When you conduct a cryptocurrency transaction, everything is recorded on a public ledger. From the transaction ID to your wallet address, the receiver’s address, and the amount sent, this data is visible to anyone with access to the blockchain.
While this transparency ensures trust, it also opens the door to potential tracking, profiling, and privacy concerns, especially if you value keeping your financial activities discreet.
This is where privacy coins come into focus. Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies are built to shield your identity and transaction history. They employ advanced cryptographic techniques to conceal sender and receiver addresses, transaction amounts, and sometimes even the transaction itself.
In this post, we highlight the top privacy coins you should know in 2025. But first, let’s briefly explain what a privacy coin is, for those who don’t know.
Key Takeaways
- Privacy coins use advanced technologies like stealth addresses and zero-knowledge proofs to ensure anonymous transactions.
- Unlike Bitcoin, privacy coins conceal wallet addresses, transaction amounts, and other identifiable details.
- Coins like Monero, Zcash, and Verge are leading options for users prioritizing confidentiality in crypto transactions.
- Many privacy-focused projects are built on their own blockchains or leverage secure layers of existing networks.
- Real-world use cases and strategic partnerships strengthen the adoption and credibility of top privacy coins.
What Is a Privacy Coin?
Source: Freepik
A privacy coin is a type of cryptocurrency explicitly built to enhance the privacy and anonymity of transactions. Unlike standard cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, which have publicly visible transaction details, privacy coins employ specialized technologies to conceal critical data, making it difficult or nearly impossible to trace the flow of funds between users.
For example, a Bitcoin transaction records the following information on the blockchain:
- Transaction hash/ID: A unique identifier for the transaction
- Sender and recipient addresses: Displayed as 34-character hexadecimal strings
- Amount: The exact value sent, shown publicly in BTC
- Unix timestamp: The precise time the transaction was confirmed
- Transaction fee: The amount paid to miners, visible to all
Now, imagine someone analyzing multiple transactions linked to the same address—they can build a detailed picture of your activity.
Privacy coins address this issue by utilizing features such as stealth addresses, ring signatures, and zero-knowledge proofs to obscure these data points, making it nearly impossible to trace the movement of funds.
12 Top Privacy Coins
Source: Ideogram
- Monero (XMR)
Monero (XMR), launched in 2014, is the most recognized and highest-capped privacy coin, with a market capitalization of $3.99 billion and a trading price of $216.76. Built on its blockchain, Monero is designed for complete anonymity and untraceable transactions.
It utilizes stealth addresses, ring signatures, and RingCT to conceal the sender, receiver, and transaction amounts. The network operates on the CryptoNight consensus algorithm, a proof-of-work model that discourages mining centralization by making it ASIC-resistant.
Monero is widely used for private payments across peer-to-peer platforms and online services that prioritize user privacy. While decentralized and community-driven, it continues to benefit from strong developer support and integrations with privacy-focused wallets and payment processors, cementing its place as a leader in financial confidentiality.
- Zcash (ZEC)
On October 28, 2016, Zcash (ZEC) was launched as a privacy-focused cryptocurrency, built on the Bitcoin blockchain codebase. Still, with a key difference: it employs zk-SNARKs (zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge) to ensure complete transaction privacy.
Zcash enables users to conduct shielded transactions, concealing the sender and recipient details, as well as the transaction amounts. The coin has a total circulating supply of 15.88 million ZEC and is currently priced at $30.84 with a market cap of $490.38 million.
Zcash’s proof-of-work network is secured using the SHA-256 hash function, aligning with Bitcoin’s security model. It has gained backing from notable investors and partners, including the Zcash Foundation and the Electric Coin Company, positioning it as a strong player in the privacy coin market.
- Worldcoin (WLD)
Worldcoin (WLD) is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency built on the Ethereum blockchain, leveraging the security of Ethereum’s Mainnet and Optimism’s Layer 2 network.
Its core use case is to establish the world’s largest identity and financial network, enabling users to verify their humanness online through World ID—an innovative privacy-preserving global identity system.
Worldcoin’s unique approach utilizes the Orb, a device that scans users to create World IDs without storing personal data, ensuring privacy via zero-knowledge proofs.
