AEON is an open-source digital currency developed through a community-led, volunteer-driven project. Its stated priorities are sound money, practical privacy, and usability on mobile devices. The project says its public launch was fair and transparent, with no developer tax, pre-mine, or pre-sale. AEON has a disinflationary supply of approximately 18.4 million coins and uses KangarooTwelve, a SHA-3 proof-of-work algorithm.

AEON transactions are secured by cryptography and a distributed peer-to-peer network. The currency uses privacy features, including ring signatures, to make it difficult to connect transactions with individual users or determine whether funds have been spent. Its design differs from Monero in several ways: it does not use RingCT, has a four-minute block time, and uses a fixed ring size of three. The project presents these choices as ways to favor supply soundness and reduce blockchain size, verification time, and the cost of operating a node.

AEON is free to use without restriction, and the project welcomes contributions. Its website provides downloads, project information, community links, and release and security announcements.