Kycnot.me is a navigation website focused on privacy protection. The site recommends trusted websites that offer various services supporting Bitcoin and Monero payments without requiring KYC, including but not limited to decentralized exchanges, VPS or hosting services, AI chat services, etc.
"ODN" observed that three years ago, the developer of Kycnot.me, hoiru, introduced on Reddit why he created the site; he aimed to help preserve the original spirit of cryptocurrencies and hoped the site would be useful for those trying to stay away from KYC enforcement pages while still wanting to use, trade, and purchase cryptocurrencies.
Kycnot.me places a strong emphasis on user privacy and security; the website does not require Javascript, with all content being directly rendered on the server side, meaning users can use kycnot.me with Javascript disabled. Kycnot.me also has no trackers, does not establish any third-party connections from the frontend, and does not collect any type of user data.
"ODN" visited the site; the functionality of Kycnot.me is very straightforward, with the homepage featuring only three filters: Type (All, Exchanges, Services), a keyword search text box (Name, Description, Keywords), and Currency (btc, xmr, ln, fiat, cash), with the ability to select multiple currencies, making everything clear at a glance.
For each listed website, Kycnot.me provides four KYC levels ranging from 0 to 3, with higher levels indicating stricter KYC requirements. Services personally tested by hoiru are marked with a blue checkmark badge. However, a verified service does not mean it can be used blindly; it just means that at the time of verification, the service did not enforce KYC and was not a scam.
Kycnot.me states that the site features an AI tool using OpenAI's GPT4-turbo model to automatically review the terms of service (ToS) of all different services. It breaks down the ToS content, highlights key points, translates it into easily understandable language, and simplifies the understanding of any service ToS.
The introduction on the Kycnot.me website states that cryptocurrencies were created to fundamentally change how we pay for goods and services, aiming to eliminate reliance on centralized entities like banks and governments that control our economy.
However, exchanges that implement KYC operate similarly to traditional banks where users need to provide identity proofs, like ID photos, to use them. Moreover, most exchanges are centralized, meaning users do not control their own keys. In short, it means the cryptocurrency belongs to the exchange, not the user, contradicting the decentralized and sovereign nature of cryptocurrencies.
Kycnot.me aims to offer trustworthy alternatives for people to buy, exchange, trade, and use cryptocurrencies without revealing their identity, thus protecting privacy rights.
Why does the Kycnot.me site only recommend websites supporting Bitcoin and Monero? The site explains this is because: Bitcoin is the original spark of decentralized currency, a solid project with a strong community, being the most famous and widespread cryptocurrency; Monero is fungible, designed for privacy, fast, and low cost, and one of the oldest cryptocurrencies with a very active community. Kycnot.me also states that while other cryptocurrencies are not specifically added, most listed websites might also accept other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum or Litecoin.
To increase visitors' trust, Kycnot.me strives to be as transparent as possible through several methods:
- Open-source code - providing full disclosure of commit history and rating algorithms.
- A comment section on each page, available on self-hosted Comentario instances.
- All changes are logged in a changelog.
- View detailed score breakdowns for any service: example of Bisq.
- Open API to retrieve all websites' service data.
- Open rating algorithm. All services are rated using the same algorithm, meaning the ratings are not subjective.
- Proof of Testing: provides PGP signed proof that hoiru has personally tested the service. To view the proof, click on the "Verified" badge next to the service name on the service page.
Clearnet URL:
Darknet v3 URL:
http://kycnotmezdiftahfmc34pqbpicxlnx3jbf5p7jypge7gdvduu7i6qjqd.onion
I2P URL:
http://kycnot3724gujekedbe6pwoejfbnggdv26losox25iaokev5ctaq.b32.i2p