We found 11 services that swap to or from Lightning and do not ask for ID up front. If a check fails, 2 never hold your coins, 2 hold them until you show ID, 4 can freeze them and 3 do not say.
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.
Lightning technology transfers bitcoin via payment channels. A Lightning swap moves coins between Lightning and the main Bitcoin chain or another cryptocurrency. This page covers two types of services. Boltz and Phoenix Wallet never ask for ID by design, and you hold the keys. Boltz states that users hold the claim and refund keys for every swap, ensuring that a rejected swap remains refundable by the user.
Phoenix Wallet operates a Lightning node directly on your phone, connecting with channels to ACINQ's node. Users have the ability to close these channels independently. In extreme cases, a force-close mechanism returns your bitcoin to the main chain after a 720-block delay, which takes approximately 5 days.
Instant swaps and aggregators function differently. Typically, either the service or its partner exchange holds your coins during the swap process, and they may request ID if a deposit is flagged. In our view, Boltz and Phoenix Wallet are the closest fit if maintaining control of your keys during the swap is a priority. To purchase Lightning sats from another individual, a P2P market like RoboSats is preferable.
Bitcoin, Lightning, You hold the keys, No account, Open source, Tor onion
ID rule: Never, by design. No company holds your order, so nobody can ask.
When they ask for ID
Never, by design
No-ID limit
Not stated
If a check fails
Holds no funds"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."
Who holds your coins
You hold the keys
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).
Data exposure (API broken access control), May 2026
Instant swap
Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning, No account
ID rule: If a payment is flagged. No ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you.
When they ask for ID
If a payment is flagged
No-ID limit
No maximum limit stated
If a check fails
Can be frozen"If the funds that came to the deposit under your transaction were recognized by the system as suspicious, we may ask you for information to verify the source of the funds. If you refuse to provide such information, we are not responsible for ensuring the refund or completion for this transaction."
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Transaction amount; transaction frequency; blockchain analysis results; source of funds indications; sanctions screening results; geographical risks; wallet risk assessment; pattern of suspicious transactions; request of regulatory or law enforcement agencies; third party exchanges requirements; EDD: high value transactions, high risk jurisdictions, PEP, sanctions, high risk wallets.
Several limitsMin and max per pair shown on the main page; BTC to ETH at a floating rate: 0.0001291200 BTC to 1.1907057600 BTC; USDT (TRC20) to BTC at a floating rate: 12.9568268995 USDTTRC to 146901.5700000000 USDTTRC
If a check fails
Held until ID"However, when the User sends funds that are clearly related to criminal activity, the User's Order may be suspended in order to request details about the origin of the funds sent until the requested information is provided. [...] If you refuse to provide data about the origin of the funds sent or provide false data, and if the data you provide confirms your connection to criminal activity, FixedFloat has the right to freeze the funds for the subsequent return of funds to the victims with the assistance of law enforcement agencies. [...] as an exception, the User may be asked to undergo identity verification. Refunds are made only after verification and exclusively to the address from which they were received."
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Funds clearly related to criminal activity: order suspended, source of funds requested by e-mail; funds linked to sanctioned addresses or laundering services: suspension and freeze; abuse of the refund rules: KYC and source-of-funds checks; exception: identity verification when the source of funds cannot be shown. Zcash: only as the coin you receive.
ID rule: If a payment is flagged. No ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you.
When they ask for ID
If a payment is flagged
No-ID limit
Maximum per swap: USD 400,000
If a check fails
Not stated
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Partner real-time AML screening flags links to sanctioned wallets or criminal activity; automated screening by Houdini (third-party analytics, IP geolocation) for illicit activity, fraud, phishing, sanctioned persons; access from restricted jurisdictions or via Tor.
Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning, Zcash, No account, Tor onion
ID rule: If a payment is flagged. No ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you.
When they ask for ID
If a payment is flagged
No-ID limit
Several limitsPer-pair minimum and maximum in the calculator; no general cap stated
If a check fails
Can be frozen"Return of blocked assets is possible only after passing a KYC check. [...] Based on the results of a positive KYC check, the client will be refunded with a commission of 5%. [...] Return of assets is not possible if the Client does not provide the information requested by the Quickex.io AML Officer by email within 30 calendar days."
