Chainflip review
Chainflip operates as a cross-chain swap protocol with its swap interface managed by the Crosschain Association. Users do not need to create an account. Instead, they send coins to a deposit channel and receive the other asset directly at their address, with the interface never holding their funds. By default, swaps do not require identification, but the terms permit the operator to suspend a user who declines to provide identity information upon request. The network fee is 0.10%, with a minimum of $0.5, alongside pool and gas fees. In our view, Chainflip is suitable for those seeking cross-chain swaps without needing an exchange account.
ID only if flagged
Chainflip asks for ID only if a payment is flagged, per its own pages.
Latest release: 2.2.17 (2026-10-02)
Choose Chainflip if
Who Chainflip suits, from the values on this page.
Chainflip suits you if
- You want no ID for normal use: Chainflip asks only if a payment is flagged.
- You want open-source software.
Chainflip might not be the right fit if
- You want a market that can never ask for ID: Chainflip can ask if a payment is flagged.
- You want Monero: Chainflip does not list it.
- You want Lightning: Chainflip does not support it.
- You want a service with no incident on record: Chainflip had one in 2026.
Inside Chainflip
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
What you get with Chainflip
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 1 of 6, 1 partly
- No IDPartlyIf a payment is flagged
- No accountYes
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedChainflip's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Onion addressNoNone published
- I2P addressNoNone published
- Works without JavaScriptNot statedNot statedChainflip's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Coins 1 of 4
- BitcoinYes
- MoneroNo
- LightningNo
- ZcashNo
Custody and code 1 of 3, 1 partly
- You hold the keysNo
- Open sourceYes
- Address screeningPartlyScreens addresses
When can Chainflip ask for your ID?
If a payment is flagged, per Chainflip's own pages. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess.
- 1Never, by designNo company holds your order, so nobody can ask
- 2Only if you chooseID only for extras you opt into
- 3If a payment is flaggedChainflip is on this stepNo ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you
- 4Above a limitID once you pass a stated amount
- 5AlwaysID before you trade, deposit or withdraw
If a check comes and you do not pass it
Interface holds no funds. A broker can mark incoming BTC deposits to its own deposit channels for rejection; they are refunded only if not yet witnessed on-chain. Refunded or partly failed swaps pay a refund fee of $0.5 plus the broadcast fee.
“Request an incoming transaction to be rejected. Only available for bitcoin. This call will always succeed, but the transaction will only be refunded if it hasn’t been witnessed on-chain yet.”
What triggers a check: Request for identity information by the operator (refusal allows suspension, terms 2.8.5); Use in breach of the terms or of law (2.8.4); Suspected security threat (2.8.3); Any other reason the operator determines (2.8.6)
Fee on refusal: A refund fee of $0.5 plus the broadcast fee
Not stated on Chainflip's pages: refund policyChainflip's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Checked October 22, 2026
What Chainflip costs
| What | Chainflip |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | Network fee 0.10% (minimum $0.5; 0.01% for internal stablecoin swaps), liquidity fee 0.10 to 0.15% per pool, optional broker fee 0 to 1,000 bps, deposit and broadcast gas, refund fee $0.5, optional boost fee 0.05 to 0.3%. |
| No-ID limit | Not statedChainflip's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no. |
What Chainflip knows about you
Who sees what during a trade, and who runs it.
During a trade
No ID check does not make a bank payment private.
Network and who runs it
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
1 item found; Chainflip incident reports not found on chainflip.io/blog, press used.
Incidents
- 2026Sep 12, 2026: Exploit of the Tron USDT integration (duplicate payouts via a memo on an already signed transaction); 736,442.17 USDT lost, network halted, restarted without Tron at first; Chainflip pledged to make users whole. Tron ingress shown enabled again on 2026-10-14.
- License
- Apache-2.0
Checked October 22, 2026
Community
Discussions about Chainflip on Reddit (opens in a new tab) (r/Chainflip)
More facts we checked on Chainflip
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
Chainflip in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Available
If you are a US person, US sanctions rules apply to you whether or not a service asks for ID.
Outside the US
Excluded countries: No country list. Persons subject to a sanctions regime are excluded; the operator may restrict or prohibit use in certain markets or jurisdictions at its discretion.
Regional rule: Not statedChainflip's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- No country list. Persons subject to a sanctions regime are excluded; the operator may restrict or prohibit use in certain markets or jurisdictions at its discretion.
Where you live and the provider's terms
Many services on this page do not serve every country. Some exclude people because of where they live or their citizenship, not only where they connect from. Read the provider's terms before you send funds. If the terms exclude you, do not use the service, and do not try to get around the restriction, for example with a VPN.
