Bitcoin (BTC)?

Start by getting a wallet (Nautilus for browser, Terminus for mobile). Back up your seed phrase securely offline. Get some ERG from a current exchange or verified venue, then make a small test transaction. After that, explore NFTs, mining, DeFi references, or the developer stack if you're a builder.

Ergo supports a broad ecosystem: use SigmaUSD, explore historical and current DeFi references, mix transactions with ErgoMixer where lawful, collect NFTs, mine with GPUs, bridge to other chains via Rosen, and build dApps with ErgoScript. Always verify current project status before sending funds to a third-party app.

Ergo is not private by default like Monero, but offers powerful optional privacy tools. ErgoMixer provides non-interactive, non-custodial mixing. Sigma Protocols enable zero-knowledge proofs in smart contracts. Stealth addresses hide recipients. The key difference: Ergo's privacy is programmable - you choose when and how much to reveal.

Storage rent is Ergo's solution to state bloat. Boxes (UTXOs) that remain unspent for 4+ years can have a small fee deducted by miners. This incentivizes cleaning up unused state, provides long-term miner revenue after emission ends, and keeps the blockchain sustainable. Lost coins eventually return to circulation instead of being locked forever.