Zcash (ZEC)
Optional privacy with zero-knowledge proofs
Swap ZEC without an account or KYC.
First AI-powered swap engine
No registration. No KYC. No custody. Just swap.
Market data by CoinGecko (snapshot 2026-10-01).
About Zcash
Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-capable cryptocurrency that pioneered zero-knowledge proofs in production. It launched in October 2016 as a fork of the Bitcoin codebase with the same 21 million cap and halving schedule, but added shielded transactions: payments whose sender, receiver and amount are hidden by a zk-SNARK proof while the network still verifies that no coins were created out of thin air.
Unlike Monero, privacy on Zcash is optional. Transparent addresses (t-addresses) work like Bitcoin's; shielded addresses (z-addresses, today mostly Orchard-based unified addresses) keep the details private. For years most activity stayed transparent, but since the 2024 and 2025 wallet and protocol upgrades the shielded share of supply has grown steadily and shielded-by-default wallets have become the norm.
On SyntheticSwap you can swap ZEC to USDT (ERC-20) and Bitcoin without an account. Note that swap services, including this one, operate with transparent Zcash addresses: you receive ZEC at a t-address or a unified address that accepts transparent funds, and you can shield the coins inside your own wallet afterwards.
Before you swap ZEC: what to check
- •Receiving address format: t1… (transparent) or u1… (unified); legacy z-addresses are not accepted.
- •Network: Zcash. ZEC exists on one network here; make sure your wallet sends on it.
- •Deposit confirmations: 6 on Zcash (block time 75 seconds). The rate is locked when the deposit confirms, not when you broadcast.
- •Limits: minimum and maximum are shown in the form for each pair and change with fees and liquidity.
- •Tracking: the status page shows each stage; deposits and payouts can be checked on blockchair.com.
Transparent vs shielded: what matters for a swap
When you swap ZEC here, the deposit address you send to is transparent, and the ZEC you receive arrives at the address you paste. If you paste a unified address from a modern wallet, it can receive transparent funds and you shield them with one action in the wallet. If you paste an older z-address only, the payout may fail — use a unified or transparent address.
Shielding after receipt costs a small fee and one block. The upside is that your later spending from the shielded pool reveals nothing about where the coins came from.
Zcash history
- 2016Zcash mainnet launches on 28 October, developed by the Electric Coin Company with the first practical zk-SNARK shielded transactions.
- 2018Sapling upgrade makes shielded transactions fast enough for mobile devices, cutting proof time from minutes to seconds.
- 2019The Zcash Foundation and Electric Coin Company become independent organisations; the community adopts a development fund model.
- 2020First halving (Canopy); block rewards fall to 3.125 ZEC and the new dev fund allocation starts.
- 2022NU5 activates Orchard, a Halo 2 based shielded pool that removes the need for a trusted setup, and introduces unified addresses.
- 2024Second halving in November; NU6 reshapes the development fund. The Zashi wallet ships shielded-by-default spending.
- 2025Shielded supply reaches multi-year highs as wallets default to shielding; ZEC returns to the spotlight in the broader privacy-coin debate.
How to swap ZEC
- In the form above, choose the direction: ZEC to the coin you want, or the other way round.
- Enter the amount — the estimated amount you receive updates live; minimums are shown in the form.
- Paste the receiving address and, optionally, a refund address.
- Click “Swap now” and send exactly the shown amount to the deposit address from any wallet you control.
- After 6 confirmations the payout is sent; track it on the status page. No account, no KYC.
How to store ZEC
Zashi (mobile, by the Electric Coin Company) and Ywallet are shielded-first wallets; Zingo and the desktop Zcash full node are alternatives. Hardware wallets support transparent ZEC; shielded support is more limited, so check your device before relying on it for z-funds.
Back up the seed phrase and the wallet birthday height. Shielded balances take longer to scan on restore, so keeping the birthday height saves time.
If something looks wrong
ZEC swap pairs
Frequently asked questions
Swap payouts are sent to transparent or unified addresses. Paste a unified address from your wallet and shield the coins yourself after they arrive — this takes one transaction inside the wallet.