# Riseup Mail review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades > Riseup Mail is an email provider operating since 1999. Its terms put it at KYC level 1 of 4: no ID mentioned. NoKYC Score grades it 7.2/10 for privacy (strong) and 6.0/10 for safety (fair). In its favour: no account needed, no email needed and no phone number. No incidents are on record. Source: NoKYC Score, "Riseup Mail review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/riseup-mail ## Key facts - **Category:** Email - **KYC level:** 1 of 4: No ID mentioned - **Grades:** Privacy 7.2/10, Safety 6.0/10 - **Sign-up:** No account needed - **Fees:** Free; donation-funded - **Limits:** Invite code required; 1 GB of mail storage - **Jurisdiction:** United States - **Onion address:** Yes - **Incidents on record:** 0 - **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026 - **Official website:** https://riseup.net/en/email ## What it is Riseup is a tech collective based in Seattle that has provided email, mailing lists and other tools since 1999 and is funded by donations. A mail account needs an invite code rather than a phone number or personal information. The site says stored mail is individually encrypted on its servers and can only be unlocked with the user's password, that all servers use full-disk encryption, and that internet addresses are not logged. All services have Tor onion addresses, and mail sent to other activist providers is delivered over Tor. The terms are governed by Washington State law and allow an account to be terminated at any time. ## What the terms say about ID Email page: "We do not require you to sign up with a phone number or personal information. Instead, we rely on invite codes"; the terms contain no identity clause. ## Features and warnings - **Identity:** ID never required: not stated; No account needed: yes; No email needed: yes; No phone number: yes - **Payment:** Accepts Monero: not stated; Accepts Lightning: not stated; Accepts cash: not stated - **Access:** Tor onion address: yes; Works without JavaScript: not stated - **Trust:** Open source: not stated; No-logs policy: yes; Independent audit: not stated; Company named: not stated; 5+ years operating: yes - **Warnings:** May ask for ID: 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 Riseup Mail require KYC? Riseup Mail is rated KYC level 1 of 4 on this site: no ID mentioned. Email page: "We do not require you to sign up with a phone number or personal information. Instead, we rely on invite codes"; the terms contain no identity clause. ### Is Riseup Mail safe to use? Riseup Mail has a Safety grade of 6.0 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 7.2 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed. ### Is Riseup Mail legit? Riseup Mail is a working email provider that has operated since 1999. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 6.0 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents. ### Is Riseup Mail 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 Riseup Mail. ### Do I need an account or email to use Riseup Mail? No account needed. ### What fees does Riseup Mail charge? Free; donation-funded. Fees were recorded from Riseup Mail's own pages and can change; check before you send. ### What are Riseup Mail's limits? Invite code required; 1 GB of mail storage. ### Does Riseup Mail have a Tor onion address? Yes. Riseup Mail publishes an official onion address, shown on this page. Open it in Tor Browser. ### Can I use Riseup Mail over Tor? Yes. Riseup Mail publishes an official onion address, shown on this page. ## Sources - https://riseup.net/ - https://riseup.net/en/email - https://riseup.net/en/about-us/policy/tos - https://riseup.net/en/privacy-policy - https://riseup.net/en/security/network-security/tor - https://riseup.net/en/about-us How grades are calculated: https://nokycscore.com/methodology