Boltz review
Boltz has paused its swap service and has stated that it stays disabled until further notice. The service handles swaps between Bitcoin layers, like Lightning and the main chain, and is run by Boltz S.A. de C.V., a company established in El Salvador. Its terms require no account or ID verification, needing only the swap pair, amount, and destination. However, an automated risk system reviews each transaction and has the authority to decline any funds associated with illegal activities. The swaps are non-custodial, allowing you to retain control of your refund keys. In our view, its design suits Lightning users once swaps run again.
No ID, by design
Boltz never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. You hold the keys.
Latest release: V3.13.0 (2026-05-08)
Choose Boltz if
Who Boltz suits, from the values on this page.
Boltz suits you if
- You want to trade with no account and no ID: Boltz never asks for ID, by design.
- You want to keep your own keys: on Boltz, you hold the keys.
- You want to pay or get paid over Lightning.
- You want open-source software.
Boltz might not be the right fit if
- You want Monero: Boltz does not list it.
- You want a service with no incident on record: Boltz had one in 2026.
What kycnot.me says about Boltz
kycnot.me is an independent directory of services you can use without ID checks. The rating and notes below are its own, not ours.
The terms do not mention ID checks, now or later. That is not a promise that there will never be one. kycnot.me sorts services into five levels, from 0 (never asks for ID) to 4 (ID is mandatory).
Not accepted: Monero, Fiat money, Cash.
http://boltzzzbnus4m7mta3cxmflnps4fp7dueu2tgurstbvrbt6xswzcocyd.onionPros kycnot.me lists
- Atomic Swaps
- Refunds do not require KYC
- Open source code
- Has Onion or I2P URLs
- No registration needed
- Uses hodl invoices
- Non-custodial protocol
- Legally registered
Cons kycnot.me lists
- Data Sharing
- Usage can be detected on public blockchains
- Liquidity Provider may block funds
- Transaction monitoring
- Active incidents
Also noted: Hybrid Liquidity, API available
Events kycnot.me lists
- 2024Dec 30, 2024: Information. kycnot.me writes: “Updated info”
- No date given: Warning. kycnot.me writes: “Ownership Change”
Source: the kycnot.me listing. Boltz on kycnot.me (opens in a new tab)
Checked October 22, 2026
Inside Boltz
What you get with Boltz
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 3 of 6
- No IDYesBy design
- No accountYes
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Onion addressYes
- I2P addressNoNone published
- Works without JavaScriptNot statedNot statedBoltz'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 2 of 3
- You hold the keysYes
- Open sourceYes
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can Boltz ask for your ID?
Never, by design, per Boltz's own pages. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess.
- 1Never, by designBoltz is on this stepNo 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
- 5AlwaysID before you trade, deposit or withdraw
If a check comes and you do not pass it
Rejected swaps are not held by Boltz: users can refund unilaterally from the swap address with the refund keys generated by official Boltz software; Boltz states it never controls user bitcoin. During the 2026 suspension the API stayed available for cooperative refunds.
“In these scenarios, users will have the option to unilaterally refund using funds locked in swap addresses using their cryptographic refund keys as generated by officially distributed Boltz software.”
What triggers a check: Automated risk screening of all transactions: swaps with transactions originating from illegal activity can be rejected (no ID request named); verified law enforcement requests, judicial orders or fraud investigations (data disclosure, not ID collection)
Not stated on Boltz's pages: fee on refusal, refund policyBoltz's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Checked October 22, 2026
What Boltz costs
| What | Boltz |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | Percentage fee that varies by swap type and pair (published via the API) plus miner fees; Boltz covers Lightning routing fees; integrators may add an extra fee of up to 10% |
| No-ID limit | Not statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no. |
What Boltz 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
boltzzzbnus4m7mta3cxmflnps4fp7dueu2tgurstbvrbt6xswzcocyd.onionI2P: None publishedWithout JavaScript: Not statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.- Requests from authorities
- Law enforcement officials should e-mail [email protected]; Boltz answers requests from authorized officials with proof of authority
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
Service paused since 2026-08-03 after successful attacks on Boltz infrastructure; takeover and restart announced 2026-08-12, no restart found.
