Bisq
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About Bisq Exchange
Bisq exchange , formerly known as Bitsquare, is an open-source peer-to-peer trading platform that lets you buy and sell Bitcoin directly for fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies without registration or identity verification. Unlike centralized exchanges, Bisq runs on users' own devices, does not send trading data to a central server, and focuses on privacy by routing communications through the Tor network.
On Bisq, users keep control of their assets, and trades are carried out using a multisignature mechanism and a security deposit. A multi-stage dispute resolution system is also in place to handle potential issues. Decentralized governance through Bisq DAO and the option to pay fees with the token BSQset Bisq's structure apart from traditional exchanges.
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Reviewing Bisq exchange's credibility, ranking and global standing
Structurally, Bisq is not directly comparable to centralized exchanges; the project is an open-source, non-custodial P2P network and, according to its official documentation, has no company or central entity controlling user funds. This architecture reduces the risk of holding assets on an exchange, but it does not guarantee security; in May 2026, Bisq confirmed a vulnerability in the «Bisq v1» protocol that affected altcoin trades and led to losses for 10 users. According to the official report, Bisq 2 and Bisq Easy were not involved in this incident, and security fixes were applied afterward.
At the time of review, Bisq has no specific rank in CoinMarketCap's spot exchange rankings. On CoinGecko, Bisq is also absent from the current list of 166 exchanges ranked by Trust Score, and no specific Trust Score is displayed for it. That said, the lack of a CMC or CoinGecko ranking should not by itself be taken as a sign that Bisq is unreliable, since its decentralized P2P model differs from the criteria used to evaluate conventional exchanges.
Has Bisq exchange been hacked or involved in fraud?
Yes; Bisq has a history of security incidents that resulted in theft of assets, although these cases differed from the hack of a centralized exchange and the draining of a central wallet. In April 2020, an attacker exploited a flaw in Bisq's trade protocol and, according to the project's official statement, about 3 BTC and 4,000 XMR were stolen from 7 users in the XMR/BTC market. Bisq temporarily halted trading and fixed the vulnerability in version 1.3.0. The project itself stressed that the flaw related to the trade execution process, not the mechanism for holding user funds.
Another major incident occurred on 1 May 2026. Using a modified client, the attacker exploited a validation weakness in the Bisq v1 protocol; 10 users lost a total of 11.59104 BTC. The attack affected only Bisq v1 altcoin trades and, according to the official report, Bisq 2, Bisq Easy, fiat trades and funds held solely in the Bisq wallet were not affected.
Variety of currencies on Bisq exchange
According to the official documentation, the range of assets on the Bisq crypto exchange is relatively broad, but its structure differs from typical spot exchanges. The Bisq documentation page mentions support for more than 100 cryptocurrencies, tokens and assets. However, the important point is that in Bisq v1 one side of every trade must be Bitcoin (BTC); so, unlike centralized exchanges, you cannot directly trade any two cryptocurrencies of your choice in pairs such as ETH/USDT.
In Bisq's official markets, besides BTC, assets such as Monero (XMR), BSQ, Tether (USDT), Ether (ETH), DAI, Dogecoin (DOGE), Litecoin (LTC) and USD Coin (USDC) can be seen; however, an asset being on the list does not mean it has high liquidity. Bisq market data shows that trading activity varies greatly between currencies, and for some markets not a single trade has been recorded over a seven-day period.
Reviewing costs on Bisq exchange: deposits, withdrawals and fees
Since Bisq is a non-custodial P2P network, its deposit and withdrawal structure differs from that of centralized exchanges; users' assets are not held in a centralized account with Bisq. In Bisq v1 trades, in addition to the trading fee, on-chain Bitcoin transactions are also carried out, and as a result the network fee, or Mining Fee, is added to the final cost. According to Bisq's documentation, the maker pays the transaction cost related to the Maker Fee, and the taker covers the cost of the Taker Fee, Deposit and Payout transactions; therefore, the network cost can change with Bitcoin network conditions.
