Verdict
Higher trust score: Bisq
Based on our trust scoring, Bisq comes out ahead of Kraken (8.7 vs 4.8). The gap reflects differences in KYC stance, custody model and operational track record.
Note: Scores are our independent assessment. Both services have valid use cases — read each detail page before deciding.
Score breakdown
Overall /10
Bisq
8.7
Good
Kraken
4.8
Weak
Privacy /100
Bisq
100
Good
Kraken
2
Poor
Trust /100
Bisq
80
Good
Kraken
68
Average
Side by side
KYC level
L0Trustless
L5Mandatory
Tagline
Decentralised P2P Bitcoin exchange with on-chain multisig escrow — no signup, no custody, desktop and mobile apps routed through Tor by default, with DAO governance and AGPL-3.0 source code.
Veteran US-regulated exchange founded 2011 with 600+ assets, full mandatory KYC, and bi-annual proof-of-reserves audits — listed here as a comparison baseline for custodial KYC platforms, not as a no-KYC option.
Jurisdiction
No HQ
United States
Founded
2014
2011
Tor / .onion
No
No
Categories
Exchange, DEX, P2P
Exchange
Feature comparison 13
Bisq
Kraken
Bitcoin (BTC)
Non-custodial
—
Open source
—
No signup required
—
Tor (.onion) available
—
Lightning Network
—
Peer-to-peer
—
Accepts fiat
Mobile app
Web app
—
Available worldwide
—
Custodial
—
Requires email
—
Read the full reviews
The side-by-side covers the headlines — the detail pages walk through every claim and citation.