At the time of writing, WLD is priced at $0.7767, with a market capitalization of $1 billion and a circulating supply of 1.29 billion WLD. The project is backed by strategic partnerships, including collaborations with independent Orb operators, which strengthens its goal of providing ownership and access to everyone.
- Dash (DASH)
Almost similar to Zcash, Dash (DASH) is built on a blockchain that prioritizes privacy and fast transactions. Launched in 2014 as a fork of Litecoin, Dash combines a two-tier network with incentivized masternodes for enhanced functionality.
Its use case revolves around offering quick, private transactions for users, supporting features like InstantSend for rapid payments and PrivateSend for additional transaction privacy.
Dash’s market cap is $253.94 million with a circulating supply of 12.22 million DASH, priced at $20.74. Dash’s backing includes strong developer support and strategic partnerships with major payment processors and businesses.
Its blockchain is secured by a unique X11 hashing algorithm and proof-of-service consensus, ensuring both privacy and reliability, making it a top contender in the privacy coin space.
- Beldex (BDX)
Launched in 2018, Beldex (BDX) is designed to enhance data protection and confidentiality in the Web3 ecosystem. Built on the Beldex decentralized blockchain, BDX facilitates secure transactions and supports private, decentralized applications like BChat, BelNet, and the Beldex Browser.
Initially operating on a Proof-of-Work (PoW) model, Beldex transitioned to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) in 2021 to improve scalability, reduce transaction times, and lower fees.
The Beldex ecosystem provides advanced privacy features, including anonymized transactions and data transfers, ensuring complete confidentiality for users.
Currently priced at $0.06727, with a market cap of $482.01 million and a circulating supply of 7.14 billion BDX out of a total supply of 9.93 billion BDX, Beldex continues to attract attention for its innovative approach to privacy and security in digital interactions.
- Decred (DCR)
Decred (DCR) is a privacy coin built on its own hybrid blockchain, combining Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS) to create a decentralized and self-governing platform. With its focus on governance, Decred enables stakeholders to vote on key protocol decisions, making it a community-directed project.
Its use case centers around providing a more secure, adaptable, and sustainable digital currency, positioning itself as a long-term store of value.
Decred’s features include fast transactions, low fees, and enhanced privacy options through technologies like CoinShuffle++ and the ability to mix coins for greater anonymity. Backed by a strong community, Decred has strategic partnerships with major players in the crypto space.
As of the time of writing, the price is $12.73, with a market cap of $213 million and a circulating supply of 16,750,940 DCR.
- Oasis (ROSE)
Oasis (ROSE) is a leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency built on the Oasis Network, a pioneering layer 1 blockchain designed for scalability and confidential computing. The network powers applications like decentralized finance (DeFi), AI, GameFi, NFTs, and DAOs, offering privacy as a core feature.
ROSE, its native token, is used for gas fees, staking, and governance. Oasis stands out with its unique layered architecture, which supports rollups at the consensus layer and provides an optimal environment for developers.
At the time of writing, ROSE is priced at $0.02610, with a market capitalization of $184.4 million and a circulating supply of 7.06 billion tokens. Backed by a decentralized set of validators and strategic partnerships, Oasis is securing its place in the privacy coin space with innovative features and use cases.
- 0x0.ai (0x0)
As a leading privacy coin, 0x0.ai (0x0) is built on the Ethereum blockchain and focuses on advanced privacy, AI-driven safety tools, and a unique revenue-sharing model. This innovative project leverages zero-knowledge proofs and artificial intelligence to ensure secure transactions and safeguard user privacy.
0x0 is revolutionizing the decentralized finance (DeFi) space by providing a privacy-focused decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, enabling users to trade across multiple platforms anonymously.
Additionally, the project is developing an AI-powered anti-rug pull bot to protect investors from scams. With a price of $0.06342, a market cap of $55.09M, and a circulating supply of 868.56M, 0x0.ai’s strategic use of cutting-edge technology positions it as a top contender in the privacy coin market.
