# SimpleSwap review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> SimpleSwap 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 2.9/10 for privacy (poor) and 5.0/10 for safety (caution). In its favour: no account needed, no email needed and no phone number. To watch: it may ask for ID, screens deposits and passes orders to partner exchanges. No incidents are on record.

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

## Key facts
- **Category:** Instant Swaps
- **KYC level:** 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- **Grades:** Privacy 2.9/10, Safety 5.0/10
- **Sign-up:** No account needed
- **Custody:** custodial
- **Fees:** Fee built into the rate; returning frozen funds costs 1% (minimum $100) per terms
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://simpleswap.io

## What it is
SimpleSwap is an instant exchange operating since 2018 that supports a very large number of assets and can be used without an account for most swaps. Its terms describe an anti-financial-crime and KYC policy with customer identification and transaction monitoring, allow suspicious transactions to be frozen for the duration of an investigation, and set a 1% fee with a $100 minimum on the return of frozen funds. The terms also list many restricted jurisdictions, including the United States, the United Kingdom and most EU member states. The page names no operating legal entity.

## What the terms say about ID
Terms sections 4.10, 7 and 8 allow freezing suspicious transactions during investigation and requesting identification.

## 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: not stated
- **Access:** Tor onion address: not stated; Works without JavaScript: not stated
- **Trust:** Never holds your funds: no; Own liquidity: no; Refund without ID: yes; Open source: no; Independent audit: not stated; Company named: not stated; 5+ years operating: yes
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Screens deposits: yes; Passes orders to partners: yes; 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 SimpleSwap require KYC?
SimpleSwap is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. Terms sections 4.10, 7 and 8 allow freezing suspicious transactions during investigation and requesting identification.

### Is SimpleSwap safe to use?
SimpleSwap has a Safety grade of 5.0 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 2.9 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is SimpleSwap legit?
SimpleSwap is a working swap service that has operated since 2018. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 5.0 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

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

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

### What fees does SimpleSwap charge?
Fee built into the rate; returning frozen funds costs 1% (minimum $100) per terms. Fees were recorded from SimpleSwap's own pages and can change; check before you send.

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

### Which cryptocurrencies does SimpleSwap support?
SimpleSwap supports BTC, ETH, XMR, USDT, LTC, SOL, XRP, TRX.

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

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

## Sources
- https://simpleswap.io/terms-of-service
- https://ie.trustpilot.com/review/simpleswap.io

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