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No-KYC Exchanges Since 2020 Reviewed 22 Oct 2026

Pocket Bitcoin review

Swiss bitcoin-only broker paying out to your own wallet; full verification since Dec 2025

  • Company named
  • 5+ years operating
  • May ask for ID
  • Passes orders to partners
  • Email required
ID mandatory KYC 4 Documentation reviewed
Visit pocketbitcoin.com Report an incident Watch

Privacy

0.4/ 10

Poor

Safety

4.3/ 10

Caution

Based on terms and documentation. No test transactions published yet. See the arithmetic

Pocket Bitcoin review in short

Pocket Bitcoin is an exchange operating since 2020. Its terms put it at KYC level 4 of 4: ID mandatory. NoKYC Score grades it 0.4/10 for privacy (poor) and 4.3/10 for safety (caution). In its favour: company named and 5+ years operating. To watch: it may ask for ID, passes orders to partner exchanges and requires an email address. 2 incidents are on record, the latest from 21 Aug 2026.

Category
No-KYC Exchanges
KYC level
4 of 4: ID mandatory
Grades
Privacy 0.4/10, Safety 4.3/10
Sign-up
Email required
Custody
non-custodial
Fees
1.5% service fee plus a shared bitcoin network fee per payout
Limits
No tier without identity verification since 8 December 2025 (previously CHF/EUR 999 per month). A separate service handles amounts of CHF 100,000 and more.
Jurisdiction
Switzerland
Incidents on record
2
Last reviewed
22 Oct 2026
Cite this review

NoKYC Score, "Pocket Bitcoin review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/pocket-bitcoin

Also available as plain text.

What Pocket Bitcoin is

Pocket, run by Pocket App AG in Switzerland, converts incoming bank transfers in CHF or EUR into bitcoin and sends it to the customer's own wallet; its terms describe the service as fully non-custodial. It formerly allowed purchases up to CHF 999 per month without an identity document. In October 2025 it announced that all unverified users had to complete full KYC by 8 December 2025 and that only verified users can buy and sell after that date. Its FAQ now lists an uncompleted identity verification as a reason for a payment being refunded. Purchases are executed on a partner exchange and the fee is 1.5%.

What Pocket Bitcoin offers, and what to watch

2 of 15 privacy and safety features, 3 warnings in its terms.

"Not stated" means its own pages do not say.

Identity

  • ID never required No
  • No account needed No
  • No email needed No
  • No phone number Not stated

Payment

  • Accepts Monero Not stated
  • Accepts Lightning Not stated
  • Accepts cash Not stated

Access

  • Tor onion address Not stated
  • Works without JavaScript Not stated

Trust

  • Never holds your funds Not stated
  • Own liquidity No
  • Refund without ID Not stated
  • Independent audit Not stated
  • Company named Yes The operating company and its jurisdiction are published.
  • 5+ years operating Yes Has operated continuously for five years or more.

Warnings

  • May ask for ID Yes The terms reserve the right to demand identity documents, often after a risk flag.
  • Screens deposits Not in terms
  • Passes orders to partners Yes Orders go to upstream exchanges that apply their own screening.
  • Holds your funds Not in terms
  • Email required Yes An email address is required to use the service.
  • Phone number required Not in terms
  • Nobody accountable Not in terms

Does Pocket Bitcoin require KYC?

  1. 0
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4

KYC level 4: ID mandatory. Identity verification is required to use the service.

Operator announcement of 16 October 2025: 'After December 8th, 2025 only verified users will be able to continue buying and selling bitcoin through Pocket.'

Read the terms we assessed ↗

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

0.4
  • Starting points 50
  • KYC level 4: ID mandatory -32
  • Requires email -4
  • May request ID -7
  • Third-party liquidity -3
  • Total, clamped to 0–100 4

Safety

4.3
  • Starting points 50
  • May request ID -4
  • Legal entity disclosed +5
  • Third-party liquidity -6
  • 5+ years operating +10
  • Support-system backup exposed, including ID copies of 291 customers high · resolved · 63 days ago -7
  • Identity verification made mandatory for all users medium · unknown · 319 days ago -5
  • Total, clamped to 0–100 43

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 Pocket Bitcoin’s terms and documentation. Tests will appear here with the date, route, amount band and result as they are run.

Incidents on record

high

Data leak

Support-system backup exposed, including ID copies of 291 customers

Pocket Bitcoin disclosed on 21 August 2026 that a backup of its support system had been exposed. Its update of 31 August said 291 customers had bank-compliance correspondence exposed, including names, addresses, bitcoin addresses, ID copies and source-of-funds documents in varying combinations, and 5,120 customers had bank transfer lists exposed with names, addresses, amounts and some IBANs. The operator said no funds were affected.

Resolved Source: pocketbitcoin.com ↗

User reviews

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Alternatives to Pocket Bitcoin

All alternatives →

NightTrader Exchange

Order-book exchange using two-key deposit accounts with timelocked refunds

Privacy 6.5
Safety 6.4
Not mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed

Mt Pelerin

Swiss on/off-ramp with a CHF 999 per month tier that needs no ID document

Privacy 1.9
Safety 6.1
On risk flag KYC 3 Docs reviewed

SafeTrade

Small-cap spot exchange with email sign-up and no ID clause in its terms

Privacy 5.8
Safety 5.7
Not mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed

Azteco

Bitcoin vouchers bought with cash or card and redeemed to your own wallet

Privacy 7.3
Safety 5.5
Not mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed

Pocket Bitcoin vs NightTrader ExchangePocket Bitcoin vs Mt PelerinPocket Bitcoin vs SafeTradePocket Bitcoin vs Azteco

Pocket Bitcoin: common questions

Does Pocket Bitcoin require KYC?

Pocket Bitcoin is rated KYC level 4 of 4 on this site: ID mandatory. Operator announcement of 16 October 2025: 'After December 8th, 2025 only verified users will be able to continue buying and selling bitcoin through Pocket.'

Is Pocket Bitcoin safe to use?

Pocket Bitcoin has a Safety grade of 4.3 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 0.4 out of 10. There are 2 incidents on record, listed with sources on this page. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

Is Pocket Bitcoin legit?

Pocket Bitcoin is a working exchange that has operated since 2020. It publishes the company that runs it, in Switzerland. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 4.3 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

Is Pocket Bitcoin a scam?

NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. Pocket Bitcoin has 2 incidents on record, 1 not resolved, the latest: "Support-system backup exposed, including ID copies of 291 customers". Each is listed on this page with its source. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.

Do I need an account or email to use Pocket Bitcoin?

Email required.

What fees does Pocket Bitcoin charge?

1.5% service fee plus a shared bitcoin network fee per payout. Fees were recorded from Pocket Bitcoin's own pages and can change; check before you send.

What are Pocket Bitcoin's limits?

No tier without identity verification since 8 December 2025 (previously CHF/EUR 999 per month). A separate service handles amounts of CHF 100,000 and more.

Does Pocket Bitcoin have a Tor onion address?

No official onion address was found on Pocket Bitcoin's own pages.

Which cryptocurrencies does Pocket Bitcoin support?

Pocket Bitcoin supports BTC, and fiat payments in CHF, EUR.

Is Pocket Bitcoin custodial?

No. Pocket Bitcoin is non-custodial: the operator does not control user funds.

Can I use Pocket Bitcoin over Tor?

Pocket Bitcoin does not publish an official onion address.

Listing history

  • Listing added. Facts and KYC level set from the service's own terms and documentation.
  • Incident recorded: Support-system backup exposed, including ID copies of 291 customers
  • Incident recorded: Identity verification made mandatory for all users