KYCnot.me

KYCnot.me (kycnot.me) is the reference index of no-KYC services maintained by the developer Pluja — a long-running, open-source directory that grades swap services, exchanges, and related tools on how much identity verification they demand, with last-checked timestamps and detailed feature breakdowns. We list it as a peer reference, not a competitor: the more independent no-KYC indexes exist, the better the ecosystem is served.

Background. The project has been online since around 2020 and actively maintained by Pluja since 2021. It set much of the template that other no-KYC directories — including this one — now follow: per-service grades, structured attribute tables (does it require an account, does it log, does it have a Tor mirror, what's the KYC trigger), and a visible "last checked" date so readers can judge freshness. Over its life it has tracked on the order of a hundred-plus services, and its longevity through multiple market cycles is itself a credibility signal: directories are easy to start and hard to keep current, and KYCnot.me has stayed current.

What you trust. Three things. First, the open-source backend: the methodology and, to a meaningful degree, the data are auditable rather than asserted, which is the single most important trust property a directory can have. Second, the editorial discipline — listings carry explicit, documented criteria and last-checked dates rather than vibes, so a grade is traceable to attributes you can re-verify yourself. Third, the operator's track record: Pluja is a known, pseudonymous-but-consistent maintainer with a multi-year history, not an anonymous flip-and-abandon project. The directory is also reachable over Tor (a v3 onion mirror) and maintains a public presence for corrections and disputes.

Operational specs. Free to read, no account or email required, JavaScript-light, and available both on the clearnet and via a Tor onion address — the right posture for an audience that cares about not being profiled while researching privacy tools. Listings are organized by category (exchanges and swaps are the strongest coverage) and expose structured fields: KYC policy, logging posture, account requirements, supported assets, and an overall grade. The clearnet site, the onion mirror, and the project's social presence give multiple verification and contact paths.

Philosophy. KYCnot.me operates on the premise that the right to transact without surrendering identity is worth indexing and defending in the open. Its open-source stance is the philosophical core: a privacy directory that asks you to trust its grades without showing its work would be self-undermining, so it shows its work. That ethos — auditable methodology, documented criteria, no pay-for-placement — is exactly what a public-good index should embody, and it is why a competing directory can in good conscience grade it an A.

Grade rationale. A in /educational. The grade reflects sustained maintenance, an open and auditable backend, transparent and documented grading criteria with freshness timestamps, anonymous and Tor-accessible reading, and a credible long-tenured operator. The honest disclosure here is conflict of interest: this directory and KYCnot.me cover overlapping ground. We hold it to the same evidence-based bar we hold everything else, and on that bar it clears A comfortably; readers should weigh our assessment knowing we operate an adjacent index and cross-check against the source directly.

Useful when. Use KYCnot.me as a second opinion and a canonical cross-reference, especially for the exchanges and swaps category where its coverage is deepest. When you are evaluating a service and want an independent read on its KYC posture and logging behavior — or want to see how long a service has been tracked and how its grade has held up — it is one of the most reliable places to check. Treating two independent directories as cross-checks is better practice than trusting any single index, this one included.

Caveats. Any directory, ours and theirs alike, is a snapshot: a service's KYC policy, logging, or solvency can change between checks, so always confirm a service's current terms directly before committing funds — the last-checked date tells you how stale a listing might be. Grades encode a methodology and therefore a viewpoint; a single index can be wrong or behind, which is precisely why cross-referencing matters. And the conflict-of-interest note above is a standing caveat, not a one-time disclosure: we benefit from the same ecosystem KYCnot.me serves. None of these reduce its trustworthiness as a resource — open source, documented criteria, and long maintenance are why it stands at A.