Academy › Coins and networks › Lesson 6
Monero and privacy coins: a plain introduction
Privacy coins hide by default what Bitcoin shows by default.
01What is hidden
Monero hides senders, receivers and amounts on its blockchain. Bitcoin records them publicly.
02Practical differences
Monero addresses are longer, blocks arrive about every two minutes and received funds are spendable after a short lock.
03Availability
Some regulated exchanges have removed privacy coins, which is one reason swap services remain popular for them.
04What it does not do
A private blockchain does not protect a wallet on an infected device or an address pasted into a fake page.
Key pointMonero hides transaction details by design, but device and address safety still matter.