Bisq Exchange Trading Fees
According to Bisq's current fee schedule, when paying with BTC, the maker fee is 0.15% and the taker fee is 1.15% of the trade volume; that is, the combined rate for both sides comes to 1.30%. The absolute minimum fee is set at 0.000075 BTC. Users can also pay fees with the BSQ token; in this case the target rate is 0.075% for the maker and 0.575% for the taker, for a combined 0.65%, and the minimum fee is 0.03 BSQ. Bisq has stated that the BSQ rate is periodically adjusted based on the BSQ/BTC ratio; therefore, the BSQ figures may change.
Bisq exchange services and features
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) trading: Buy and sell bitcoin directly against fiat currencies and some cryptocurrencies, with no centralized intermediary and no transfer of asset ownership to the exchange.
- Trading without identity verification (No KYC): Using Bisq does not require signing up or submitting identity documents to a central entity, and users keep control of their personal information.
- Bisq Easy: A simpler protocol in Bisq 2 for buying bitcoin that makes it easier for beginners to get started without needing initial bitcoin for the security deposit.
- Creating and accepting trade offers: Users can create their own buy or sell offers by setting the amount, price and payment method, or accept existing offers from other users.
- Multiple fiat payment methods: Depending on the market and the user's location, Bisq supports various methods for transferring money between buyer and seller; fiat payment is made directly between the two parties.
- Non-custodial trading: Unlike a CEX, the Bisq crypto exchange does not hold user balances in its own centralized accounts, and the trade structure is designed to reduce the need to trust an intermediary.
- Privacy protection with Tor: Bisq network communications run through Tor by default, and sensitive data is stored on users' devices instead of a central server.
- Dispute resolution system: If a problem arises between buyer and seller, Bisq provides mechanisms such as Trader Chat, mediation and, where applicable, arbitration to handle disputes.
- Bisq DAO: The governance and development funding of Bisq are decentralized, and contributors can take part in the project's governance mechanism.
- BSQ token: The native token of the Bisq ecosystem is used for DAO governance and paying fees; paying the Trading Fee in BSQ is calculated at a lower target rate than in BTC.
- Built-in bitcoin wallet: The Bisq software gives users the tools they need to manage the BTC required for trading, and the wallet can also be password-protected.
- Mobile notifications: Bisq has a dedicated mobile app for receiving notifications, so users can get alerts about events related to their trades and offers on their phone.
Bisq exchange's dedicated app
Bisq's main platform is offered as open-source desktop software for Windows, macOS and Linux, through which users access the core features of the peer-to-peer network, including creating and accepting trade offers and managing trades. The new version, Bisq 2, can also be downloaded from the project's official website for desktop operating systems.
For mobile, Bisq Easy Mobile is available to Android and iOS users and, unlike the old Bisq Mobile app, which was mainly used to receive notifications from the desktop software, it lets users use Bisq Easy and buy and sell bitcoin P2P from their phone. However, the mobile features should not be considered equivalent to the full capabilities of the Bisq desktop version; the app focuses on the simpler Bisq Easy protocol.
Review of the user experience of Bisq's dedicated app
A review of the official releases shows that Bisq Easy Mobile was developed to simplify the P2P bitcoin trading experience on Android. The app has a built-in Tor client, shows messages from open trades as notifications, supports Backup/Restore of the network profile, and tries to reconnect in the background if the connection drops. Features such as trade history with search and filtering, separation of open trades from past records, saving the market filter, a built-in FAQ and support for 13 languages have also been gradually added to the user interface.
The new versions also display Tor connection progress and error messages more clearly, which makes for a more understandable experience for users less familiar with decentralized networks.
It is worth noting that the P2P and Tor nature of the app means users deal with more concepts than in a centralized trading app. Another important point is that Bisq Easy Node is currently a standalone Android app; by contrast, Bisq Connect for Android and iOS is a Thin Client and, to operate, connects to a trusted Bisq 2 Node run by the user or someone they trust. This dependency makes setting up the Connect version more complicated for beginner users.