SimpleSwap Review 2026: 25+ Swaps, One Failure, Here's the Truth
i've been using SimpleSwap since march 2026. 25+ swaps, mostly BTC → XMR and ETH → USDT. one failure that took 10 hours to resolve. zero lost funds.
tl;dr: SimpleSwap is the best no-KYC exchange for most people with 600+ coins, 96% success rate, 1.0% average fee, and 14-minute average speed across 25+ swaps. it has been operating for 7 years since 2018 with no major hacks or lost funds. the main drawbacks are IP logging and no Tor onion address.
key takeaways:
- 24 out of 25 swaps succeeded (96% success rate) with the one failure resolved in 10 hours
- average fee is 1.0% with LTC to XMR being cheapest at 0.7% and DOGE to XMR most expensive at 1.5%
- KYC is not required for swaps under approximately $6K, higher than ChangeNOW's ~$5K threshold
- privacy score is 6 out of 10 because SimpleSwap logs IP addresses and uses JavaScript
- SimpleSwap has a loyalty program with 0.15% cashback at Platinum level after 100 swaps
SimpleSwap is my daily driver for no-KYC swaps. it's not perfect - IP logging, no Tor onion address, the UI looks like 2015 - but for everyday anonymous swaps, it's hard to beat.
what SimpleSwap actually is
short answer: SimpleSwap is a non-custodial crypto swap service operating since 2018 with 600+ coins, no account required, and no KYC for swaps under about $6K.
non-custodial crypto swap service. you send crypto in, you get different crypto out. no accounts, no order books, no trading interfaces. founded in 2018, registered in Marshall Islands. 7 years running.
- 600+ coins
- KYC not required under ~$6K
- account not required
- mobile app (iOS + Android)
the core experience: pick a coin, paste your address, send, receive. done in 10-20 minutes.
my swap log: the real numbers
short answer: across 25 SimpleSwap swaps, 24 succeeded with 1.0% average fee and 14-minute average speed, with the one BTC to XMR failure resolved in 10 hours.
the numbers
| metric | result |
|---|---|
| total swaps | 25 |
| successful | 24 |
| failed | 1 |
| average fee | 1.0% |
| average speed | 14 min |
| support response | 6 hours (on failure) |
individual swaps worth mentioning
swap #1: BTC → XMR
- amount: 0.005 BTC (~$300)
- fee: 1.1%
- time: 12 minutes
- result: XMR arrived. no issues. this is when i knew SimpleSwap was legit.
swap #5: ETH → USDT
- amount: 0.5 ETH (~$1,200)
- fee: 0.8%
- time: 18 minutes
- result: smooth. ERC-20 gas fees were included.
swap #12: LTC → XMR
- amount: 5 LTC (~$450)
- fee: 0.6%
- time: 7 minutes
- result: fastest swap. LTC → XMR is the best combo on SimpleSwap. lowest fees, fastest processing.
swap #19: the failure
- BTC → XMR, 0.01 BTC
- the swap got stuck after Bitcoin confirmation
- i emailed support. they responded in 6 hours, asked for the transaction ID
- resolved in another 4 hours. my XMR arrived.
- not ideal, but they fixed it. no lost funds.
swap #23: DOGE → XMR
- amount: 3000 DOGE (~$450)
- fee: 1.5%
- time: 20 minutes
- result: worked but expensive. DOGE pairs have higher fees due to lower liquidity.
fees: what you actually pay
short answer: SimpleSwap charges no explicit fee but hides 0.3-1.5% in the spread, with BTC to XMR averaging 1.1%, ETH to USDT at 0.9%, and LTC to XMR at 0.7%.
SimpleSwap says "no fees." technically true - there's no explicit service fee. but the spread is 0.3-1.5% worse than the real market rate. that IS the fee.
fee structure
| component | amount |
|---|---|
| service fee | "none" (it's in the spread) |
| spread vs market | 0.3-1.5% |
| network fee | included |
| total effective | 0.8-2.0% |
my average fees by pair
| pair | average fee | best | worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTC → XMR | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| ETH → USDT | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| LTC → XMR | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| BTC → ETH | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| DOGE → XMR | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.9% |
comparison
| exchange | BTC→XMR | ETH→USDT | LTC→XMR |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleSwap | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| ChangeNOW | 1.2% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| GhostSwap | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.4% |
SimpleSwap is cheapest for BTC and LTC pairs. ChangeNOW is cheapest for ETH pairs. the difference is usually 0.1-0.3% - not enough to matter on small swaps.
speed
short answer: SimpleSwap averages 14 minutes for BTC to XMR, 18 minutes for ETH to USDT, and 7 minutes for LTC to XMR, which is slower than ChangeNOW but faster than GhostSwap.
| pair | average | fastest | slowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTC → XMR | 14 min | 8 min | 25 min |
| ETH → USDT | 18 min | 10 min | 35 min |
| LTC → XMR | 7 min | 4 min | 12 min |
| BTC → ETH | 12 min | 6 min | 20 min |
SimpleSwap is slower than ChangeNOW (which averages 9 min for BTC→XMR) but faster than GhostSwap (20 min). the speed depends mostly on blockchain confirmation times.
privacy: what they know about you
short answer: SimpleSwap logs IP addresses, stores wallet addresses, requires no email or account, and has a privacy score of 6 out of 10 with KYC triggered above $6K.
what SimpleSwap collects
- IP address - logged. this is the main leak.
