Open-source Nostr marketplace with self-custodial Lightning and Cashu payments
Privacy 8.0
Safety 7.0
Marketplaces Reviewed 22 Oct 2026
Above Phone review
Shop for de-Googled phones, Linux laptops, data eSIMs and a privacy app suite
- Company named
ID in rare cases KYC 2 Documentation reviewed
Privacy
5.4/ 10
Caution
Safety
5.5/ 10
Fair
Based on terms and documentation. No test transactions published yet. See the arithmetic
Above Phone review in short
Above Phone is a marketplace. Its terms put it at KYC level 2 of 4: ID in rare cases. NoKYC Score grades it 5.4/10 for privacy (caution) and 5.5/10 for safety (fair). In its favour: company named. No incidents are on record.
- Category
- Marketplaces
- KYC level
- 2 of 4: ID in rare cases
- Grades
- Privacy 5.4/10, Safety 5.5/10
- Fees
- Refunds may withhold a 3% processing fee, or 5% for cryptocurrency orders
- Limits
- Ships to the US, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore
- Jurisdiction
- United States (Wyoming)
- Incidents on record
- 0
- Last reviewed
- 22 Oct 2026
Cite this review
NoKYC Score, "Above Phone review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/above-phone
Also available as plain text.
What Above Phone is
Above sells de-Googled phones, tablets and Linux laptops, data eSIM plans and a bundle of VPN, email and communication services. The footer names Above LLC and the terms are governed by Wyoming law. The terms say refunds for orders paid in cryptocurrency are sent back in the same cryptocurrency minus a 5% processing fee; the accepted coins are not listed on the pages reviewed. The FAQ says long-term payment plans may be subject to a credit check or identity verification, and lists the countries the shop ships to.
What Above Phone offers, and what to watch
1 of 12 privacy and safety features, 0 warnings in its terms.
"Not stated" means its own pages do not say.
Identity
- ID never required No
- No account needed Not stated
- No email needed Not stated
- No phone number Not stated
Payment
- Accepts Monero Not stated
- Accepts Lightning Not stated
Access
- Tor onion address Not stated
- Works without JavaScript Not stated
Trust
- Escrow it cannot spend alone Not stated
- Independent audit Not stated
- Company named Yes The operating company and its jurisdiction are published.
- 5+ years operating Not stated
Warnings
- May ask for ID Not in terms
- Email required Not in terms
- Phone number required Not in terms
- Nobody accountable Not in terms
Does Above Phone require KYC?
- 0 Never
- 1 Not mentioned
- 2 Rare
- 3 On risk flag
- 4 Mandatory
KYC level 2: ID in rare cases. The terms allow identity checks only in exceptional cases, such as a legal order.
FAQ: "Long-term payment plans may be subject to a credit check and/or identity verification"; no identity check is mentioned for ordinary purchases.
How the grades add up
Both grades start at 50 points and move by fixed, published amounts. Nothing is adjusted by hand. The total is divided by ten.
Privacy
5.4- Starting points 50
- KYC level 2: ID in rare cases +4
- Total, clamped to 0–100 54
Safety
5.5- Starting points 50
- Legal entity disclosed +5
- Total, clamped to 0–100 55
Test ledger
Real transactions run by our editors. A badge without a ledger is an assertion; this is the proof.
No test transactions published yet
The grades above rest on Above Phone’s terms and documentation. Tests will appear here with the date, route, amount band and result as they are run.
Incidents on record
No incidents are on record for Above Phone. If you have a documented case, report it.
User reviews
Reviews never change a grade. Reviews with a transaction reference are marked.
No reviews yet.
Write a review
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Above Phone: common questions
Does Above Phone require KYC?
Above Phone is rated KYC level 2 of 4 on this site: ID in rare cases. FAQ: "Long-term payment plans may be subject to a credit check and/or identity verification"; no identity check is mentioned for ordinary purchases.
Is Above Phone safe to use?
Above Phone has a Safety grade of 5.5 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 5.4 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.
Is Above Phone legit?
Above Phone is a working marketplace. It publishes the company that runs it, in United States (Wyoming). Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 5.5 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.
Is Above Phone a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for Above Phone.
What fees does Above Phone charge?
Refunds may withhold a 3% processing fee, or 5% for cryptocurrency orders. Fees were recorded from Above Phone's own pages and can change; check before you send.
What are Above Phone's limits?
Ships to the US, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Singapore.
Does Above Phone have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on Above Phone's own pages.
Can I use Above Phone over Tor?
Above Phone does not publish an official onion address.
Listing history
- Listing added. Facts and KYC level set from the service's own terms and documentation.