Incidents
- 2026Sep 18, 2026: Domain boltz.exchange on registrar status client hold, website and API do not resolve (observed 2026-10-14).
- 2026Aug 12, 2026: Boltz states that several AI-assisted attacks over the preceding months succeeded; per Boltz no user funds were at risk because it is non-custodial; losses borne by Boltz (TFTC quotes the Aug 3 statement: "the losses were ours alone").
- 2026Aug 3, 2026: All swap services disabled until further notice; API kept for cooperative refunds, unilateral refunds unaffected.
- 2026Aug 1, 2026: EVM-side swaps (USDT, USDC, TBTC, WBTC, RBTC) disabled citing a bug in the EVM integration.
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Support
- E-mail [email protected]; e-mail [email protected] (law enforcement)
Checked October 22, 2026
More facts we checked on Boltz
- Onion address
- Http://boltzzzbnus4m7mta3cxmflnps4fp7dueu2tgurstbvrbt6xswzcocyd.onion/
- I2P address
- Not published
Boltz in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Not statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
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 list published; Boltz reserves the right to restrict its service in certain jurisdictions
Regional rule: Not statedBoltz's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- No list published; Boltz reserves the right to restrict its service in certain jurisdictions
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. Boltz's terms say it can ask for ID in these cases: Automated risk screening of all transactions: swaps with transactions originating from illegal activity can be rejected (no ID request named); verified law enforcement requests, judicial orders or fraud investigations (data disclosure, not ID collection). 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. Boltz's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: rejected swaps are not held by Boltz: users can refund unilaterally from the swap address with the refund keys generated by official Boltz software; Boltz states it never controls user bitcoin. During the 2026 suspension the API stayed available for cooperative refunds.
Checked October 22, 2026
Lightning tools to compare with Boltz
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Boltz side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | Boltz | Phoenix Wallet |
|---|---|---|
| ID rule | No ID, by design | No ID, by design |
| Account | None | None |
| You hold the keys | Yes | Yes |
| Monero | No | No |
| Lightning | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
Checked October 22, 2026
Short answers about Boltz
From the data on this page.
Does Boltz ask for ID?
Boltz never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. There is no account.
Who holds your coins during a Boltz trade?
You hold the keys. Non-custodial (atomic swaps via HTLC; user holds claim and refund keys).
Can you buy Monero on Boltz?
No. Boltz does not list Monero, per its own pages.
What does Boltz cost?
Trade fee: Percentage fee that varies by swap type and pair (published via the API) plus miner fees; Boltz covers Lightning routing fees; integrators may add an extra fee of up to 10%.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- api.github.com/repos/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend, for license, checked October 22, 2026
- api.github.com/repos/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend/releases/latest, for latest release, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend, for Zcash, bitcoin and open source, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend/blob/master/docs/index.md, for onion address, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend/blob/master/docs/swap-limits-and-fees.md, for Lightning and fees, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app, for I2P address, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app/blob/main/src/pages/Privacy.tsx, for data collected, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app/blob/main/src/pages/Terms.tsx, for ID rule, what triggers a check, what happens if a check fails, custody, custody in detail, account, Monero, operator, excluded countries, requests from authorities, support and site blocks by region, checked October 22, 2026
- kycnot.me/service/boltz, for kycnot.me rating, checked October 22, 2026
- rdap.org/domain/boltz.exchange, for incidents, checked October 22, 2026
- tftc.io/boltz-bitcoin-swaps-suspended-ai-attacks, for incidents, checked October 22, 2026
- x.com/Boltzhq/status/2084311537502630319, for status and incidents, checked October 22, 2026
- x.com/Boltzhq/status/2087636521746674168, for incidents, 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: Boltz'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.