Zcash (ZEC): a private cryptocurrency and how to mine it

Zcash (ZEC) is a cryptocurrency with optionally private transactions, mined by ASIC miners on the Equihash algorithm. A block is created every 75 seconds, and since the halving in November 2024 the reward has been 1.5625 ZEC. The miner gets 80% of it, i.e. 1.25 ZEC per block – the remaining 20% goes to development funds. Today 1 kSol/s earns approximately 0,93 Kč a day.

Summary

• Zcash lets you send coins transparently (like Bitcoin) or shielded – the sender, the recipient and the amount then remain hidden.
• The Equihash (200,9) algorithm is mined by the Antminer Z15 Pro and Z15K with a hashrate of 525–860 kSol/s.
• Of the 1.5625 ZEC reward, miners receive 1.25 ZEC, 0.125 ZEC goes to Zcash Community Grants and 0.1875 ZEC to a fund voted on by ZEC holders.
• The network's next halving is due in November 2028, when the reward will drop to 0.78125 ZEC per block.

What Zcash is and how privacy works

Zcash was launched in October 2016. It is based on Bitcoin's code, has the same cap of 21 million coins and a similar halving schedule. It differs by adding zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs (zk-SNARKs) to Bitcoin: the network verifies that a transaction is valid without seeing who sent how much to whom.

There are two kinds of addresses in Zcash:

• Transparent (t-addresses): they work as in Bitcoin; everything is publicly visible in a block explorer.
• Shielded: amounts and the parties to the transaction are encrypted. The newest shielded pool, Orchard, was added in 2022 and no longer needs the one-off “trusted setup” that critics objected to in older versions.

What matters for miners is that pools usually pay rewards to a transparent address. Whether you then move the coins into the shielded pool is up to you. If you are interested in why Zcash pays off better than Bitcoin in 2026, read our analysis Zcash and Monero vs. Bitcoin.

How Zcash is mined

Equihash was designed to require a lot of memory and favour graphics cards. Since 2018, however, Equihash ASIC miners have existed, and today they dominate the network. Mining on graphics cards does not pay off.

How much of the reward miners actually receive

Online calculators show different earnings for Zcash, and the reason is simple. Since the halving on 23 November 2024 (block 2,726,400), the block reward has been 1.5625 ZEC in total. But not all of it goes to the miner:

The 12% fund was created in November 2024 as a locked “lockbox” reserve. Since the network upgrade in November 2025, ZEC holders decide on its use by voting. The 80/8/12 split applies until the next halving in November 2028.

Our earnings calculations therefore use 1.25 ZEC per block, not 1.5625 ZEC. A calculator that works with the full reward overstates earnings by a quarter. Transaction fees are added to the 1.25 ZEC, but they are negligible.

How much a Zcash miner earns today

For 1 kSol/s it is 0,93 Kč a day today, about 0.000038 ZEC in coins. The table shows the machines we offer at the difficulty and exchange rate as of 18 October 2026:

For Zcash, electricity today makes up only a fraction of earnings: even at CZK 5/kWh, a Z15 Pro would use roughly CZK 334 of power a day and still be profitable. That is a big difference from Bitcoin machines. At the same time, it means that earnings depend almost entirely on the ZEC price – and that can change quickly. Calculation without the pool fee. The cheapest location of our hosting costs 1,13 Kč/kWh.

Z15 Pro or Z15K?

• Antminer Z15 Pro (840–860 kSol/s) has a better efficiency of 3.31 J/kSol. It weighs 16.9 kg, runs at 75 dB and suits a workshop, a plant room or hosting.
• Antminer Z15K (525–565 kSol/s) is smaller and lighter (9 kg, 133 × 245 × 290 mm) and cheaper to buy. It uses 43% more energy per 1 kSol/s.

At today's electricity prices, the price of the machine and the payback period matter more than consumption. You will find both models in the Zcash miners collection, where the calculator works out the payback for the chosen location.

Pools and wallets

Zcash is supported by most large pools, for example 2Miners, ViaBTC or F2Pool. They differ in fee, minimum payout and payout method – the differences are explained in the article PPS, PPLNS and FPPS.

For payouts you need a Zcash address. Pools usually want a transparent address starting with t1. Choose a wallet that also supports shielded addresses, so that you can later move the coins into the private pool.

Risks of mining Zcash

• Exchange rate: because electricity is only a small part of the costs, earnings depend almost entirely on the ZEC price. If it falls, earnings fall proportionally.
• Regulation of privacy coins: some exchanges and regulators take a stricter approach to privacy coins. Check in advance where you will sell ZEC.
• 2028 halving: the miners' reward will drop to 0.625 ZEC per block, unless the fund split changes.
• Narrow choice of machines: there are few Equihash ASICs on the market; our range includes only Antminers of the Z15 series. Other Equihash coins are economically negligible, so the machines stand or fall with Zcash.

What next

• Zcash and Monero vs. Bitcoin – why altcoins mine better than BTC this year.
• Zcash miners – Z15 Pro and Z15K with an earnings and payback calculator.
• ASIC miner profitability – Zcash compared with other coins, recalculated every hour.

Sources

• Blockworks: Zcash reward split after NU6.1 (80/8/12)
• Blockworks: history of the block reward split
• Kryptex Pool: Zcash network parameters (Equihash 200,9, 75 s, 2024 halving)