Monero vs Zcash: Which Wins by 2028?
Zcash just flipped the switch on NU7 and surged, while Monero quietly climbs toward its record. With $1,000 riding on each coin, the winner depends on a few price levels and one surprising advantage for the loser.
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Zcash (CRYPTO:ZEC) jumped 10.5% to $1,366 today, after its NU7 upgrade went live. Monero (CRYPTO:XMR) rose a quieter 1.2% to $622.90, near the top of its 30-day range of $519.38 to $640.02.
In this comparison, the coin with the higher percentage return by the end of 2028 wins. We’re starting with a hypothetical $1,000 in each coin, and the larger ending value counts, regardless of its current price. NU7 changes Zcash’s block timing, but the price each coin reaches by December 2028 decides which one comes out ahead.
Our November 1, 2026 comparison laid out the long-run arguments for each coin. Now that the upgrade is live, which $1,000 position looks more likely to finish ahead?
What NU7 Changed for Zcash and What Monero Kept
According to ZecStats, the NU7 upgrade activated at block 3,543,405 at 02:34 UTC. This update reduced the targeted block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and adjusted the block subsidy while keeping daily issuance steady. Our pre-upgrade coverage detailed how these changes affect Zcash.
ZecStats also shows 12,224.21 ZEC in the old Sprout pool, Zcash’s original shielded address type, which became unspendable at activation, so those coins can no longer move.
Monero takes a different approach to privacy. According to its official explainer, its transactions are private by default, using stealth addresses (which hide the recipient), ring signatures (which mix the true sender with decoys), and RingCT (which conceals the transaction amount).
Where Monero and Zcash Stand Right Now
| Metric | Monero (XMR) | Zcash (ZEC) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $622.90 | $1,366 |
| 1-Year Change | 73.4% | 156.6% |
| Market Cap | $11.73 billion | $23.24 billion |
| Circulating Supply | 18,827,495.72 | 17,025,481.42 |
| Maximum Supply | None listed | 21,000,000 |
| All-Time High | $797.73 (Jan 14, 2026) | $3,192 (2016 high) |
| Below All-Time High | 21.9% | 57.2% |
Supply changes shape both coins’ price predictions in different ways. Zcash reached its all-time high of $3,192 in 2016, when supply was much smaller, so the same price today would require a much larger market cap. No source lists a maximum supply for Monero, so its price predictions have to account for a coin count that keeps rising.
Scenarios That Decide the $1,000 Comparison
These scenarios are editorial assumptions for testing the math, and none is a forecast. At the current prices, $1,000 can buy about 1.61 XMR or 0.73 ZEC.
| Scenario | XMR Price | XMR Return | $1,000 in XMR | ZEC Price | ZEC Return | $1,000 in ZEC | Higher Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Both Lower | $350 | -43.8% | $562.29 | $700 | -48.9% | $510.98 | Monero |
| ZEC Ahead | $800 | +28.5% | $1,285.24 | $2,000 | +46.0% | $1,459.95 | Zcash |
| XMR Ahead | $1,000 | +60.7% | $1,606.55 | $1,800 | +31.4% | $1,313.95 | Monero |
| Equal Doubling | $1,244.90 | +100% | $2,000 | $2,740 | +100% | $2,000 | Tie |
Monero takes the downside row because it loses less when both coins fall, though either $1,000 position shrinks there. Percentage return decides each row, regardless of the coin’s unit price. If ZEC reaches $2,000, XMR would need to hit about $909 to match the return.
Factors That Could Influence Zcash vs. Monero Before 2028
Post-Upgrade Momentum for Zcash
Zcash traded $1.47 billion in the past 24 hours, significantly higher than Monero’s $128.71 million, so traders are crowding into ZEC. ZEC’s last big run shows how sharp its swings can be: it surged from a monthly close of $74 in September 2025 to $405 in October 2025, then dropped to $221 by February 2026.
Monero’s Recovery to Its January 2026 High
Monero trades above its 20-day ($603.50), 50-day ($570.92), and 200-day ($430.63) moving averages, which track prices across those windows. But Monero hit a one-year low of $292.32 on February 5, 2026, weeks after its January 2026 all-time high, so the bears have shown up hard before.
Increasing Interest in Monero as Zcash Interest Dips
Monero’s Wikipedia page views rose 28.2% week over week, while Zcash’s fell 33.3%. Page views measure interest, not buying, so they work best as context rather than a forecast.
So Which Privacy Coin Comes Out Ahead by 2028?
The 2028 comparison looks wide open, since NU7 doesn’t decide where each coin finishes relative to the other. Either coin’s $1,000 position only grows if buyers keep paying higher prices after the upgrade.
Zcash comes out ahead in the upside scenario if ZEC holds above its 50-day average of $1,319, breaks through its September 26, 2026 high of $1,653, and then reaches $2,000 while XMR stays below about $909. Monero comes out ahead if XMR clears its $797.73 all-time high and pushes toward $1,000 while ZEC stalls near $1,800. If the privacy trade fades and both coins fall, Monero likely finishes ahead by losing less.
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Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst and the editor of 24/7 Wall St.'s Crypto Desk, where he covers Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, Solana and the altcoins investors search for most. His work focuses on price levels, spot ETF flows, on-chain data and the regulatory decisions that move crypto markets, written so a first-time buyer and a seasoned trader can both use it.
Sam has written about crypto professionally since 2019 and has published more than 2,000 articles. Before joining 24/7 Wall St., he wrote for crypto media outlets and Web3 companies and ghostwrote for crypto founders and token launches. His analysis is syndicated on Yahoo Finance, MSN and AOL and has been cited by other crypto news sites. He also founded MacLabs Marketing, a content and personal branding agency for crypto founders and executives.
When he isn't reading charts, Sam is usually at the gym or watching One Piece, a series he maintains has better tokenomics than most altcoins.