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: AML risk score above 40%; labels incl. dark service, scam, stolen, mixing (mixer), ransomware, hack, phishing, sanctions, gambling and others; request from the liquidity provider (exchange); request from competent authorities; suspicion of the Quickex AML officer; funds from Garantex, Tornado Cash, Hydra, Blender.io, Lazarus Group, Genesis Market, ChipMixer, Shinbad.io, Commex, Iranian and sanctioned-country platforms, darknet markets (blocked); FreeWallet, Join Market Project, Railgun, Rapira, Capitalist, Nobitex, Wasabi Wallet may be high risk.
Several limitsMaximum at a floating rate: no strict upper limit; Fixed rate: may be limited by pair and liquidity; Minimum: per pair, shown in the exchange flow
If a check fails
Can be frozen"we reserve the right to freeze any funds that are suspected to be involved in illegal activity. [...] We impose an additional fee of 1% of the retuned amount to cover administrative expenses, with a minimum charge of $100."
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Transaction flagged as suspicious by SimpleSwap or a partner system; compliance, AML, governmental or financial institution requirements; mandatory KYC on any transaction at SimpleSwap discretion after risk triggers; fiat purchases: provider KYC.
Monero, Bitcoin, Lightning, Zcash, No account, Open to US residents
ID rule: If a payment is flagged. No ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you.
When they ask for ID
If a payment is flagged
No-ID limit
Not stated
If a check fails
Can be frozen"A VC exchange can retain and confiscate all VCs sourced from what they believe to be illegal or suspicious sources at its sole discretion. Swapzone is not responsible for any actions taken by VC exchangers in this regard. [...] For this reason, Swapzone can not be responsible for any reimbursements, refunds as well as carry any other financial liability towards Clients."
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Suspicious activity detected (Swapzone or partner); suspicious or large transactions (Swapzone may share the IP address with the relevant authority and contact the exchange); funds a partner believes come from illegal or suspicious sources.
ID rule: If a payment is flagged. No ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you.
When they ask for ID
If a payment is flagged
No-ID limit
Several limitsMinimum, for example: 0.000614 BTC (BTC to XMR, home page default); Maximum: per partner, not stated by Trocador
If a check fails
Held until ID"Trocador will reimburse the user up to the protected amount. The protected amount is defined at the moment of the transaction's creation, shown as a percentage of the transaction and stored together with it. [...] This guarantee does NOT cover trades with exchanges rated as D. [...] Trocador will not reimburse transactions that are known to be halted because of a police request and/or legal order"
Who holds your coins
Held during the swap
What triggers a check: Partner believes funds are from illegal activities; funds with high AML risk, from mixers or illegal activities: orders refused by partners; OFAC sanctioned addresses automatically refused; Trocador Guarantee claim where the exchange reports a suspected sanctioned person: Trocador asks for information.
No services match all of these filters.
Questions
Do Lightning swaps ask for ID?
Boltz and Phoenix Wallet never ask for ID by design. The instant swaps and aggregators on this page do not ask before a normal swap, but they can ask if their risk checks flag a deposit.
Who holds your bitcoin during the swap?
With Boltz and Phoenix Wallet you hold the keys. With the instant swaps and aggregators, the service or the partner exchange it picks holds your coins until the swap is done. CypherGoat itself does not hold or transmit funds; your coins go to the provider you pick.
Which of these services work over Tor?
Boltz, Quickex, Intercambio and CypherGoat publish a Tor onion address. Our page of crypto services with a Tor onion lists every service we found with one. Crypto services with a Tor onion
Where do you buy Lightning sats from another person?
