BitValve vs Mostro
Mostro has the higher grade on both axes: Safety 7.3 against 4.3, and Privacy 8.9 against 1.5.
BitValve
Custodial P2P marketplace with escrow; email-only tier capped at $1,000 a year
Privacy
1.5/ 10
Poor
Safety
4.3/ 10
Caution
ID on risk flag KYC 3 Docs reviewed Full review →
Mostro
Open-source P2P bitcoin trading protocol over Nostr and Lightning hold invoices
Privacy
8.9/ 10
Excellent
Safety
7.3/ 10
Strong
ID never required KYC 0 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| BitValve | Mostro | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | P2P Exchanges | P2P Exchanges |
| KYC policy | ID on risk flag | ID never required |
| Custody | Custodial | Non Custodial |
| Sign-up | Email required | No account needed |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Tor onion address | No | No |
| Coins | BTC, LTC, ETH, USDT | BTC |
| Pay with | Bank transfer, PayPal, Crypto | Lightning, Bank transfer, Cash |
| Fees | Not published | Set by each node operator; the FAQ gives about 0.3% each for buyer and seller as an example |
| Limits | Email only: $1,000 per year. ID plus liveness selfie: $15,000 per year. Proof of address: unlimited. | Set by each node operator |
| Jurisdiction | Costa Rica | Not published |
| Not available in | Not marketed or directed to residents of the European Economic Area | Not published |
| Incidents on record | 0 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only BitValve
CustodialRequires emailMay request IDAML screeningLegal entity disclosedRuns an affiliate programme
Both
Nothing distinct
Only Mostro
No registrationNo email neededNo phone neededNon-custodialOpen sourceSelf-hostableAccepts Lightning
Where they sit among p2p exchanges
Questions
Is BitValve or Mostro safer?
Mostro has the higher Safety grade: BitValve 4.3, Mostro 7.3, out of 10.
Does BitValve or Mostro require KYC?
BitValve is KYC level 3 (ID on risk flag). Mostro is KYC level 0 (ID never required).
Which has more incidents on record?
BitValve has 0 and Mostro has 0 documented incidents in the registry.