Privacy model
Zcash: privacy is opt-in. Transparent (t-address) transactions work like Bitcoin and are fully public; shielded transactions use zk-SNARK proofs to encrypt sender, receiver and amount. Your privacy depends on actually using the shielded pool, ideally shielded-to-shielded.
Monero: privacy is mandatory. Ring signatures hide which output is being spent, stealth addresses give every payment a one-time destination, and RingCT hides amounts. There is no transparent mode, so every user blends in with everyone else.
Supply and consensus
Zcash launched in 2016 and has a fixed maximum supply of 21 million ZEC, mined with proof of work in 75-second blocks.
Monero launched in 2014 and has no hard cap: since 2022 a permanent tail emission of 0.6 XMR per block keeps miners paid. Blocks arrive about every two minutes and are mined with the CPU-friendly RandomX algorithm.
Availability
Because its privacy is optional and transparent addresses are easy to audit, ZEC remains listed on several large regulated exchanges. Monero has been delisted by a number of major exchanges, including Binance in 2024, so it is mostly traded through instant-exchange services and peer-to-peer.
On TorrentSwap, Zcash cross-chain swaps are live today: swap between ZEC and BTC or other supported assets without an account. Private Monero (XMR) swaps are coming soon.
Which should you use?
Choose Monero if you want privacy that does not depend on your own choices and you are comfortable with more limited exchange access. Choose Zcash if you want strong privacy through the shielded pool combined with wider availability and a capped supply. Either way, privacy comes from how you use the coin, not just from holding it.