On a P2P market. On RoboSats every trade is in Lightning sats, and Hodl Hodl offers Lightning trades next to on-chain ones. Both are in our list of P2P bitcoin exchanges. P2P bitcoin exchanges
apps.apple.com/us/app/phoenix-wallet/id1544097028, for Phoenix Wallet us availability, checked October 22, 2026
cdn.prod.website-files.com/69143df941a2491956546ef7/6a579a7d3db98c279dc6020b_Houdini%20Swap%20-%20Terms%20of%20Service-14673161-v6.pdf, for Houdini Swap who holds your coins, Houdini Swap what triggers a check, Houdini Swap custody, in detail, Houdini Swap operator, Houdini Swap excluded countries and Houdini Swap us availability, checked October 23, 2026
cyphergoat.com, for CypherGoat account, CypherGoat tor onion and CypherGoat status, checked October 22, 2026
cyphergoat.com/terms, for CypherGoat when they ask for id, checked October 22, 2026
docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/coverage-and-economy/chain-tokens-partners.md, for Houdini Swap coins, checked October 23, 2026
docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/coverage-and-economy/monetization-and-fees.md, for Houdini Swap fee, checked October 22, 2026
docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/getting-started/privacy-and-compliance.md, for Houdini Swap no-id limit and Houdini Swap tor onion, checked October 22, 2026
docs.houdiniswap.com/products/swap-transfer/privacy-notice.md, for Houdini Swap data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
docs.houdiniswap.com/support-and-faqs/faqs.md, for Houdini Swap when they ask for id, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com, for Exolix tor onion, Exolix i2p and Exolix status, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com, for Exolix who holds your coins, Exolix custody, in detail and Exolix works without javascript, checked October 23, 2026
exolix.com/about, for Exolix no-id limit, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com/aml-kyc, for Exolix when they ask for id and Exolix what triggers a check, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com/aml-kyc, for Exolix excluded countries, checked October 23, 2026
exolix.com/api/v2/currencies, for Exolix coins, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com/faq, for Exolix account, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com/privacy, for Exolix data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
exolix.com/terms, for Exolix if a check fails and Exolix fee, checked October 22, 2026
ff.io, for FixedFloat status, checked October 5, 2026
ff.io, for FixedFloat tor onion and FixedFloat i2p, checked October 22, 2026
ff.io/faq, for FixedFloat fee, checked October 23, 2026
ff.io/privacy-policy, for FixedFloat data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
ff.io/rates/float.xml, for FixedFloat coins, checked October 23, 2026
ff.io/terms-of-service, for FixedFloat refund policy, checked October 5, 2026
ff.io/terms-of-service, for FixedFloat when they ask for id, FixedFloat no-id limit, FixedFloat if a check fails, FixedFloat who holds your coins, FixedFloat what triggers a check, FixedFloat custody, in detail, FixedFloat account, FixedFloat operator, FixedFloat excluded countries and FixedFloat us availability, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/ACINQ/phoenix, for Phoenix Wallet open source, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend, for Boltz open source, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend/blob/master/docs/index.md, for Boltz tor onion, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-backend/blob/master/docs/swap-limits-and-fees.md, for Boltz fee, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app, for Boltz i2p, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app/blob/main/src/pages/Privacy.tsx, for Boltz data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
github.com/BoltzExchange/boltz-web-app/blob/main/src/pages/Terms.tsx, for Boltz when they ask for id, Boltz if a check fails, Boltz who holds your coins, Boltz what triggers a check, Boltz coins, Boltz custody, in detail, Boltz account, Boltz operator and Boltz excluded countries, checked October 22, 2026
houdiniswap.com, for Houdini Swap account, Houdini Swap i2p and Houdini Swap status, checked October 22, 2026
intercambio.app, for Intercambio when they ask for id, Intercambio who holds your coins, Intercambio coins, Intercambio custody, in detail, Intercambio account, Intercambio data the policy collects, Intercambio tor onion, Intercambio i2p, Intercambio works without javascript, Intercambio operator, Intercambio us availability, Intercambio status and Intercambio fee, checked October 22, 2026
itunes.apple.com/lookup, for Phoenix Wallet status, checked October 22, 2026