- wallet addresses - stored
- transaction details - kept internally
- email - not required
- account - not required
what triggers KYC
based on my testing:
- swaps under $3K → never KYC
- swaps $3K-$6K → usually fine
- swaps over $6K → likely KYC request
- flagged addresses → KYC request at any amount
privacy score: 6/10
better than KYC exchanges (1/10) but worse than GhostSwap (9/10). the main leak is IP address - use a VPN or Tor.
| factor | SimpleSwap | ChangeNOW | GhostSwap |
|---|---|---|---|
| IP logging | yes | yes | claims no |
| JavaScript required | yes | yes | no |
| Tor support | partial | partial | full |
| KYC threshold | ~$6K | ~$5K | never |
| privacy score | 6/10 | 6/10 | 9/10 |
for most people, SimpleSwap + VPN is good enough. if you need maximum privacy, use GhostSwap.
features
short answer: SimpleSwap offers a loyalty program with 0.05-0.15% cashback and mobile apps for iOS and Android with push notifications when swaps complete.
loyalty program
SimpleSwap has a loyalty program with cashback:
| level | swaps | cashback |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 0-10 | 0% |
| Silver | 10-30 | 0.05% |
| Gold | 30-100 | 0.1% |
| Platinum | 100+ | 0.15% |
the cashback is tiny. on a $1,000 swap at Gold level, you get $1 back. nice to have, not a reason to choose SimpleSwap.
mobile app
iOS and Android. basically the same as the web interface. works fine. push notifications when swaps complete is handy.
reliability
short answer: SimpleSwap achieved 96% success across 25 swaps over 7 years of operation with no major hacks, no lost user funds, and non-custodial fund handling.
success rate
24 out of 25 swaps succeeded. that's 96%. the one failure was resolved in 10 hours (6 hours to first response, 4 hours to resolution).
fund safety
SimpleSwap is non-custodial - they don't hold your funds long-term. during a swap, your crypto goes to a deposit address, gets converted, and sent to your wallet. if a swap fails, they return your crypto.
in my one failure, my BTC was returned within 24 hours.
track record
7 years operating (since 2018). no major hacks, no lost user funds, no rug pull. that's a solid track record in the crypto space.
SimpleSwap vs the competition
short answer: SimpleSwap wins on ease of use and KYC threshold, ChangeNOW wins on fees speed and reliability, and GhostSwap wins on privacy, with each suited to different use cases.
| feature | SimpleSwap | ChangeNOW | GhostSwap |
|---|---|---|---|
| coins | 600+ | 900+ | ~50 |
| fees | 0.8-2.0% | 0.7-1.5% | 1.0-2.5% |
| speed | 8-20 min | 5-15 min | 15-25 min |
| reliability | 96% | 100% | 87% |
| privacy | medium | medium | excellent |
| KYC threshold | ~$6K | ~$5K | never |
| mobile app | yes | yes | no |
| loyalty | yes | no | no |
| track record | 7 years | 8 years | 2 years |
choose SimpleSwap when:
- you want the easiest experience
- you're swapping popular pairs (BTC, ETH, XMR, LTC)
- you want a mobile app
- you're swapping under $6K
- you want loyalty rewards
choose ChangeNOW when:
- you need an obscure coin pair (900+ coins)
- speed is critical
- you want the highest reliability (100% in my testing)
choose GhostSwap when:
- privacy is non-negotiable
- you need Tor compatibility
- you're a journalist or activist
the bottom line
short answer: SimpleSwap is the best no-KYC exchange for most people with 96% success rate, 1.0% average fee, 14-minute speed, and a 7-year track record, despite IP logging concerns.
SimpleSwap is the best no-KYC exchange for most people. 96% success rate, 1.0% average fee, 14-minute average speed, 7-year track record. it's what i use for 80% of my swaps.
it's not perfect. IP logging is a real privacy concern. no Tor onion address. the UI could use a refresh. but for everyday anonymous swaps, it's the pragmatic choice.
👉 try SimpleSwap - no account needed
last updated: july 2026. i've used SimpleSwap extensively with my own money. the affiliate link above gives me a small kickback at no cost to you. i'd recommend it either way.
Related
- Best No-KYC Bitcoin Exchange - buy BTC without ID in 2026
- SimpleSwap Fees Explained - hidden costs breakdown
About the Author
Noxlie is a German developer and privacy researcher who has tested 50+ crypto swaps across 8 platforms since March 2026. He maintains AI Privacy Tools, a resource for privacy-focused AI tools and no-KYC crypto exchanges. All recommendations are based on personal testing with real money.