Dec 12, 20254 min readComparisons & MatricesIntermediate
Ergo vs Monero: Privacy Modes
Always-on payment privacy vs programmable privacy for DeFi.
Ergo
Monero
privacy
privacy coins
programmable privacy
DeFi
smart contracts
selective disclosure
compliance
Click to Enlarge
About This Infographic
This infographic compares the privacy philosophies of Ergo and Monero: Monero offers default, always-on payment privacy for every transaction, while Ergo focuses on optional, programmable privacy that can be tuned per use case.
On Ergo, privacy is integrated with smart contracts, DeFi, stablecoins and dApps, enabling complex flows where users and builders choose what to hide and when.
On Monero, the chain is heavily payment-focused with no general smart-contract platform, making it harder to design selectively transparent flows or compliance-friendly patterns.
Privacy Mode and UX
- Ergo: Optional, programmable privacy—users and dApps choose what to hide and when.
- Monero: Default full payment privacy for every transaction.
- This affects user experience and how easily different transaction types can be expressed.
Scope of the Chain
- Ergo: Smart contracts, DeFi, stablecoins and dApps all gain access to privacy options.
- Monero: Primarily designed for private payments, without a general smart-contract platform.
- Broader scope on Ergo supports more complex financial and application-layer use cases.
Flexibility & Compliance
- Ergo: Can design flows with selective disclosure for auditors, counterparties or regulators when needed.
- Monero: Harder to construct selectively transparent flows because privacy is always on by default.
- Programmable privacy offers a middle ground between cypherpunk privacy and real-world compliance requirements.
Key Points
Monero provides default full payment privacy on every transaction by design.
Ergo offers optional, programmable privacy where contracts can decide what data is hidden or revealed.
Ergo supports smart contracts, DeFi, stablecoins and dApps with privacy options on top of eUTXO.
Monero is payments-focused and does not provide a general smart-contract framework.
Ergo can enable selectively transparent flows to help with flexibility and compliance, whereas Monero makes such patterns harder to implement.
How to Read This Infographic
01.
Start with the privacy slider at the top: it shows the spectrum from transparent to private, with programmable privacy highlighted for Ergo and full privacy switched on for Monero.
02.
Then read the three panels along the bottom—privacy mode, scope of the chain and flexibility & compliance—to see how each project uses its privacy model.
03.
Use these comparisons to understand when always-on privacy is ideal and when programmable, selective privacy may be more suitable for DeFi and regulated use cases.
Related Topics
Ergo vs Monero
privacy coins comparison
programmable privacy in DeFi
Sigma Protocols and selective disclosure
Usage Guidelines
- • You can use this infographic in presentations, blog posts, or educational materials
- • Please keep the attribution link to ergoblockchain.org
- • For custom branding or editable files, contact the Ergo community
Embed this infographic
Copy the code below to use this infographic in your blog or website.
Please keep the link to ergoblockchain.org.
<a href="https://ergoblockchain.org/infographics/ergo-vs-monero-privacy-modes?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
<img
src="https://ergoblockchain.org/og/infographics/ergo-vs-monero-privacy-modes.png"
alt="Infographic titled “Ergo vs Monero: Privacy Modes”. A slider shows transparent to private with programmable privacy highlighted for Ergo and a large ON switch for full privacy for Monero, plus three comparison panels for privacy mode, scope of the chain and flexibility & compliance."
style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border:0;"
loading="lazy"
/>
</a>
<p style="font-size:12px; color:#888;">
Source: <a href="https://ergoblockchain.org/infographics/ergo-vs-monero-privacy-modes?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ergoblockchain.org</a>
</p>Explore More Ergo Infographics
Discover visual guides to Ergo's PoW, eUTXO smart contracts, storage rent, privacy and more.
Browse All Infographics