HiddenSwap is our own service. We list it first; the rest are listed in no particular order and we make no money from them.
The short answer
The main no-KYC ways to swap Zcash (ZEC) in 2026 are:
- swap services, where you send one coin and get another with no account: HiddenSwap, FixedFloat, SideShift, Exolix, Godex, StealthEX and SimpleSwap;
- an aggregator that shows offers from several swap services on one page: Trocador;
- a swap built into a shielded wallet: the Zodl wallet (formerly Zashi), which uses NEAR Intents;
- a decentralized exchange with liquidity pools: Maya Protocol;
- peer-to-peer apps that match you with another person: Haveno networks such as RetoSwap, and Bisq.
For Zcash, one question matters most: can the service pay your ZEC to a shielded address, and take it from one? A payout to a transparent address shows on the chain like a Bitcoin payment. Many services pay only transparent addresses, so you shield the coins yourself after they arrive. The table shows what we could confirm from each service’s own pages. Where a service does not say, we write “not stated”.
Comparison table
| Service | Type | Account needed | Onion or Tor | Shielded ZEC | Fixed rate option | If a swap cannot finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiddenSwap | Swap service | No. You get an order ID | No onion address yet. Works in Tor Browser, also with JavaScript off | Pays transparent (t1) addresses. Shield the ZEC in your own wallet after it arrives | Yes, on pairs that offer one at the time | Refund to the address the coins came from, where the network shows it. Otherwise to a refund address support adds by order ID |
| Trocador | Aggregator | No | Yes, onion site | Separate “Zcash (Shielded)” and “Zcash (Transparent)” choices. Offers depend on the exchange | Yes, next to floating quotes | Handled with the exchange that ran the swap; it says this can take a week or longer |
| FixedFloat | Swap service | No | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | You choose on the order page: continue at the market rate, or a refund minus the network fee |
| SideShift | Swap service | No sign-up. The site makes an account ID in your browser | Not stated | Lists shielded ZEC as its own option, next to transparent ZEC | Yes | Refund to your refund address. If you gave none, the order page asks for one |
| Exolix | Swap service | No | Not stated | Its ZEC address check accepts transparent (t) and unified (u1) addresses | Yes | Full refund if its own system error stops the swap |
| Godex | Swap service | No | Not stated | Its ZEC address check accepts transparent (t) addresses only | Yes | Refund of received funds when the order shows “Overdue”, asked for within 90 days |
| StealthEX | Swap service | No | Not stated | Its ZEC address check accepts transparent (t) addresses only | Yes | If the rate moves sharply the swap fails, and you agree a new rate or a refund with support |
| SimpleSwap | Swap service | No | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | A late fixed-rate deposit gets a refund or a new rate |
| Zodl (NEAR Intents) | Wallet swap | No account or sign-up | Not stated | ZEC arrives at a fresh shielded address. Swaps out start from shielded ZEC | No. You set a slippage limit | Refund to the refund address you give. A short deposit is refunded after the swap expires |
| Maya Protocol | DEX (liquidity pools) | No | Not stated | To and from shielded addresses, through apps that support it | No. The pool sets the price | From a shielded balance, refund to the address carried in the swap memo |
| Haveno (RetoSwap) | P2P | No. You run the app | The app runs over Tor | Transparent (t) addresses only. ZEC trades against XMR | You take an offer at its price | Traders chat, then an arbitrator decides. The XMR sits in a 2-of-3 multisig |
| Bisq | P2P | No. You run the app | The app runs over Tor | Transparent (t) addresses only. ZEC trades against BTC | You take an offer at its price | Trader chat, then mediation, then arbitration. Both sides lock a BTC deposit |
Fees, minimums and rates change all the time, so this table leaves them out. Each service shows its own numbers before you send.
A form that accepts a unified address does not tell you which receiver gets paid. ZIP 316 says a sender must use the most preferred receiver it supports. So a sender that can only pay transparent addresses will pay the transparent receiver, if your address has one.
The services one by one
HiddenSwap
HiddenSwap is a swap service for crypto-to-crypto swaps only, Monero first, then Zcash. You need no account, no email and no ID; you get an order ID. Transparent (t1 or t3) and TEX (tex1) addresses pass the swap form’s address check. For a payout, the simple choice is a new t1 address from your own wallet, which you shield after the ZEC arrives. When you send ZEC, paste the Zcash address you send from. The trade-offs are real: your deposit stays out of your hands until your new coins are sent, a swap can be refunded instead of finished, and a floating quote can change before your deposit confirms. The refunds page explains where coins go back.
Trocador
Trocador is an aggregator. It shows quotes from several swap services, and the exchange you pick runs the swap. Its swap form lists “Zcash (Shielded)” and “Zcash (Transparent)” as separate choices on both sides, so you can look for offers with shielded ZEC. A problem is solved with the exchange that ran the swap, and Trocador says a refund can take a week or longer. It has an onion site and needs no account.
FixedFloat
FixedFloat (ff.io) offers a fixed and a floating rate. We found no statement on whether it pays shielded ZEC addresses. If your deposit arrives late, with a different amount, or after a large market move, the order page lets you continue at the market rate or take a refund minus the network fee.
SideShift
SideShift (sideshift.ai) needs no sign-up, but it makes an account ID and key in each new browser. Its API treats shielded ZEC as its own network, next to transparent ZEC, and Zcash users have used it to swap from shielded addresses since at least 2023. A fixed-rate shift expires if the deposit is not sent in time. You can give a refund address, or the order page asks for one when a refund is needed.
