Mostro review
Mostro operates as an open-source peer-to-peer bitcoin exchange that leverages the Lightning Network and Nostr, with third-party operators managing its nodes. It does not require registration, email, phone, or KYC. Your client creates your identity using a 12-word recovery phrase, generating new keys for each transaction. The seller's sats are secured in a Lightning hold invoice until the fiat currency is received. Each node independently sets its fees, limits, and dispute rules. The main mainnet node permits trades ranging from 100 to 20,000 sats. In our view, Mostro suits small Lightning trades, and you should read the node's dispute rules first.
No ID, by design
Mostro never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. You hold the keys.
Latest release: Daemon: v0.20.0 (2026-10-15); app: v2.1.0 (2026-10-21)
Choose Mostro if
Who Mostro suits, from the values on this page.
Mostro suits you if
- You want to trade with no account and no ID: Mostro never asks for ID, by design.
- You want to keep your own keys: on Mostro, you hold the keys.
- You want to pay or get paid over Lightning.
- You want open-source software.
Mostro might not be the right fit if
- You want Monero: Mostro does not list it.
Best for
P2P without ID
Inside Mostro
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
- Platforms
- Mostro App for Android, Windows, macOS and Linux (GitHub or Zapstore); MostriX terminal UI and mostro-cli; iOS coming soon; anyone can run a node
What you get with Mostro
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 2 of 6
- No IDYesBy design
- No accountYes
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedMostro'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 statedMostro'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 4
- You hold the keysYes
- Open sourceYes
- Reproducible buildsNot publishedNot published
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedMostro's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can Mostro ask for your ID?
Never, by design, per Mostro's own pages. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess.
- 1Never, by designMostro 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
Not applicable: no identity checks; sats stay locked in a hold invoice in the seller's wallet; disputes are handled by the node's mediator
“If a problem arises, either party can open a dispute and a mediator will review the case.”
Not stated on Mostro's pages: what triggers a check, fee on refusal, refund policyMostro's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
- If a trade goes wrong
- The node administrator or a solver designated by them handles the dispute in the dispute chat; each node sets its own rules and evidence
- How trust works
- Both sides rate each other after a trade (1 to 5 stars); reputation combines the mean and standard deviation of ratings with the number of successful trades
Checked October 22, 2026
What Mostro costs
| What | Mostro |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | Set by each node operator; the project gives about 0.3% each for buyer and seller as a typical example (daemon default 0.6% in total); node pays part of its fee to the development fund |
| No-ID limit | Not statedMostro's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no. |
- Ways to pay
- Any method both sides accept; instant fiat methods are recommended
- Currencies
- Statement: over 90 currencies with a yadio.io price; any currency at a fixed sats amount; each node enables its own currencies
- Trade limits
- Set by each node operator; the main mainnet node allows 100 to 20,000 sats per trade
- Typical time
- On the main node: orders stay listed for 23 hours; after an order is taken each side has up to 15 minutes for its invoice step, then the fiat leg must finish before the hold invoice expires; each node sets its own times
What Mostro 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
- Model: open-source protocol with independent node operators
- Requests from authorities
- Not published
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
None found.
Incidents
None found
- License
- Daemon: GPL-3.0; app: AGPL-3.0
- Audits
- Not published
- Bug bounty
- Not published
- Support
- Telegram community (t.me/MostroP2P); Telegram developers (t.me/mostro_dev); Nostr group; X
- Wallet needed
- Yes: a Lightning wallet (sellers lock sats with a hold invoice)
Checked October 22, 2026
More facts we checked on Mostro
- Coins listed
- Count: 1; assets: BTC
- Networks
- Lightning; Nostr (order book and messages)
- Rate type
- Market price from yadio.io with premium or discount, or a fixed amount of sats for a fixed fiat amount
- Log retention
- Not published
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
- Security deposit
- Optional anti-abuse bond in sats, enabled and sized by each node operator (maker, taker or both); returned in full after a fair trade
Mostro in the US and elsewhere
Mostro's pages name no blocked country. That is not a promise that it is legal where you live.
In the US
US availability: Available
- Blocks US IPs
- Terms: no country list; users must not use Mostro where P2P bitcoin trading is prohibited
- 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
Excluded countries: none named on the page we checked.Mostro's pages list no excluded country or group. We show no flags because the list is empty.
Regional rule: Not statedMostro's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- None stated; users are responsible for local law
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. The provider's terms may let it ask for ID later. 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. Mostro's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: not applicable: no identity checks; sats stay locked in a hold invoice in the seller's wallet; disputes are handled by the node's mediator.
Checked October 22, 2026
P2P markets to compare with Mostro
Active P2P markets from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Mostro side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every marketChecked October 23, 2026
Short answers about Mostro
From the data on this page.
Does Mostro ask for ID?
Mostro never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. There is no account.
Who holds your coins during a Mostro trade?
You hold the keys. Escrow-lightning-hold-invoice: the seller's sats are locked in a Lightning hold invoice created by the Mostro node until the seller confirms fiat receipt.
Can you buy Monero on Mostro?
No. Mostro does not list Monero, per its own pages.
What does Mostro cost?
Trade fee: Set by each node operator; the project gives about 0.3% each for buyer and seller as a typical example (daemon default 0.6% in total); node pays part of its fee to the development fund.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- api.github.com/repos/MostroP2P/mostro, for open source and license, checked October 22, 2026
- api.github.com/repos/MostroP2P/mostro/releases/latest, for latest release, checked October 22, 2026
- api.github.com/repos/MostroP2P/mostro/releases/latest, for status, checked October 23, 2026
- mostro.network, for ID rule, what happens if a check fails, data collected, Monero, Zcash, bitcoin, Lightning, onion address, fees, platforms and What your payment reveals, checked October 22, 2026
- mostro.network/docs-english/print.html, for I2P address, ways to pay, if a trade goes wrong, how trust works, currencies, trade limits, typical time, audits, bug bounty, support, wallet needed, coins listed, networks, rate type, onion address and security deposit, checked October 22, 2026
- mostro.network/terms, for excluded countries, checked October 14, 2026
- mostro.network/terms, for custody, custody in detail, account, operator, US availability, governance, requests from authorities, warrant canary, blocks US IPs, VPN clause in terms, site blocks by region and log retention, 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: Mostro'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.