Zcash: Privacy Coin Using zk-SNARKs for Shielded Transactions

The distinguishing feature here is architectural, not promotional: Zcash's optional shielding means privacy is a user choice layered onto a transparent chain, which keeps it legible to exchanges and regulators in a way fully opaque designs are not. That optionality cuts both ways, since shielded usage is the metric that actually determines whether the privacy claim has weight in practice. Whether shielded transactions become the norm rather than a niche setting is the open question for how this asset is ultimately categorized.