin Co., the Zcash Foundation or the Monero Project.
Questions
Is Zecnero a Monero fork?
No. It borrows Monero’s proof-of-work algorithm, RandomX, with its own salt. Its code is a fork of Zcash’s Zebra node, and its privacy comes from Zcash’s Sapling and Orchard shielded pools.
Does Zecnero use ring signatures?
No. A Zecnero payment is shielded with zero-knowledge proofs, as in Zcash. It hides among every note in the shielded pool rather than among decoys.
How large is Zecnero’s anonymity set?
It is every note in the shielded pool a payment uses. Zecnero’s pools are new and small, and the set grows with use.
Can I mine Zecnero with a CPU today?
Yes, on the public testnet, whose coins have no value. Mainnet has not launched. See how to mine Zecnero.