# SideShift.ai review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> SideShift.ai is a swap service operating since 2018. Its terms put it at KYC level 3 of 4: ID on risk flag. NoKYC Score grades it 4.2/10 for privacy (caution) and 5.9/10 for safety (fair). In its favour: no account needed, no email needed and no phone number. 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, "SideShift.ai review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/sideshift

## Key facts
- **Category:** Instant Swaps
- **KYC level:** 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- **Grades:** Privacy 4.2/10, Safety 5.9/10
- **Sign-up:** No account needed
- **Custody:** custodial
- **Jurisdiction:** Saint Kitts and Nevis
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://sideshift.ai

## What it is
SideShift.ai is an instant swap service operated by Paradigm Ltd, with a legal contact address in Basseterre, St. Kitts. Its legal terms contain no identity-verification requirement, but state that an automated risk system checks every transaction and that the service may freeze a transaction for as long as an investigation requires or refuse to execute it. The terms record that device and IP data are collected and may be passed to government bodies. Residents of the United States, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Saint Kitts and Nevis are excluded from using the service.

## What the terms say about ID
Terms section 3.11 applies automated risk checks to all transactions and allows freezing them during an investigation.

## Features and warnings
- **Identity:** ID never required: no; No account needed: yes; No email needed: yes; No phone number: yes
- **Payment:** Accepts Monero: yes; Accepts Lightning: yes
- **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: yes
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Screens deposits: yes; Passes orders to partners: not in terms; Holds your funds: yes; Email required: not in terms; Phone number required: not in terms; Closed source: yes; Nobody accountable: not in terms

## Questions
### Does SideShift.ai require KYC?
SideShift.ai is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. Terms section 3.11 applies automated risk checks to all transactions and allows freezing them during an investigation.

### Is SideShift.ai safe to use?
SideShift.ai has a Safety grade of 5.9 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 4.2 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is SideShift.ai legit?
SideShift.ai is a working swap service that has operated since 2018. It publishes the company that runs it, in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 5.9 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

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

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

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

### Which cryptocurrencies does SideShift.ai support?
SideShift.ai supports BTC, ETH, XMR, USDT, LTC, SOL, BCH.

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

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

## Sources
- https://sideshift.ai/legal

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