Pocket Bitcoin review
Pocket Bitcoin, operated by Pocket App AG in Switzerland, converts bank transfers in CHF or EUR into bitcoin, delivering the cryptocurrency directly to your personal wallet. Since December 8, 2025, all users must undergo full identity verification conducted in-house by video, and the previous CHF or EUR 999 limit per rolling 30 days without identification is no longer available. The service charges a fee of 1.5%. In August 2026, a breach occurred when attackers copied an internal database, and for 291 customers, the compromised files included copies of identity documents. We consider Pocket suitable for savers who are willing to complete a full ID check.
ID always
Pocket Bitcoin always asks for ID, per its own pages. You hold the keys.
Choose Pocket Bitcoin if
Who Pocket Bitcoin suits, from the values on this page.
Pocket Bitcoin suits you if
- You want to keep your own keys: on Pocket Bitcoin, you hold the keys.
- You want to pay or get paid over Lightning.
Pocket Bitcoin might not be the right fit if
- You want to skip ID checks: Pocket Bitcoin's terms let it ask for ID.
- You do not want an account: Pocket Bitcoin needs one.
- You want Monero: Pocket Bitcoin does not list it.
- You want open-source code: Pocket Bitcoin's code is not open.
- You live in the US: Pocket Bitcoin is not available there.
- You want a service with no incident on record: Pocket Bitcoin had one in 2026.
Inside Pocket Bitcoin
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
- Platforms
- Swiss App Store and Google Play; direct APK download; web dashboard
What you get with Pocket Bitcoin
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 0 of 6
- No IDNo
- No accountNo
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedPocket Bitcoin'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 statedPocket Bitcoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Coins 2 of 4
- BitcoinYes
- MoneroNo
- LightningYes
- ZcashNo
Custody and code 1 of 3
- You hold the keysYes
- Open sourceNo
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedPocket Bitcoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can Pocket Bitcoin ask for your ID?
Always, per Pocket Bitcoin'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 flaggedNo ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you
- 4Above a limitID once you pass a stated amount
- 5AlwaysPocket Bitcoin is on this stepID before you trade, deposit or withdraw
If a check comes and you do not pass it
Payments that cannot be processed, for example without the required identity verification, are refunded to the bank account within 2 to 3 business days; Pocket never holds the bitcoin
“You did not complete the identity verification that is required to continue buying and selling with Pocket.”
What triggers a check: Every user (since 8 December 2025); source of funds documentation for certain transactions; partner bank compliance checks
Not stated on Pocket Bitcoin's pages: fee on refusal, refund policyPocket Bitcoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- If a trade goes wrong
- The terms contain a binding arbitration clause and a class action waiver
Checked October 22, 2026
What Pocket Bitcoin costs
| What | Pocket Bitcoin |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | 1.5% service fee with no spread (Kraken rate passed through) plus a Bitcoin network fee per payout (about 500 to 1,000 satoshis); Pocket Private for CHF 100,000 and more with fees falling to 0.69% from CHF 1,000,000 |
| No-ID limit | Not statedPocket Bitcoin's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no. |
- Ways to pay
- Bank transfer: one-off or recurring bank transfer from your own account
- Currencies
- CHF; EUR
What Pocket Bitcoin 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
- Governance
- Pocket App AG, Switzerland (company)
- Requests from authorities
- Pocket may cooperate with law enforcement, courts and government agencies that request disclosure of information
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
Data breach in August 2026 that exposed KYC documents of 291 customers and bank transfer data of 5,120 customers; no loss of bitcoin reported.
Incidents
- 2026Aug 31, 2026: Update: for 291 customers the exposed correspondence with partner banks included names, postal addresses, bitcoin addresses, copies of identity documents and source-of-funds records; for 5,120 customers bank transfer lists with names, addresses, amounts and dates (some IBANs) were exposed; Pocket states no bitcoin or private keys were at risk.
- 2026Aug 21, 2026: Sustained cyberattack over about a week, access cut off on 2026-08-16; an internal database with customer email addresses and support conversations (with attachments) was copied.