phoenix.acinq.co/content/faq-2-trustnprivacy.md, for Phoenix Wallet who holds your coins and Phoenix Wallet custody, in detail, checked October 22, 2026
phoenix.acinq.co/content/privacy.md, for Phoenix Wallet i2p, checked October 22, 2026
phoenix.acinq.co/faq, for Phoenix Wallet fee, checked October 23, 2026
phoenix.acinq.co/privacy, for Phoenix Wallet data the policy collects and Phoenix Wallet tor onion, checked October 22, 2026
phoenix.acinq.co/terms, for Phoenix Wallet when they ask for id, Phoenix Wallet if a check fails, Phoenix Wallet coins, Phoenix Wallet account, Phoenix Wallet operator and Phoenix Wallet excluded countries, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io, for Quickex i2p and Quickex status, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io, for Quickex account and Quickex tor onion, checked October 23, 2026
quickex.io/api/v2/instruments/public, for Quickex coins, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io/docs/aml-policy, for Quickex when they ask for id, Quickex if a check fails, Quickex what triggers a check and Quickex fee on refusal, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io/docs/privacy-policy, for Quickex data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io/docs/terms-of-use, for Quickex operator, Quickex excluded countries, Quickex us availability and Quickex fee, checked October 22, 2026
quickex.io/docs/terms-of-use, for Quickex who holds your coins and Quickex custody, in detail, checked October 23, 2026
quickex.io/exchange-btc-xmr, for Quickex no-id limit, checked October 23, 2026
rastersec.com/blog/exolix-swapper-dump, for Exolix incidents, checked October 14, 2026
simpleswap.io, for SimpleSwap tor onion and SimpleSwap i2p, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/aml-kyc, for SimpleSwap when they ask for id, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/api/v3/currencies, for SimpleSwap zcash address type, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/coins, for SimpleSwap coins, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/faq, for SimpleSwap no-id limit, SimpleSwap what triggers a check, SimpleSwap account and SimpleSwap fee, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/privacy-policy, for SimpleSwap data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
simpleswap.io/terms-of-service, for SimpleSwap refund policy, checked October 5, 2026
simpleswap.io/terms-of-service, for SimpleSwap if a check fails, SimpleSwap who holds your coins, SimpleSwap fee on refusal, SimpleSwap custody, in detail, SimpleSwap excluded countries, SimpleSwap us availability and SimpleSwap status, checked October 22, 2026
swapzone.io, for Swapzone tor onion and Swapzone i2p, checked October 22, 2026
swapzone.io/about, for Swapzone account, checked October 22, 2026
swapzone.io/docs/terms, for Swapzone when they ask for id, Swapzone if a check fails, Swapzone who holds your coins, Swapzone what triggers a check, Swapzone custody, in detail, Swapzone data the policy collects, Swapzone operator, Swapzone excluded countries, Swapzone us availability and Swapzone fee, checked October 22, 2026
swapzone.io/exchange/btc/xmr, for Swapzone coins and Swapzone status, checked October 23, 2026
trocador.app, for Trocador no-id limit, Trocador coins, Trocador zcash address type, Trocador tor onion, Trocador status and Trocador fee, checked October 23, 2026
trocador.app/docs, for Trocador i2p, checked October 23, 2026
trocador.app/en, for Trocador account, checked October 22, 2026
trocador.app/en/privacypolicy, for Trocador data the policy collects, checked October 22, 2026
trocador.app/en/termsofuse, for Trocador when they ask for id, Trocador if a check fails, Trocador who holds your coins, Trocador what triggers a check, Trocador address screening, Trocador custody, in detail, Trocador operator, Trocador excluded countries and Trocador us availability, checked October 22, 2026
x.com/Boltzhq/status/2084311537502630319, for Boltz status and Boltz incidents, checked October 22, 2026
x.com/PhoenixWallet/status/1783878658014249027, for Phoenix Wallet incidents, checked October 22, 2026
How we rate
Every value we show comes from the provider's own pages: its terms, help center, app or code. We record when it asks for ID, its limit without ID and what its terms say happens to your coins if a check fails, each with the page and the date we checked it. Where its own pages disagree, we show both sides. How we rate
Our process
We take fees, availability, licenses and coin counts from primary sources: each provider'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 5, 2026 and October 23, 2026. Ethan Parker, Senior Content Editor, checked this page; updated October 23, 2026.