- Zano (ZANO)
Created in 2019, Zano (ZANO) is a privacy-centric blockchain ecosystem built on the CryptoNote codebase, offering fast, secure, and untraceable transactions. Zano leverages ring signatures and stealth addresses to ensure transaction privacy.
With the upcoming Zarcanum hardfork, it is transitioning to RingCT while introducing the first-ever Proof of Stake algorithm with hidden transaction amounts. This unique hybrid approach, combining Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), ensures both security and efficiency.
As of now, Zano is priced at $9.93, with a market capitalization of $133.42 million and a circulating supply of 13.43 million ZANO. Zano is strategically positioning itself as a leading privacy coin, driven by ongoing innovations that enhance its ecosystem through collaborations and use cases focused on privacy-focused finance.
- MimbleWimble (MWC)
MimbleWimble (MWC) is built on the MimbleWimble blockchain, which is known for its highly efficient and confidential transaction processing. The blockchain uses advanced cryptographic techniques, such as Confidential Transactions and CoinJoin, to obscure transaction amounts and participant details, ensuring enhanced privacy.
MimbleWimble’s unique approach reduces blockchain size, allowing for faster, more scalable transactions. Its use case revolves around providing secure, anonymous transactions without compromising scalability or efficiency.
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MWC has strategic backing, with a growing community and developer support. Its price stands at $25.11, with a total supply of 10.97 million MWC and the same amount circulating. With an increasing focus on privacy in the cryptocurrency space, MimbleWimble has emerged as a leading player in maintaining confidentiality during transactions.
- Phala Network (PHA)
Specifically built on the Polkadot blockchain, Phala Network (PHA) is a standout privacy coin designed to power secure and private computation for Web3 and AI.
Its core use case revolves around enabling tamper-proof, privacy-preserving AI Agents that interact directly with smart contracts via the AI-Agent Contract. Backed by a robust multi-proof system and the largest Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) network, Phala ensures both transparency and confidentiality.
The platform has established key strategic partnerships within the Polkadot ecosystem and beyond to advance secure AI execution. As of now, PHA trades at $0.1038, with a market cap of $82.09 million and a circulating supply of 790.74 million PHA, positioning it as a promising privacy-focused asset in 2025.
- Verge (XVG)
Launched in 2014 under the name DogecoinDark, Verge (XVG) is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency built on its own open-source blockchain. Its core mission is to offer truly untraceable transactions by integrating anonymity networks like TOR and I2P, which hide users’ IP addresses and locations.
Verge is widely used for everyday digital payments, supported by fast transaction speeds—just 5 seconds—thanks to its Simple Payment Verification (SPV) technology. Unlike many coins, Verge is community-driven and not controlled by a private entity, enhancing its decentralized appeal.
The project has formed strategic partnerships, including one with MindGeek, boosting real-world use cases. Priced at $0.004832, Verge holds a $79 million market cap with 16.5 billion XVG in circulation.
Final Thoughts
This article has listed and explained some of the top privacy coins you should know in 2025, each offering unique features to protect user identity and transaction data.
From Monero’s advanced cryptographic methods to Zcash’s zk-SNARKs and Verge’s integration of TOR and I2P, these coins are built with privacy at their core. As concerns around digital tracking and financial surveillance continue to rise, privacy coins offer a reliable way to keep transactions secure and untraceable
See Also: Uniswap labs
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Is the Best Privacy Coin?
Monero (XMR) is widely considered the best privacy coin due to its strong anonymity features, active development, and broad adoption.
What Is the Most Private Crypto?
Monero (XMR) is widely considered the most private cryptocurrency due to its use of stealth addresses, ring signatures, and RingCT, which fully conceal sender, receiver, and transaction amounts.
Do Privacy Coins Have a Future?
Yes, privacy coins have a future as demand for secure, anonymous digital transactions continues to grow alongside concerns over financial surveillance and data privacy.
Is XRP a Privacy Coin?
No, XRP is not a privacy coin; it is designed for fast and low-cost cross-border payments, but its transactions are publicly visible on the XRP Ledger.
Which Blockchains Are Private?
Private blockchains include Monero, Zcash (with shielded transactions), Secret Network, and Oasis Network, all designed to prioritize user privacy and data confidentiality.