- Audits
- Not published
- Bug bounty
- Not published
- Support
- E-mail [email protected]; Telegram; phone +41 56 508 26 61 (weekdays 9 to 12 and 13:30 to 17 CET)
- Wallet needed
- Yes: your own Bitcoin wallet; coins are paid out directly into self-custody
Checked October 22, 2026
More facts we checked on Pocket Bitcoin
- Coins listed
- Count: 1; assets: BTC
- Networks
- Bitcoin on-chain; Lightning
- Log retention
- No fixed period: kept as long as needed for the service and legal, tax and reporting duties, longer if a complaint or litigation is likely
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
Pocket Bitcoin in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Not available
- Blocks US IPs
- Terms: the site is aimed at residents of Switzerland; see US availability of the fact file for the US
- VPN clause in terms
- Not published
If you are a US person, US sanctions rules apply to you whether or not a service asks for ID.
Outside the US
Where Pocket Bitcoin does not serve
3 places in its terms- Restricted Locations (not listed in the terms)
- any country to which Switzerland has embargoed goods or services
- persons listed as Sanctioned Individual by SECO
Regional rule: Not statedPocket Bitcoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- Restricted Locations (not listed in the terms); any country to which Switzerland has embargoed goods or services; persons listed as Sanctioned Individual by SECO
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. Pocket Bitcoin's terms say it can ask for ID in these cases: Every user (since 8 December 2025); source of funds documentation for certain transactions; partner bank compliance checks. 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. Pocket Bitcoin's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: payments that cannot be processed, for example without the required identity verification, are refunded to the bank account within 2 to 3 business days; Pocket never holds the bitcoin.
Checked October 22, 2026
Instant swaps to compare with Pocket Bitcoin
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Pocket Bitcoin side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | Pocket Bitcoin | BitcoinVN | CCE Cash | ChangeHero | Changelly | EasyBit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID rule | ID always | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged |
| Account | Needed | None | None | None | Not stated | None |
| You hold the keys | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | No | No |
| Monero | No | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | No |
| Lightning | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | No | No | No |
| Open source | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Checked October 28, 2026
Short answers about Pocket Bitcoin
From the data on this page.
Does Pocket Bitcoin ask for ID?
Pocket Bitcoin always asks for ID, per its own pages. You need an account.
Who holds your coins during a Pocket Bitcoin trade?
You hold the keys. Non-custodial delivery: bitcoin bought on Kraken and sent directly to the user's own wallet; fiat moves by bank transfer.
Can you buy Monero on Pocket Bitcoin?
No. Pocket Bitcoin does not list Monero, per its own pages.
What does Pocket Bitcoin cost?
Trade fee: 1.5% service fee with no spread (Kraken rate passed through) plus a Bitcoin network fee per payout (about 500 to 1,000 satoshis); Pocket Private for CHF 100,000 and more with fees falling to 0.69% from CHF 1,000,000.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- pocketbitcoin.com, for status, bitcoin, onion address and I2P address, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/blog/posts/full-verification-coming-to-pocket, for ID rule, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/blog/posts/important-limit-adjustment, for currencies and What your payment reveals, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/blog/posts/security-incident, for incidents, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/blog/posts/security-incident-update, for what triggers a check and incidents, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/contact, for support, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/are-there-fees-with-pocket, for fees, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/does-pocket-support-alternative-cryptocurrencies, for Monero and Zcash, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/in-which-countries-is-the-pocket-app-available, for platforms, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/what-is-pocket, for custody, custody in detail, ways to pay, wallet needed and coins listed, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/why-do-you-ask-for-an-email, for account, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/faq/why-has-my-payment-been-refunded, for what happens if a check fails, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/legal/privacy-policy, for data collected, operator, governance and log retention, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/legal/terms-of-service, for open source, excluded countries, US availability, if a trade goes wrong, requests from authorities, warrant canary, audits, bug bounty, blocks US IPs, VPN clause in terms and site blocks by region, checked October 22, 2026
- pocketbitcoin.com/lightning, for Lightning and networks, 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: Pocket Bitcoin'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 on October 22, 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.