BitcoinDark is a fork of Bitcoin with a poorly defined purpose and use case. BitcoinDark is based on the InstantDEX protocol, a decentralized exchange for BitcoinDark and other cryptocurrencies supported by the project. The platform is also supposed to include a Pegged Asset Exchange (PAX) to allow users to buy and sell pegged assets – including fiat currencies, commodities, ETFs, and stocks.
BitcoinDark is a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) currency that has gained a significant market cap, but the project has failed to show how its vision will be implemented or how it will add value compared to other blockchain projects.

ZCoin is a privacy focused cryptocurrency built on Ethereum. The ZCoin protocol enables anonymous transactions with cryptography that utilizes Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP). ZCoin increases privacy on their network by using a coin-mixer contract that wraps transactions in a serial number and destroying wrapped coins once they have been redeemed.
Zcoin was the first cryptocurrency to use a Merkle Tree Proof (MTP) as its proof of work algorithm. Merkle Tree Proofs are an innovative solution to achieving network consensus, and can increase transaction time while reducing the centralizing tendency of ASIC mining.

DigiByte is a a blockchain platform that places an emphasis on security and block speed. DigiByte has one of the fastest block speeds of any public blockchain and uses an innovative consensus protocol with 5 mining algorithms. This prevents mining centralization and also minimizes the chances of security breaches. DigiByte transactions are limited in size and scope to increase speed, efficiency, and throughput.
DigiByte hopes that these innovations will provide the ideal blockchain infrastructure for a range of applications within the IoT and AI fields, that require a high degree of security and fast block speeds.