Houdini Swap review
Houdini Swap is a non-custodial front-end aggregator, directing swaps to partner exchanges while never holding funds itself. This setup lets a swap run with just a receiving address, without a wallet connection. Every partner is required to screen deposits for any ties to sanctioned wallets or criminal activity, and Houdini Swap cannot override a partner's AML or recovery protocols if a swap becomes stuck. Order data is erased 72 hours after completion. Swaps exceeding $400,000 are not available, Tor connections are blocked, and the terms exclude the United States. In our view, Houdini Swap is well-suited for users who want a swap without connecting a wallet.
ID only if flagged
Houdini Swap asks for ID only if a payment is flagged, per its own pages.
Choose Houdini Swap if
Who Houdini Swap suits, from the values on this page.
Houdini Swap suits you if
- You want no ID for normal use: Houdini Swap asks only if a payment is flagged.
- You want Monero: Houdini Swap lists it.
- You want to pay or get paid over Lightning.
Houdini Swap might not be the right fit if
- You want a market that can never ask for ID: Houdini Swap can ask if a payment is flagged.
- You live in the US: Houdini Swap is not available there.
Best for
Monero for bitcoin
Inside Houdini Swap
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
- Platforms
- Web app, browser extension, Telegram bot, partner API
What you get with Houdini Swap
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 1 of 6, 1 partly
- No IDPartlyIf a payment is flagged
- No accountYes
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedHoudini Swap'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 statedHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Coins 4 of 4
- BitcoinYes
- MoneroYes
- LightningYes
- ZcashYes
Custody and code 0 of 3
- You hold the keysNo
- Open sourceNot statedNot statedHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can Houdini Swap ask for your ID?
If a payment is flagged, per Houdini Swap'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 flaggedHoudini Swap 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
Not statedHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
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
Not stated on Houdini Swap's pages: fee on refusal, refund policyHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Checked October 23, 2026
What Houdini Swap costs
| What | Houdini Swap |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | All-in quote incl. network, bridge/protocol fees and Houdini routing commission; No Wallet Connect: commission paid back by the exchange; Private Swap fees approximately double |
| No-ID limit | Maximum per swap: USD 400,000 |
- Trade limits
- No swaps above $400,000
- Typical time
- Private swaps 5 to 50 minutes (two separate cross-chain executions)
What Houdini Swap 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
- Requests from authorities
- Partner exchanges keep internal logs and can answer valid legal requests for their leg of a swap; all partners must cooperate with law enforcement
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 23, 2026
Track record and code
None found.
Incidents
None found
- Audits
- No: not audited yet; SOC 2 certification with Deloitte in progress
- Bug bounty
- Not published
- Wallet needed
- Yes: a receiving address; Houdini never holds funds
Checked October 14, 2026
Community
Discussions about Houdini Swap on Reddit (opens in a new tab) (r/HoudiniSwap)
More facts we checked on Houdini Swap
- Log retention
- Order data deleted automatically 72 hours after completion; partner exchanges keep their own logs
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
Houdini Swap in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Not available
- VPN clause in terms
- No: Tor connections are blocked at the perimeter; no separate VPN rule found
If you are a US person, US sanctions rules apply to you whether or not a service asks for ID.
Outside the US
Where Houdini Swap does not serve
5 places in its terms- United States of America incl. territories and possessions
- any restricted jurisdiction or country subject to sanctions
- countries embargoed or sanctioned by the US, UK, Canada, EU or other jurisdictions
- persons on US, UK, Canada, EU sanctions lists
- politically exposed persons (PEPs)
Regional rule: Not statedHoudini Swap's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- Website blocked for countries under US or EU sanctions and for Tor connections
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. Houdini Swap's terms say it can ask for ID in these cases: 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. 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.
Checked October 23, 2026
Swap aggregators to compare with Houdini Swap
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Houdini Swap side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | Houdini Swap | CypherGoat | Intercambio | Swapzone | Trocador | OrangeFren |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID rule | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | ID only if flagged | Not stated |
| Account | None | None | None | None | None | Not stated |
| You hold the keys | No | Not stated | No | No | No | Not stated |
| Monero | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Lightning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Open source | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Checked October 23, 2026
Short answers about Houdini Swap
From the data on this page.
Does Houdini Swap ask for ID?
Houdini Swap asks for ID only if a payment is flagged, per its own pages. There is no account.
How much can you trade on Houdini Swap without ID?
Maximum per swap: USD 400,000.
Who holds your coins during a Houdini Swap trade?
Held during the swap. Non-custodial front-end aggregator; deposits go to the routed exchange partner (transit custody at the partner); private swap = two separate exchanges with a temporary L1 intermediary token.
Can you buy Monero on Houdini Swap?
Yes. Houdini Swap lists Monero.
What does Houdini Swap cost?
Trade fee: All-in quote incl. network, bridge/protocol fees and Houdini routing commission; No Wallet Connect: commission paid back by the exchange; Private Swap fees approximately double.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- cdn.prod.website-files.com/69143df941a2491956546ef7/6a579a7d3db98c279dc6020b_Houdini%20Swap%20-%20Terms%20of%20Service-14673161-v6.pdf, for what triggers a check, custody, custody in detail, operator, excluded countries and US availability, checked October 23, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/coverage-and-economy/chain-tokens-partners.md, for Zcash and bitcoin, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/coverage-and-economy/chain-tokens-partners.md, for Monero and Lightning, checked October 23, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/coverage-and-economy/monetization-and-fees.md, for fees, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/getting-started/privacy-and-compliance.md, for no-ID limit, onion address, trade limits, requests from authorities, warrant canary, bug bounty, wallet needed, VPN clause in terms and site blocks by region, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/overview/swaps-and-transfers/private-swaps.md, for typical time, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/partner-faqs.md, for audits, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/products/swap-transfer/privacy-notice.md, for data collected, checked October 22, 2026
- docs.houdiniswap.com/support-and-faqs/faqs.md, for ID rule and log retention, checked October 22, 2026
- houdiniswap.com, for status, account and I2P address, checked October 22, 2026
- houdiniswap.com, for platforms, checked October 28, 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: Houdini Swap'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 22, 2026 and October 28, 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.