Networks
The privacy chain where amounts, senders and receivers are hidden by default. Every other chain is a public ledger. Monero hides amounts with ring signatures and stealth addresses, so balances are private by default.
Live market data
Prices as of September 29, 2026, replaced by live figures as the page loads. Prices move constantly and are for orientation only.
What Monero is for
Every other chain is a public ledger. Monero hides amounts with ring signatures and stealth addresses, so balances are private by default.
Technical summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer | Layer 1 |
| Launched | 2014 |
| Consensus | Proof of work with RandomX |
| Throughput | Low |
| Finality | About 20 minutes |
| Native token | XMR pays fees and rewards miners |
Block explorers
An explorer lets you verify any transaction, address or contract on this network yourself. Learning to read one is the fastest way to stop taking anyone's word for anything.
Wallets that support it
What to be aware of
- Validator concentration varies widely between layer 1s and is worth checking rather than assuming.
- Newer chains have shorter track records under real adversarial pressure.
- Crypto assets are volatile. Drawdowns of seventy percent or more have happened on every network in this list, including the largest.
- Sending to an address on the wrong network can lose funds permanently. Always send a small test amount first.
Nothing on this page is investment advice. We describe how networks work, not whether you should buy anything.
Other networks at this layer
Same job, different tradeoffs. Each of these has its own page covering what it is actually for, who runs it and where it struggles.
Common questions
Is Monero legal to own?
Can Monero transactions really not be traced?
Where to go next
New to Monero?
We can get you set up with the right wallet, funded, and through a first transaction on this network in about an hour, on a screen share.