# CrystalTrade review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> CrystalTrade is a swap service operating since 2022. Its terms put it at KYC level 3 of 4: ID on risk flag. NoKYC Score grades it 2.0/10 for privacy (poor) and 4.5/10 for safety (caution). In its favour: no email needed, accepts Monero and company named. To watch: it may ask for ID, screens deposits and holds your funds while you use it. No incidents are on record.

Source: NoKYC Score, "CrystalTrade review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/crystaltrade

## Key facts
- **Category:** Instant Swaps
- **KYC level:** 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- **Grades:** Privacy 2.0/10, Safety 4.5/10
- **Sign-up:** Email optional
- **Custody:** custodial
- **Fees:** Fees included in the exchange rate; refunds carry a 5% manual processing fee
- **Jurisdiction:** Costa Rica
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://crystal-trade.org

## What it is
CrystalTrade is an order-based exchanger for many coins, including Monero, with crypto-to-fiat payouts to bank cards, plus a Telegram bot and B2B payment products. Its terms name the operator as 3-102-958710 Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, registered in Costa Rica, and say access can be restricted by residence or for lack of KYC documents. The AML/KYC policy names BitOK, Chainalysis and Crystal Blockchain as screening tools, assigns a risk score to users and orders, allows holds, and reserves the right to request identity and source-of-funds documents before, during or after an order. Refund requests go by email from the address given on the order, and first-time fiat exchanges may involve a call or card verification. The terms bar the United States and many other countries.

## What the terms say about ID
AML/KYC policy 3.2: the Company "may require the User to provide reliable and independent source documents ... to verify identity and/or source of funds ... before, during or after processing an Order"; orders are risk-scored with BitOK, Chainalysis and Crystal Blockchain.

## Features and warnings
- **Identity:** ID never required: no; No account needed: not stated; No email needed: yes; No phone number: not stated
- **Payment:** Accepts Monero: yes; Accepts Lightning: not stated
- **Access:** Tor onion address: not stated; Works without JavaScript: not stated
- **Trust:** Never holds your funds: no; Own liquidity: not stated; Refund without ID: not stated; Open source: no; Independent audit: not stated; Company named: yes; 5+ years operating: not stated
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Screens deposits: yes; Passes orders to partners: not in terms; Holds your funds: yes; Email required: yes; Phone number required: not in terms; Closed source: yes; Nobody accountable: not in terms

## Questions
### Does CrystalTrade require KYC?
CrystalTrade is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. AML/KYC policy 3.2: the Company "may require the User to provide reliable and independent source documents ... to verify identity and/or source of funds ... before, during or after processing an Order"; orders are risk-scored with BitOK, Chainalysis and Crystal Blockchain.

### Is CrystalTrade safe to use?
CrystalTrade has a Safety grade of 4.5 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 2.0 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is CrystalTrade legit?
CrystalTrade is a working swap service that has operated since 2022. It publishes the company that runs it, in Costa Rica. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 4.5 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

### Is CrystalTrade 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 CrystalTrade. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.

### Do I need an account or email to use CrystalTrade?
Email optional.

### What fees does CrystalTrade charge?
Fees included in the exchange rate; refunds carry a 5% manual processing fee. Fees were recorded from CrystalTrade's own pages and can change; check before you send.

### Does CrystalTrade have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on CrystalTrade's own pages.

### Which cryptocurrencies does CrystalTrade support?
CrystalTrade supports BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, XMR, LTC, TRX, TON, DOGE, ZEC, and fiat payments in RUB, UAH, KZT, UZS, USD.

### Is CrystalTrade custodial?
Yes. CrystalTrade holds funds during a trade, which means it is able to delay or freeze them.

### Can I use CrystalTrade over Tor?
CrystalTrade does not publish an official onion address.

## Sources
- https://crystal-trade.org
- https://crystal-trade.org/tos/
- https://crystal-trade.org/politika-aml-kyc/
- https://crystal-trade.org/about-us/
- https://crystal-trade.org/faqs/

How grades are calculated: https://nokycscore.com/methodology