# Mostro review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> Mostro is a P2P exchange. Its terms put it at KYC level 0 of 4: ID never required. NoKYC Score grades it 8.9/10 for privacy (excellent) and 7.3/10 for safety (strong). In its favour: no account needed, no email needed and no phone number. No incidents are on record.

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

## Key facts
- **Category:** P2P Exchanges
- **KYC level:** 0 of 4: ID never required
- **Grades:** Privacy 8.9/10, Safety 7.3/10
- **Sign-up:** No account needed
- **Custody:** non-custodial
- **Fees:** Set by each node operator; the FAQ gives about 0.3% each for buyer and seller as an example
- **Limits:** Set by each node operator
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://mostro.network

## What it is
Mostro is an open-source protocol for peer-to-peer bitcoin trading: independent node operators coordinate trades over Nostr, the seller's sats are locked in a Lightning hold invoice until the fiat payment is confirmed, and disputes go to the node's mediator. Its terms say no personal data is required to trade, no account is created, and Mostro never takes ownership of funds or keys. Identity is a key pair generated in the client and restored from a recovery phrase. Each node sets its own fees, supported currencies and dispute process, and there is no central or official node; clients include an Android app, a terminal interface and a command-line tool.

## What the terms say about ID
Terms section 5: 'no personal data is required to trade'; the software creates no account and trades settle between the two parties through Lightning hold invoices.

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

## Questions
### Does Mostro require KYC?
Mostro is rated KYC level 0 of 4 on this site: ID never required. Terms section 5: 'no personal data is required to trade'; the software creates no account and trades settle between the two parties through Lightning hold invoices.

### Is Mostro safe to use?
Mostro has a Safety grade of 7.3 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 8.9 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is Mostro legit?
Mostro is a working P2P exchange. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 7.3 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

### Is Mostro 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 Mostro.

### Do I need an account or email to use Mostro?
No account needed.

### What fees does Mostro charge?
Set by each node operator; the FAQ gives about 0.3% each for buyer and seller as an example. Fees were recorded from Mostro's own pages and can change; check before you send.

### What are Mostro's limits?
Set by each node operator.

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

### Which cryptocurrencies does Mostro support?
Mostro supports BTC.

### Is Mostro custodial?
No. Mostro is non-custodial: the operator does not control user funds.

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

## Sources
- https://mostro.network
- https://mostro.network/terms
- https://github.com/MostroP2P

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