3 AI Models Pick the Best Crypto to Hold Into Year-End: Solana, Zcash or Monero?

According to analyses from ChatGPT and Claude, Monero (CRYPTO:XMR) stands out as the best crypto to hold through December 31, 2026. Meanwhile, Grok favors Zcash (CRYPTO:ZEC), and two of the three models rank Solana (CRYPTO:SOL) at the bottom. Average year-end predictions suggest Monero could reach around $660, Zcash about $1,360, and Solana about $111.

Monero is trading at about $592, reflecting an 11.3% increase over the past 14 days. Zcash is priced at around $1,225, up 8.0% in seven days, though it remains down 19.9% over the last month. Solana, trading at about $101, has fallen 14.1% in October, hitting a 30-day low of $98.51.

So, how do these year-end target predictions compare with current figures?

What the AI Targets Would Make Monero, Zcash and Solana Worth

Market capitalization, calculated by multiplying a coin’s price by its circulating supply, offers a clear way to assess target prices. Monero has a market cap of about $11.1 billion. ChatGPT’s target of $680, which it gives a 57% probability, implies a 14.9% gain, bringing Monero’s valuation to around $12.8 billion. Claude’s target of $660, with a 62% probability, anticipates an 11.5% gain.

Both of these predictions fall below Monero’s record high of $797.73 reached on January 14, 2026, which would equate to a market cap of around $15.0 billion at the current supply.

Zcash, with a market cap nearing $20.8 billion, could rise to Grok’s target of $1,580, implying a 29.0% gain and raising its market cap to about $26.8 billion. Zcash’s 2016 peak of $3,191.93 occurred when far fewer coins were in circulation; with about 17 million ZEC available, that price would imply a market cap of roughly $54.2 billion.

For Solana, which has a market cap around $59.4 billion, the targets of $112 from ChatGPT and Grok would boost its valuation to approximately $66.0 billion. Given that there’s no supply cap on Solana, its previous high of $293 would equal a market cap of around $173 billion at the current supply.

Zcash’s NU7 Upgrade Could Influence Its Year-End Performance

Zcash’s upcoming NU7 upgrade, designed to speed up private payments through a network-wide software change, is expected in November, activating at block 3,543,405. Grok’s support for Zcash relates to this upgrade.

ChatGPT also ranks Zcash higher than Solana, even though its expected Zcash return of 10.2% is slightly lower than its Solana forecast of 10.5%, because NU7 gives Zcash a dated catalyst. In contrast, Claude sees Zcash’s recent rebound as a temporary pause, predicting a price of $1,150.

Grok points out two potential risks. First is the “sell-the-news” scenario, where investors exit following the upgrade. The second is a short squeeze running out of steam once short sellers finish buying back. Either could lead to a price drop of 20% to more than 40%. Zcash’s price surged from around $486 in mid-August to around $1,587 by late September, before falling to about $1,129 by mid-October.

Solana Faces ETF Outflows While Monero Faces Delisting Risks

Recent trends show that Solana ETFs, which operate like stock funds holding SOL, have suffered outflows of $25.5 million in the week of October 12 and $17.3 million in the week of October 19, according to SoSoValue. Additionally, Grok notes that SkyAI has sold its entire Solana treasury.

In this context, Solana’s price dropped from about $122 in early October to around $101 by the week of October 25, and it has fallen 48.7% over the past year. Solana trades 65.6% below its all-time high, while Monero is only 25.8% off its peak.

This greater price resiliency is why both ChatGPT and Claude are leaning toward Monero, which has appreciated by 74.1% over the past year. However, both models acknowledge a risk: being a privacy coin, Monero faces increasing regulatory scrutiny, leading to potential delistings that could harm its already thin trading volumes. Monero trades around $138 million in 24-hour volume, compared to Solana’s $2 billion.

Which Is the Best Crypto to Hold Until Year-End?

Monero appears to be the most promising option for reaching its year-end target. It only needs a modest rise, its price targets are below the January record, and it has managed to gain 6.8% over the last 30 days, despite facing potential delisting risks. Monero must first surpass its recent high of about $608, then Grok’s more cautious forecast of $640, before reaching the $680 target.

Zcash has the biggest potential upside, but successfully activating the NU7 upgrade in early November is crucial for It to break its recent weekly high of about $1,373 and reach $1,580. If the upgrade leads to a sell-the-news drop, Claude’s more conservative estimate of $1,150 may be more realistic.

As for Solana, it appears the weakest of the three. A weekly close below $98.51 could make its target of $111 unattainable.

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