What 14 privacy protocols actually deliver. Sources listed in footnotes.
| Privacy Model | Cryptographic Foundation | Performance & UX | Ecosystem & Access | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol | Multi-asset privacy pool |
Formally ZK proofs |
Secretless (no per-note keys) |
Efficient note discovery |
Selective disclosure |
No trusted setup |
Post-quantum proof system |
Succinct verifiability |
Fast shield/ unshield |
End-to-end transaction time |
Scalable private transactions |
Programmable privacy |
DeFi composability |
Existing ecosystem |
EVM compatible |
Account abstraction |
Hardware wallet support |
| one pool hides all token types | ZK property formally proven | one key, no secrets to lose | find your funds fast | reveal only what you choose | no ceremony, no trust needed | safe from quantum computers | anyone can verify the chain | go private or public in seconds | proof + confirmation speed | high throughput, low cost | complex private app logic | works with existing protocols | real users, real liquidity | runs on EVM chains | multisig, recovery, session keys | sign with Ledger/Trezor | |
The current Starknet selective-disclosure privacy pool for regular ERC-20 tokens.
Privacy primitives: proofs, notes, nullifiers, channels, note discovery, viewing-key primitives, client-side proving.
The current selective-disclosure pool for supported regular ERC-20 tokens.
Asset behavior: private balances, private transfers, viewer-key disclosure.
Wallet teams, ZK / proving engineers, privacy infra builders, Cairo-native teams.
The public surface is v0.14.2 + SNIP-36: offchain execution proofs as a first-class transaction primitive. Generate proofs, attach them to Invoke V3, read proof_facts onchain.
Building a product, token, or wallet integration that needs privacy? We’re working directly with integration partners in this phase.
Note tracking, discovery, and pool transaction construction are being rolled out with partners first. If you want to integrate STRK20 into your product, reach out.
As of April 2026, there are fourteen major privacy protocols in crypto, each taking a fundamentally different approach. This grid evaluates them across 17 technical properties in four categories: privacy model, cryptographic foundation, performance and UX, and ecosystem access.
STRK20 on Starknet, Aztec, Railgun, and Privacy Boost all support multi-asset privacy pools, meaning multiple token types share a single anonymity set. Midnight supports multiple shielded token types, but its docs do not yet establish one canonical shared pool. Zcash and Monero are single-asset only. STRK20 is the only protocol with a secretless design where users manage a single signing key via account abstraction, with no per-note secrets to lose. Most other protocols require two or more key pairs. For selective disclosure, STRK20, Zcash, Aztec, Aleo, Railgun, and Midnight all offer user-controlled ways to reveal transaction history to a chosen third party; Tempo, USX, and Privacy Boost expose more issuer-, operator-, or regulator-oriented disclosure paths.
STRK20 uses STARKs, which require no trusted setup and are post-quantum resistant by design (hash-based). Its formal zero-knowledge row is marked partial because STRK20 public copy describes zero-knowledge-backed private transactions, while public S-two docs still say the zero-knowledge feature was not available at time of writing. Zcash's Orchard upgrade uses Halo 2 (no setup), but its older Sapling pool still relies on a trusted ceremony. Aztec uses PLONK with a universal updatable SRS. Railgun, Privacy Boost, and Tornado Cash use Groth16, which requires per-circuit ceremonies. On post-quantum security, STARKs (Starknet) and TFHE lattice-based cryptography (Zama) are the two approaches in the grid treated as quantum-resistant, with Zama marked partial because its model is not succinct ZK verification.
STRK20 offers the fastest trust-minimized shielding: ~2s block confirmation plus sub-5s proof generation. Zcash is bottlenecked by ~75s block times. Privacy Boost advertises sub-500ms TEE proof generation and high throughput through epoch batching, but transfers settle when relays submit epochs and the privacy path depends on an enclave operator. Aztec runs ~6s blocks in Alpha Mainnet (launched March 31, 2026), but the team has also published alpha-stage security warnings and told users not to put in funds they are not willing to lose. Midnight uses client-side proving on a roughly 6-second block cadence, but has not yet published a public mainnet latency benchmark. Railgun imposes a mandatory 1-hour standby after shielding. Monero is always private by default but has no opt-out to a transparent state. For scalability, the grid no longer prints base-chain TPS as STRK20 private-transfer TPS; Aztec currently processes about 1 TPS in its Alpha phase.