Exolix, Godex, StealthEX and SimpleSwap
These four swap services need no account and offer fixed and floating rates. Their ZEC address checks differ. Exolix accepts transparent and unified addresses. Godex and StealthEX accept only transparent addresses that start with t, so a payout from them always lands on the transparent side. SimpleSwap does not say. Their refund rules are in the table.
Zodl wallet swaps (NEAR Intents)
Zodl, the wallet formerly called Zashi, has swaps built in. They run on NEAR Intents, where market makers compete to fill your order, with no account or sign-up. Zodl says ZEC you swap into goes straight to a fresh shielded address in your wallet, and swaps out start from your shielded balance. You give a refund address, and a swap is valid for 24 hours. Send the exact amount: a short deposit is refunded after the swap expires. Swaps are subject to NEAR’s terms of service, and Zodl does not hold the coins. In September 2026, a user reported that USDT from a large swap out of shielded ZEC had not been released or refunded about 50 days later. Zodl replied that it cannot release or return the assets itself.
Maya Protocol
Maya Protocol is a decentralized cross-chain exchange with liquidity pools, which you reach through apps such as the Edge wallet. Maya says it swaps to and from shielded addresses as well as transparent ones. The price comes from the pool when the swap runs. When you pay from a shielded balance, your app puts a refund address in the swap memo, and a failed swap goes back there. One limit to know: the swap itself is recorded on the Maya chain, where its addresses and amounts are public, even when the ZEC leg is shielded.
Haveno and RetoSwap
Haveno is open-source software for peer-to-peer trades, built on Monero and Tor. Every market is paired with XMR, so you trade ZEC against XMR. RetoSwap is a network that runs it, and its Android app added Zcash in June 2026. Haveno’s ZEC check accepts only transparent addresses. The XMR side of each trade sits in a 2-of-3 multisig wallet between the two traders and an arbitrator. In May and again in June 2026, RetoSwap suspended trading after exploits in the Haveno protocol. Check its own channels for its current state before you use it.
Bisq
Bisq is a desktop app for peer-to-peer trades with no registration. It runs over Tor and lists ZEC against BTC. Its ZEC check accepts only transparent addresses. Both traders lock a BTC security deposit until the trade ends, and a dispute goes from trader chat to mediation, then to arbitration.
Not in the table: atomic swaps and THORChain
We found no atomic swap tool for BTC and ZEC that we could confirm works today. BasicSwap DEX does not list ZEC. Zwap opened early access in May 2026 for swaps between shielded ZEC and ETH or USDC on Ethereum and Base, at 1 to 100 US dollars per swap. It was built on the Orchard pool, which closed to new funds with the Ironwood upgrade on 28 July 2026, so check its current state. THORChain has announced ZEC support. On 30 September 2026 its nodes began scanning the Zcash chain, and swaps were not yet live when we checked.
How to choose
Ask four questions before you pick a service.
- Can it pay a shielded address? If not, give a new transparent address and shield the ZEC soon after it arrives. Our guide on how to shield Zcash shows how, without linking your addresses.
- Who holds your coins during the trade? On a swap service or through an aggregator, a company holds your deposit until the payout. With wallet swaps and on Maya, the network that runs the swap holds it. On a P2P app, one side’s coins sit in a multisig or behind deposits.
- What happens if the swap cannot finish? Read the refund rules first. ZEC paid from a shielded balance shows no sender on the chain, so the service needs a refund address from you.
- Can you use it over Tor? Some services have an onion site. Others work in Tor Browser on their normal domain. P2P apps run over Tor by design.
For a first try, send a small amount. Our guide to no-KYC exchange types explains each model, and are no-KYC exchanges safe? covers the risks. Swapping Monero instead? See our comparison of no-KYC Monero exchanges.
How a BTC to ZEC swap works on HiddenSwap
- Make a new t1 address in your own Zcash wallet. Use a wallet that has been updated for Ironwood.
- Open the Bitcoin to Zcash exchange and choose a floating or a fixed rate.
- Paste your t1 address. Add the Bitcoin address you send from, and send from that address.
- Send the exact amount in one transaction, and save your order ID.
- Follow the order page until your ZEC is sent. Then shield it in your wallet.
To go the other way, use the Zcash to Bitcoin swap: paste the Zcash address you send from as the sending address. If a refund is needed, support adds a refund address by your order ID. Our Zcash (ZEC) exchange page lists the address types and the shielded pools, and how to get Zcash without KYC covers the other routes to ZEC.
Safety tips
- Type the domain yourself. Fake copies of swap sites exist, and look-alike domains show up in search results. Our official links page lists our real addresses.
- Check onion addresses at the source. Copy an onion address only from the service’s own site or a directory you trust.
- Never share your seed phrase. No real swap service asks for it, or for a payment to release a normal swap.
- Never give a zc address. Sprout addresses are retired and cannot receive ZEC. Skip tex1 addresses too unless you know the service supports them.
- Use a directory to look further. kycnot.me lists many no-KYC services with notes from users. Read the notes and the service’s own terms together.
Quick answers
What is the best no-KYC Zcash exchange? There is no single best one. A swap service is the simplest. A wallet swap or Maya keeps your ZEC shielded but has its own rules. P2P apps take more work. Pick by shielded support, custody, refund rules and Tor access.
Which services can pay ZEC to a shielded address? From what we could confirm: Zodl swaps, Maya Protocol, SideShift’s shielded option and some offers on Trocador. Exolix accepts unified addresses. Godex, StealthEX, Haveno and Bisq accept only transparent addresses.
Does HiddenSwap pay to shielded addresses? It pays transparent addresses: give a new t1 address from your own wallet and shield the ZEC after it arrives.
Is there an atomic swap for BTC and ZEC? Not one we could confirm works today. Check THORChain’s own channels for when ZEC swaps go live there.