Taxes
A service that does not ask for ID does not change your taxes. In the US, the federal income tax return asks a yes-or-no question about digital assets, and you must report digital asset transactions whether or not they result in a gain or loss. In the UK, you may owe Capital Gains Tax when you sell, swap or spend crypto, and you must keep your own records. Rules in other countries differ.
No KYC is not anonymity
"No KYC" here means the provider says it does not ask for ID in the cases its terms describe. It does not make you anonymous. Chainflip's terms say it can ask for ID in these cases: Request for identity information by the operator (refusal allows suspension, terms 2.8.5); Use in breach of the terms or of law (2.8.4); Suspected security threat (2.8.3); Any other reason the operator determines (2.8.6). Regulated exchanges you send funds from or to may have to collect information about who sends and who receives a crypto transfer. Your tax duties stay the same.
Funds can be held
If a provider asks for more information during a swap or a withdrawal, it may hold your funds until it gets it. Its terms decide what happens next. In the UK, a crypto business that asks for information on a transfer to or from a self-custody wallet, and does not receive it, must not pass the funds on. Read what the provider's terms say before you send. Chainflip's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: interface holds no funds. A broker can mark incoming BTC deposits to its own deposit channels for rejection; they are refunded only if not yet witnessed on-chain. Refunded or partly failed swaps pay a refund fee of $0.5 plus the broadcast fee.
Checked October 22, 2026
DEX and cross-chain to compare with Chainflip
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Chainflip side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | Chainflip | Jupiter (jup.ag) | Maya Protocol (MAYAChain) | THORChain | Uniswap (Uniswap Labs interface) | 1inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID rule | ID only if flagged | No ID, by design | No ID, by design | No ID, by design | No ID, by design | ID only if flagged |
| Account | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| You hold the keys | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Monero | No | No | No | Not stated | No | No |
| Lightning | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Checked October 23, 2026
Short answers about Chainflip
From the data on this page.
Does Chainflip ask for ID?
Chainflip asks for ID only if a payment is flagged, per its own pages. There is no account.
Who holds your coins during a Chainflip trade?
Held during the swap. Non-custodial interface; deposits go through deposit channels into protocol vaults controlled by validators via threshold signatures until the output is broadcast (transit)..
Can you buy Monero on Chainflip?
No. Chainflip does not list Monero, per its own pages.
What does Chainflip cost?
Trade fee: Network fee 0.10% (minimum $0.5; 0.01% for internal stablecoin swaps), liquidity fee 0.10 to 0.15% per pool, optional broker fee 0 to 1,000 bps, deposit and broadcast gas, refund fee $0.5, optional boost fee 0.05 to 0.3%..
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- api.github.com/repos/chainflip-io/chainflip-backend, for license, checked October 22, 2026
- api.github.com/repos/chainflip-io/chainflip-backend/releases/latest, for latest release, checked October 22, 2026
- crypto.news/chainflip-loses-736442-usdt-in-tron-exploit, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- docs.chainflip.io/brokers/broker-api/requests, for what happens if a check fails, fee on refusal and address screening, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.chainflip.io/protocol/how-swapping-works, for fees, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.chainflip.io/protocol/supported-chains-assets/chains-assets, for Monero and Lightning, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.chainflip.io/sitemap.xml, for I2P address, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/chainflip-io/chainflip-backend, for open source, checked October 22, 2026
- mainnet-rpc.chainflip.io, for status, Zcash and bitcoin, checked October 23, 2026
- swap.chainflip.io, for account, onion address and operator, checked October 22, 2026
- swap.chainflip.io/privacy, for data collected, checked October 22, 2026
- swap.chainflip.io/terms, for US availability, checked October 14, 2026
- swap.chainflip.io/terms, for ID rule, what triggers a check, custody, custody in detail, excluded countries, warrant canary and site blocks by region, checked October 22, 2026
How we read the terms
We do not give privacy services a score. We record what each provider's own pages say: when it asks for ID, the limits, who holds your coins and what it costs. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess. How we read the terms
Our process
We take fees, availability, licenses and coin counts from primary sources: Chainflip's own fee schedules, terms and help pages, and the public registers kept by regulators. Every value carries the date we last checked it. The values on this page were checked between October 14, 2026 and October 23, 2026.
Not legal or tax advice. This page explains how these services work and what their own terms say. It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by country and change often. Check the rules where you live, or ask a qualified professional, before you use any service listed here.