STRK20 and Railgun are the only protocols where existing DeFi contracts require zero custom integration for private transactions. Railgun works across Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and BSC. Aztec, Canton, Midnight, Tempo, Aleo, and Privacy Boost have privacy-capable application environments, SDKs, or token standards within their own ecosystems but are not composable with existing Ethereum or Starknet DeFi without custom integration or unshielding. Starknet, Zcash, Monero, Solana, and Canton all have established ecosystems with real liquidity and users. Tempo and Midnight are newly live and still early. USX is live on Scroll with a modest footprint. Privacy Boost is live as an OP Mainnet beta and has announced Startale/Soneium integration, but public usage telemetry is not yet available. Zama mainnet is live with early applications and infrastructure integrations, but its ecosystem is still nascent.
STRK20 (Starknet) covers the widest range of properties: multi-asset privacy, no trusted setup, post-quantum proofs, fast shielding, DeFi composability, programmable privacy, and account abstraction. It is designed for supported regular ERC-20 tokens on Starknet. Zcash pioneered zero-knowledge proofs for payments and has the longest track record. Monero offers always-on privacy with strong anonymity but limited programmability. Aztec is building a full programmable privacy L2 with Noir and its own execution environment, but it remains alpha-stage with explicit security caveats. Midnight is a privacy-first programmable chain built around hybrid public/private state and selective disclosure, with a live but still early ecosystem. Railgun brings privacy to existing EVM DeFi through its shielded pool. Privacy Boost targets enterprise EVM apps with a Groth16 plus TEE privacy SDK; it has strong UX and compliance positioning but a larger privacy trust surface. Aleo enables private computation with Leo, but each program runs in isolation. Zama takes a different approach with fully homomorphic encryption, computing on encrypted data through confidential Solidity contracts, and is beginning to show early mainnet applications and integrations.
STRK20 is the current selective-disclosure privacy pool on Starknet for supported regular ERC-20 tokens. It uses a single multi-asset privacy pool, STARK proofs (no trusted setup, post-quantum), account abstraction for key management, and selective disclosure via viewing keys. It works with existing Starknet DeFi without requiring contract changes.
STRK20 (Starknet), Monero, Solana Confidential, and Canton require no trusted setup. STRK20 uses STARKs, which are hash-based. Monero uses Bulletproofs+. Solana uses ElGamal/Bulletproofs. Zcash's Orchard upgrade uses Halo 2 (no setup) but its Sapling pool still has one. Aztec and Aleo use universal SRS setups. Railgun, Privacy Boost, and Tornado Cash use Groth16 per-circuit ceremonies. Tempo is marked partial because its private-token cryptography is not yet publicly specified.
STRK20 (Starknet) is marked fully post-quantum because STARKs are hash-based and post-quantum by design. Zama receives partial credit: its TFHE stack relies on lattice-based LWE hardness assumptions, but it is not a succinct proof system. SNARK and elliptic-curve-based protocols are vulnerable to quantum attacks.
STRK20 is designed for supported regular ERC-20 tokens on Starknet through a multi-asset privacy pool. Railgun supports private transfers of ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and BSC. Zama's fhEVM enables confidential ERC-20s through fully homomorphic encryption.
STRK20 currently scores highest in the Privacy Protocol Grid. Key differences: STRK20 has a multi-asset privacy pool (Zcash and Monero are single-asset), no trusted setup and post-quantum proofs, sub-5s shielding (Zcash ~75s), DeFi composability, and account abstraction. Zcash has mature formally ZK payment proofs. Monero has always-on privacy by default.
STRK20 on Starknet has the fastest shield/unshield time: ~2 second block confirmation plus sub-5 second proof generation. Zcash is bottlenecked by ~75 second block times. Aztec has ~6 second blocks in Alpha Mainnet (launched March 31, 2026). Railgun requires a mandatory 1-hour standby period after shielding.
