Lightning Loop vs XMRS
Lightning Loop has the higher grade on both axes: Safety 8.0 against 3.4, and Privacy 7.8 against 3.4.
Lightning Loop
Lightning Labs' non-custodial submarine swap service for moving sats between Lightning and on-chain
Privacy
7.8/ 10
Strong
Safety
8.0/ 10
Strong
No ID mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed Full review →
XMRS
Monero-focused instant exchange without registration, established in 2024
Privacy
3.4/ 10
Poor
Safety
3.4/ 10
Poor
ID on risk flag KYC 3 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| Lightning Loop | XMRS | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Instant Swaps | Instant Swaps |
| KYC policy | No ID mentioned | ID on risk flag |
| Custody | Non Custodial | Custodial |
| Sign-up | No account needed | No account needed |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Tor onion address | No | No |
| Coins | BTC | XMR, BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC, SOL |
| Pay with | Crypto, Lightning | Crypto, Monero |
| Fees | Loop service fee varying with on-chain conditions, plus on-chain and routing fees; 30,000-sat no-show prepayment on Loop Out | Not published |
| Founded | 2019 | 2024 |
| Incidents on record | 0 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only Lightning Loop
No email neededNo phone neededAccepts LightningNon-custodialOpen source5+ years operating
Both
No registration
Only XMRS
Accepts MoneroCustodialClosed sourceAnonymous operatorMay request IDRuns an affiliate programme
Where they sit among instant swaps
Questions
Is Lightning Loop or XMRS safer?
Lightning Loop has the higher Safety grade: Lightning Loop 8.0, XMRS 3.4, out of 10.
Does Lightning Loop or XMRS require KYC?
Lightning Loop is KYC level 1 (no ID mentioned). XMRS is KYC level 3 (ID on risk flag).
Which has more incidents on record?
Lightning Loop has 0 and XMRS has 0 documented incidents in the registry.