To swap ZEC to ETH, choose ZEC on Zcash as “from”, ETH on the network you want (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base or Optimism) as “to”, paste your 0x address and send ZEC to the deposit address shown. On November 12, 2026, $1,000 of ZEC quoted 0.485175 ETH on Ethereum in about 8 minutes, before the 0.7% service fee. No exchange account and no wrapped token are involved.
Key Takeaways
- Route type: NEAR Intents, a single step on every network; you send a normal Zcash transaction.
- Time: about 8 minutes (454-462 seconds) on all 4 ETH networks we checked.
- Cost: a flat 0.37% route fee plus about $0.15 of Zcash network fee, before the 0.7% service fee.
- Main catch: your 0x address is the same on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base and Optimism, but the ETH arrives only on the network you chose.
What Is ZEC?
ZEC is the native coin of Zcash, a Bitcoin-derived network with optional shielded transactions. There is no ZEC contract on Ethereum to swap from, so this route starts with a real Zcash transaction. LI.FI priced ZEC at $988.40 on November 12, 2026.
What Is ETH?
ETH is the native coin of Ethereum and also the gas coin of its main layer-2 networks: Arbitrum, Base and Optimism. On each of them ETH is the native asset, not a token, so you receive real ETH, not WETH. LI.FI priced ETH at $2,049.23 in the same check.
How the ZEC to ETH Swap Works
Zcash cannot run swap contracts, so a solver network does the work. The swap shows a deposit address on Zcash; you send ZEC there from your wallet. NEAR Intents waits for Zcash confirmations, then pays ETH from its own liquidity to your address on the network you picked. You sign one Zcash transaction and nothing on the Ethereum side.
Quotes by Amount (ZEC to ETH on Ethereum, November 12, 2026)
| You send | You receive | Route fees | Zcash fee | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 of ZEC | 0.048486 ETH | $0.37 | $0.15 | about 7.7 min |
| $1,000 of ZEC | 0.485175 ETH | $3.70 | $0.15 | about 7.7 min |
| $10,000 of ZEC | 4.849638 ETH | $36.97 | $0.15 | about 7.7 min |
The route fee stayed at 0.37% at every amount, so there was no extra price impact up to $10,000. The only fixed part is the $0.15 Zcash fee: 0.15% of a $100 swap, almost nothing at $10,000. Quotes are LI.FI routes before the 0.7% Step Exchange service fee; they change every minute.
Which Network to Receive ETH On ($1,000 of ZEC)
| ETH on | You receive | Time | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbitrum | 0.485506 ETH | about 7.6 min | DeFi with low fees |
| Ethereum | 0.485175 ETH | about 7.7 min | exchanges, mainnet apps, staking |
| Base | 0.484569 ETH | about 7.6 min | Base apps, cheap transfers |
| Optimism | 0.484401 ETH | about 7.6 min | Optimism apps |
Same check, November 12, 2026. The best and worst network differ by 0.0011 ETH on $1,000 (about $2.26, 0.23%), less than the cost of moving ETH between networks later. Unlike stablecoin swaps, you never need a second gas coin here: the ETH you receive pays its own fees. What a transfer costs on each network: Ethereum gas fees, Arbitrum gas fees, Base gas fees.
ZEC to ETH, BTC or SOL?
In the same minute, $1,000 of ZEC quoted 0.484883 ETH on Ethereum, 11.983638 SOL and 0.013476 BTC, all at the same 0.37% route fee. ETH and SOL arrived in about 7.5-8 minutes; BTC showed 30 minutes, because the payout waits for Bitcoin confirmations. If the goal is to leave ZEC for a dollar value rather than another coin, compare ZEC to USDT; for bitcoin, see ZEC to BTC.
Zcash Addresses: What Works
| Address type | Starts with | Worked on our test |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent | t1, t3 | Yes |
| Unified with Orchard | u1 | Yes |
| Sapling only | zs | No |
From a unified address the Zcash side can be shielded, but the ETH payout is a public transaction on an open chain, linked to your 0x address. If your wallet shows only a zs address, use its unified address or move the ZEC to a transparent address first. Address results are from our October 23, 2026 test of Zcash routes.
Step by Step
- Copy your 0x address and decide the network (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base or Optimism).
- From: ZEC on Zcash. To: ETH on that network. Paste the address.
- Check the quote in ETH and the network name in the route.
- Send ZEC from a transparent or unified address, exactly the amount shown, to the deposit address.
- Wait about 8 minutes, then check the balance on the network you chose.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Looking for the ETH on the wrong network: a wallet that shows Ethereum mainnet will not show ETH paid on Arbitrum or Base until you switch networks. The funds are there, on the network from the quote.
- Paying to an exchange on the wrong network: an exchange deposit address may accept ETH only on Ethereum or only on some layer-2s. Check which networks it lists before you choose one in the swap.
- Sending from a zs-only address: use the wallet’s unified address instead.
More ETH routes: BTC to ETH, SOL to ETH, USDT to ETH. Moving ETH to Arbitrum later: bridge ETH to Arbitrum.