Zcash Price Prediction: ZEC Just Jumped 12% in a Day. Can It Get Back to $1,500?
Zcash just posted one of its biggest single-day gains of the month, outpacing Bitcoin and Ethereum by a wide margin, but a looming network upgrade and a telling gap in trading volume raise real questions about whether this rally has…
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Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) rose 13.2% in 24 hours, reaching about $1,301 as of October 21, 2026. To reach $1,500, it would need an additional 15.3% gain.
This surge in ZEC’s price stands out, especially compared with other major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), which rose 2.1%, and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), which rose 2.7%. Monero (CRYPTO: XMR) dipped slightly by 1.7%.
This upward move has pushed ZEC closer to the top of its recent price range, where it traded between $1,048 and $1,350 from October 11 to October 20. Despite the recent bounce, ZEC is down 17.3% over the past month but up 373.5% over the last year.
Analysts suggest this rally could be linked to anticipation around Zcash’s upcoming NU7 upgrade, though no specific catalyst has been identified.
At $1,500, Zcash Would Be Worth $25.5 Billion
Traders are closely monitoring the $1,500 level since ZEC last closed above it on September 27, when it reached $1,587 after peaking at $1,693. The question now is whether ZEC can regain that significant price point.
At the $1,500 level, Zcash would have a market value of around $25.5 billion. Currently, ZEC has about 17 million coins in circulation from a maximum supply of 21 million, giving it a market value of about $22.1 billion and ranking it 10th among cryptocurrencies. If ZEC reached $1,500, its market capitalization would rise significantly, making it about 2.3 times Monero’s $11.3 billion market cap.
While ZEC’s historical price of $3,192 on October 28, 2016, seems impressive, this peak occurred when only a fraction of the current supply was in circulation. Adjusted for today’s supply, that price would translate to a market value of around $54.3 billion, highlighting a considerable 59.2% gap below its all-time high, which could make it seem more affordable than one might think.
Zcash’s NU7 Upgrade Could Lift ZEC Toward $1,500
The NU7 upgrade is a significant network improvement that requires all Zcash nodes to implement the software changes. After NU7 went live on the testnet (a practice network) on October 4 at block 4,465,026, developers were expected to announce by October 20 whether to activate it on the mainnet (the live trading network). As of October 21, no announcement had been made, but the planned launch date is set for November 5.
During this upgrade, 60% of fees will go into a reserve until February 2031, a plan that received overwhelming support (96.6%) from participating coinholders. The upgrade will also reduce block times from 75 seconds to just 25 seconds.
One aspect of the NU7 upgrade includes freezing coins that remain in Zcash’s old Sprout pool. Since there’s no prior NU7 upgrade to compare against, ZEC’s price impact may only be measurable after mainnet activation.
ZEC’s Breakout Volume Trails the September Run
ZEC’s September price surge provides the only recent example of a push past $1,500. On September 17, around 244,000 ZEC traded as the coin reached $1,510 and closed at $1,562. In contrast, trading volume on October 20 was approximately 109,000 ZEC—less than half of September’s volume.
Although ZEC surpassed its previous high of $1,288 from October 14, it trades only slightly above that mark. Typically, a price rally supported by low trading volume tends to stall quicker than one backed by high buying activity.
Can ZEC Reach $1,500 Before NU7 Goes Live?
Currently, the outlook for ZEC reaching $1,500 before the NU7 launch appears low to moderate. A 15.3% increase is modest for a coin that has surged 373.5% in a year. However, recent price bounces have not surpassed previous highs, dropping from $1,450 on October 1 to $1,350 on October 12. For ZEC to advance, it must hold above $1,288, confirm the NU7, and generate trading volume similar to September’s levels.
To reach the $1,500 target, ZEC would need to break above the $1,350 barrier and then clear the highs from $1,450 on October 1 and $1,495 on September 30. A daily close above $1,350 could signal that $1,500 is within reach. However, if the upward trend falters, support sits at the October 15 low of $1,072, about 17.6% below the current price. A close below the October 18 low of $1,048 may indicate a resumption in the downward trend seen earlier this month.
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Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst who's spent nearly a decade making blockchain understandable—no easy task when most whitepapers read like fever dreams. He writes for 24/7 Wall St., covering Bitcoin, altcoins, and crypto market analysis for investors. Before crypto, he was a tech writer (back when explaining "the cloud" was peak innovation). Since 2018, he's written for CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, The Block, Cryptonews, Zypto, Rain, and more—basically anywhere people want crypto news without the headache. Sam runs MacLabs Marketing, a content agency for crypto brands tired of sounding like AI wrote their website. He also publishes free crypto education on his site for Web3 enthusiasts who think "gas fees" is a typo. When he's not writing or staring at charts, Sam's either: - Watching anime (currently convinced One Piece has better tokenomics than most altcoins) - At the gym sculpting himself into a Greek god - Listening to the music your mum warned you only bad boys listen to Connect: LinkedIn | Email | MacLabs Marketing
