This sets the stage for a new category led by Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a project built entirely by its own team, without VC shortcuts or speculative hype. ZKP removes the guesswork and replaces it with a live infrastructure launch on ICA Day 1, giving investors something functional from the start.
Pi Network’s Mainnet Delay Drains Momentum
Pi Network built one of the largest mobile mining communities in history, but continues to fight questions around delivery. The project’s lack of a fully open mainnet has pushed uncertainty into the market, and it shows in pricing trends. According to the most referenced Pi Network price prediction metrics, the estimated value slid from about $38 in January 2024 to around $19 in November 2025.
This represents a 50 percent decline and reinforces concerns around locked balances, off-chain trading, and long delays in activating utility. Users still wait for clarity on withdrawals, real transactions, and ecosystem apps that operate beyond isolated test environments.
The original idea gained traction because it promised easy onboarding and mobile-first mining, yet the absence of a public mainnet has triggered doubts about whether user activity translates into actual token value. The model relies heavily on anticipation, which is now fading as timelines get pushed again. With no confirmed date for open mainnet access, the project stands at a crossroads while holders debate whether its early energy can survive the prolonged pause.
Ethereum Faces Slowdown Amid Rising Competition
Ethereum remains the most recognizable smart contract system, but it is facing structural pressures that matter to investors tracking what is the next big crypto. After the merger, expectations were high, yet Ethereum slipped from $2,680 to $1,985, marking a 25 percent correction. This Ethereum bearish trend persists despite strong activity on Layer 2 networks.
Developers cite gas costs that still spike during heavy usage, and some long-time builders have shifted toward alternate chains with lower overhead. Institutions continue to settle transactions through Ethereum, but retail friction has slowly increased, leading traders to rethink its short-term upside.
The network still commands influence and will likely stay central to the industry, but growth has slowed compared to its early years. Each upgrade tries to simplify high fees and workload distribution, yet the market has not rewarded these changes as strongly as expected. Ethereum’s future remains solid, but its momentum is no longer automatic, and investors now look for projects with fresh mechanics and immediate utility.
Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) Delivers Utility From Presale Day One
Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) takes a different direction from both Pi Network and Ethereum by refusing to rely on speculation as the primary driver. Instead of promising utility at an undefined point, ZKP activates everything on ICA Day 1 of its presale. Nothing is live yet, but the entire system is built and ready to run the moment the presale opens. This includes the on-chain auction, the earning dashboard, validator tools, and the hardware-powered compute network that uses Proof Pods to perform private AI workloads.
Where Pi Network delays and Ethereum gas costs push uncertainty, ZKP leans on transparent mechanics that start working immediately once the presale begins. The daily ICA auction distributes tokens proportionally, with no private rounds, no early pricing advantages, and no allocation games. Anyone can join, and everyone receives a fair share of the 200 million ZKP coins released each auction cycle. This becomes the daily reference price for the entire ecosystem and sets the earning rate for Proof Pods starting from Day 1.
Proof Pods give ZKP a hands-on infrastructure layer that neither Pi Network nor Ethereum provides at launch. These devices run verifiable compute from the first moment the network activates, completing AI tasks and generating zero knowledge proofs without exposing data. They also operate a level system that scales earning potential from 1 dollar to 300 dollars per day in ZKP value, based on the previous auction price. This creates a real work-to-earn model instead of the promise-driven economics seen in Pi Network’s inactive mainnet or the fluctuating fees of Ethereum.
