Zcash (ZEC) is a cryptocurrency with strong cryptography that is supposed to provide high security and privacy. At some point, Zcash was endorsed by Edward Snowden and Roger Ver. Zcash is a Bitcoin fork and it exists since 2016. The mechanism providing privacy is called zero-knowledge proofs (or zk-SNARKS). |
| Launched |
|---|
2016 |
Website: |
| Asset status |
Active |
| Asset type |
Coin |
| Auditors |
CertikScore: 90.22Updated: May 15, 2026 |
| Blockchain list |
| Code repositories |
⭐ 113🍴 39👥 13 ⭐ 172🍴 42👥 8 ⭐ 829🍴 557👥 40 ⭐ 278🍴 157👥 68 |
| Consensus mechanisms |
Pow |
| Discord servers |
Members: 955 |
| Explorers |
| Has smart contracts |
No |
| Other social networks |
| Price usd |
602.61 |
| Project leaders |
Zooko Wilcox |
| Subreddits |
Subscribers: 32,489Community age: Aug 28, 2016 |
| X accounts |
Followers: 23,777Account age: Nov 30, 2017 |
IOTA is a distributed ledger and cryptocurrency created to process operations between devices of the Internet of Things. IOTA was launched in 2015. The project is based on an unique directed acyclic graph (DAG) instead of a blockchain. DAG uses a Tangle technology which provides unlimited scaling opportunities and free and fast transactions. The project is backed by non-profit IOTA Foundation. Besides, IOTA ecosystem has its own data marketplace available both for companies and individuals. IOTA quickly gained strong partnerships in the tech industry (including Volkswagen and Bosch) and high market capitalization (by the end of 2017 IOTA reached top 5 list by its, market cap although now its position is lower). |
| Launched |
|---|
2015 |
Website: |
| Asset status |
Active |
| Asset type |
Coin |
| Auditors |
CertikScore: 82.65Updated: May 15, 2026 |
| Blockchain list |
Zcash (ZEC) is a cryptocurrency with strong cryptography that is supposed to provide high security and privacy. At some point, Zcash was endorsed by Edward Snowden and Roger Ver. Zcash is a Bitcoin fork and it exists since 2016. The mechanism providing privacy is called zero-knowledge proofs (or zk-SNARKS). | IOTA is a distributed ledger and cryptocurrency created to process operations between devices of the Internet of Things. IOTA was launched in 2015. The project is based on an unique directed acyclic graph (DAG) instead of a blockchain. DAG uses a Tangle technology which provides unlimited scaling opportunities and free and fast transactions. The project is backed by non-profit IOTA Foundation. Besides, IOTA ecosystem has its own data marketplace available both for companies and individuals. IOTA quickly gained strong partnerships in the tech industry (including Volkswagen and Bosch) and high market capitalization (by the end of 2017 IOTA reached top 5 list by its, market cap although now its position is lower). |
| Launched | |
|---|---|
2016 | 2015 |
Website: | Website: |
| Asset status | |
Active | Active |
| Asset type | |
Coin | Coin |
| Auditors | |
CertikScore: 90.22Updated: May 15, 2026 | CertikScore: 82.65Updated: May 15, 2026 |
| Blockchain list | |
In a scenario where you choose to include one coin in your portfolio but are uncertain, take a closer look at these two. This article is dedicated to the Zcash (ZEC) vs IOTA (MIOTA) comparison for investing purposes, highlighting the most important aspects of this discussion.
First things first: the market capitalization. It's always better to invest in a well-established coin than a relatively new project. A large market cap means low volatility, whereas a small market cap means the coin will be extremely volatile and risky to trade – but can also bring huge rewards.
See if the coin has reasonable market cap and valuation for now – sometimes people speculate with coins which don't deserve a single dollar spent on them.
Proof-of-Work, Proof-of-Stake, or any other algorithm. Every protocol uses a specific algorithm for consensus – and therefore it brings some particular traits and advantages. Compare both coins by the consensus mechanism to find similarities and differences. Does it fit your preferences?
Every blockchain has a particular transaction throughput (TPS) level. The higher the transaction speed, the better – but do not consider this to be a primary factor in choosing a blockchain. Layer-2 solutions are also essential for scalability.
Supply and emission schedule play a crucial role in determining the price of any coin on the market. See how many coins will ever exist and how many are already in circulation. How are new coins emitted? Will there be any further halvings or supply increases?
Finally, it all comes down to real adoption. What real-world problems does the coin help solve? How active is the community around it? Does it have real use cases and on-chain activity statistics?
Neither of these coins is a better option in every possible situation – they serve different users. Determine which of them matches your preferences and needs the most, and make your decision accordingly.
| Code repositories |
|---|
| Consensus mechanisms |
|---|
The_tangle |
| Discord servers |
|---|
Iota & shimmer Members: 62,404 |
| Explorers |
|---|
| Has smart contracts |
|---|
Yes |
| Other social networks |
|---|
| Price usd |
|---|
0.0535 |
| Project leaders |
|---|
David Sønstebø, Dominik Schiener, Sergey Ivancheglo, Serguei Popov |
| Subreddits |
|---|
Iota Subscribers: 143,375Community age: Sep 6, 2012 |
| X accounts |
|---|
Iota Followers: 288,811Account age: Oct 19, 2015 |
| Code repositories | |
|---|---|
github.com ⭐ 113🍴 39👥 13 github.com ⭐ 172🍴 42👥 8 github.com ⭐ 829🍴 557👥 40 github.com +2 more repositories⭐ 278🍴 157👥 68 | |
| Consensus mechanisms | |
|---|---|
Pow | The_tangle |
| Discord servers | |
|---|---|
Zcashcommunity Members: 955 | Iota & shimmer Members: 62,404 |
| Explorers | |
|---|---|
| Has smart contracts | |
|---|---|
No | Yes |
| Other social networks | |
|---|---|
| Price usd | |
|---|---|
602.61 | 0.0535 |
| Project leaders | |
|---|---|
Zooko Wilcox | David Sønstebø, Dominik Schiener, Sergey Ivancheglo, Serguei Popov |
| Subreddits | |
|---|---|
Zec Subscribers: 32,489Community age: Aug 28, 2016 | Iota Subscribers: 143,375Community age: Sep 6, 2012 |
| X accounts | |
|---|---|
Zcash 🛡️ Followers: 23,777Account age: Nov 30, 2017 | Iota Followers: 288,811Account age: Oct 19, 2015 |
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