Zama is an open-source cryptography company that provides developer tools and protocol infrastructure for Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE), enabling computation on encrypted data and a confidentiality layer for blockchains to support confidential smart contracts and encrypted on-chain state.
Published Aug 18, 2026
| Starting Price | Not publicly listed; enterprise licensing and potential protocol fees/token economics | Not publicly listed; ecosystem-dependent | Network fees; ecosystem-dependent |
| Best For | Teams seeking EVM-adjacent confidential smart contract patterns using an FHE-based approach; use cases that prioritize encrypted onchain state and selective disclosure | Teams adopting a ZK-based privacy model and willing to adapt to private execution constraints | Teams prioritizing an established privacy-focused network model that uses TEEs and an existing ecosystem |
| Key Strength | FHE approach enables computation on encrypted values; active research background; emphasis on a cross-chain confidentiality layer | ZK privacy is a mature area with established proof techniques; suitable for certain privacy patterns | Operational mainnet and an established ecosystem for privacy-focused workloads |
| Key Weakness | High computational cost and architectural complexity; testnet readiness and licensing considerations | Developer experience and circuit development can be complex | TEEs introduce hardware trust assumptions and supply-chain considerations |
—