Large US registrar that takes Bitcoin top-ups, but its terms let it demand government ID
Privacy 1.5
Safety 6.1
Domains Reviewed 22 Oct 2026
Porkbun review
US registrar with free WHOIS privacy that takes USDC through Coinbase, but may ask for government ID
- Company named
- May ask for ID
- Email required
- Phone number required
ID on risk flag KYC 3 Documentation reviewed
Privacy
1.5/ 10
Poor
Safety
5.1/ 10
Caution
Based on terms and documentation. No test transactions published yet. See the arithmetic
Porkbun review in short
Porkbun is a domain registrar. Its terms put it at KYC level 3 of 4: ID on risk flag. NoKYC Score grades it 1.5/10 for privacy (poor) and 5.1/10 for safety (caution). In its favour: company named. To watch: it may ask for ID, requires an email address and requires a phone number. No incidents are on record.
- Category
- Domains
- KYC level
- 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- Grades
- Privacy 1.5/10, Safety 5.1/10
- Sign-up
- Email required
- Fees
- No extra fee for crypto payments, per its crypto page
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Incidents on record
- 0
- Last reviewed
- 22 Oct 2026
Cite this review
NoKYC Score, "Porkbun review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/porkbun
Also available as plain text.
What Porkbun is
Porkbun LLC is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar in Tigard, Oregon, and a subsidiary of Top Level Design LLC. WHOIS privacy is included free. Crypto is accepted at checkout and for one-time account credit deposits through Coinbase checkout; its payment options page names USDC through Coinbase Business, and its crypto page says payments also run through Stripe. Choosing crypto may mean entering extra details or connecting a Coinbase account. Cards, Apple Pay, PayPal and US-only ACH bank transfer are also accepted. The registration agreement requires the registrant, admin, technical and billing contacts to provide a name, postal address, email address and phone number. The privacy policy says Porkbun may request government-issued ID through third-party providers in limited cases, such as preventing fraud or abuse, recovering account access, or enabling certain features.
What Porkbun offers, and what to watch
1 of 11 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 No
Payment
- Accepts Monero Not stated
- Accepts Lightning Not stated
Access
- Tor onion address Not stated
- Works without JavaScript Not stated
Trust
- 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 Yes The terms reserve the right to demand identity documents, often after a risk flag.
- Email required Yes An email address is required to use the service.
- Phone number required Yes A phone number is required to use the service.
- Nobody accountable Not in terms
Does Porkbun require KYC?
- 0 Never
- 1 Not mentioned
- 2 Rare
- 3 On risk flag
- 4 Mandatory
KYC level 3: ID on risk flag. The terms allow funds to be held and identity demanded after an automated risk flag.
Privacy policy (last revised 30 September 2026), Identity Verification: Porkbun may request government-issued identification in limited circumstances, such as to prevent fraud or abusive use, recover account access, or enable certain features. The registration agreement requires name, postal address, email and phone for all contacts.
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
1.5- Starting points 50
- KYC level 3: ID on risk flag -14
- Requires email -4
- Requires phone number -10
- May request ID -7
- Total, clamped to 0–100 15
Safety
5.1- Starting points 50
- Legal entity disclosed +5
- May request ID -4
- Total, clamped to 0–100 51
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 Porkbun’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 Porkbun. If you have a documented case, report it.
User reviews
Reviews never change a grade. Reviews with a transaction reference are marked.
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Porkbun: common questions
Does Porkbun require KYC?
Porkbun is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. Privacy policy (last revised 30 September 2026), Identity Verification: Porkbun may request government-issued identification in limited circumstances, such as to prevent fraud or abusive use, recover account access, or enable certain features. The registration agreement requires name, postal address, email and phone for all contacts.
Is Porkbun safe to use?
Porkbun has a Safety grade of 5.1 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 1.5 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.
Is Porkbun legit?
Porkbun is a working domain registrar. It publishes the company that runs it, in United States. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 5.1 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.
Is Porkbun 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 Porkbun. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.
Do I need an account or email to use Porkbun?
Email required. A phone number is required.
What fees does Porkbun charge?
No extra fee for crypto payments, per its crypto page. Fees were recorded from Porkbun's own pages and can change; check before you send.
Does Porkbun have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on Porkbun's own pages.
Which cryptocurrencies does Porkbun support?
Porkbun supports USDC, and fiat payments in USD.
Can I use Porkbun over Tor?
Porkbun does not publish an official onion address.
Listing history
- Listing added as unrated. Not yet confirmed against the service's own pages.