Best for: People who want to buy or sell bitcoin peer-to-peer with refundable deposits instead of trusting an exchange.
Consider if: You are ready to run desktop software. (Note: Bisq Easy now allows buying without a security deposit).
Not ideal when: You need instant liquidity, mobile access, or trades without any on-chain confirmations.
Gotcha: Bisq cannot recover your seed phrase or password if you lose them.
Gotcha: Keep a buffer of sats in Bisq so new offers do not fail for lack of collateral.
Gotcha: Stay online during the trade so you can respond quickly if a mediator contacts you.
Most fiat trades need roughly 0.01 BTC to cover the buyer deposit and fees, and Bisq shows the exact requirement before you accept the offer.
Yes. Bisq relays chat messages and payout transactions over Tor, so staying online avoids mediation delays.
You can create a new offer with your preferred method or revisit the market later; payment method availability depends on which peers are online.
On-chain mining fee you choose
What happens:
You send bitcoin from an external wallet to Bisq so you can pay trading fees and security deposits.
Save money:
Fund when mempool fees are low or use a wallet that supports replace-by-fee if you need to bump the transaction.
Bisq recommends keeping a small buffer of sats ready for new trades.
BTC fees: Maker 0.15% / Taker 1.15%
BSQ fees: Maker 0.075% / Taker 0.575%
What happens:
Bisq charges maker and taker trading fees plus locks the refundable security deposit when you accept an offer.
Save money:
Hold BSQ to pay the discounted rate or post maker offers so you pay the lower side.
The Bisq DAO votes on fee parameters and the client updates the schedule automatically.
Refundable collateral: typically 15%-50% of trade size
What happens:
Bisq locks both parties' deposits in the 2-of-2 escrow to incentivize delivery of the fiat payment.
Save money:
Complete account signing so Bisq can raise your limits with smaller collateral requirements.
Deposit ratios vary by payment method and appear on each offer screen.
On-chain mining fee estimated by Bisq
What happens:
After a trade settles you can send your bitcoin to another wallet and pay the network fee once.
Save money:
Batch withdrawals or lower the fee slider if you can wait for slower confirmation.
Bisq lets you edit the withdrawal fee before broadcasting the transaction.
Makers pay the maker fee transaction while takers cover the deposit, payout, and taker fee transactions. Bisq lists each mining estimate before you confirm.
Deposits return to you when the trade completes, but mediation or arbitration can distribute them if one side misses the deadline or breaks the rules.
The fee amount is locked in when you confirm the trade, so BSQ price changes afterward do not affect that order. You can convert more BSQ later if you plan to keep using the discount.
Best for: Euro buyers who can wait for bank settlement in exchange for higher limits.
| Min per transaction | €10 equivalent |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | 0.25 BTC to start (higher with account signing) |
| Max per day | Depends on Bisq account age |
| Max per week | Depends on Bisq account age |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Payout releases once the seller marks the transfer received. |
Best for: U.S. buyers who want fast bank transfers up to the starter limit.
| Min per transaction | $10 equivalent |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | 0.25 BTC until your account ages in |
| Max per day | Subject to your bank's Zelle caps |
| Max per week | Subject to your bank's Zelle caps |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Seller must confirm funds within the four day trade window. |
Best for: Local trades where you can meet safely and prefer no banking trail.
| Min per transaction | Set by the offer maker |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | Up to 0.5 BTC on signed accounts |
| Max per day | Depends on trusted counterparties |
| Max per week | Depends on trusted counterparties |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Confirm the cash in person before you co-sign the payout. |
Bisq delivers bitcoin to you after the trade, so line up a wallet you control before taking larger offers.
Gotcha: Do not keep the only copy of your seed on the same computer that runs Bisq.
Generating a new address for every Bisq withdrawal keeps your trade history private.
Gotcha: Never reuse a withdrawal address; it links multiple trades together.
Testing with a small withdrawal lets you confirm your wallet setup before you move the full trade amount.
Gotcha: Wait for the transaction to confirm before deleting Bisq's local data or shutting down your machine.
Finishing the withdrawal moves all escrowed bitcoin to the wallet you control, closing the loop on your trade.
Gotcha: If you withdraw with the minimum fee during heavy mempool backlog, plan for a longer confirmation time.
Yes. Paste a fresh address from your hardware wallet when you withdraw, and confirm the address on the device screen before you broadcast.
Open the trade details to copy the transaction ID or view it inside Bisq, then check it in a block explorer such as mempool.space.
Use Account > Backup to save an encrypted backup alongside your seed words before you move the funds.
No. The data lives on your machine and is only shared with the counterparty you trade with.
No. Tor is mandatory and baked into the client, which is how Bisq keeps the network private and censorship resistant.
Refer them to the Bisq trade rules and involve a mediator instead of sharing documents outside the app.
Open-source desktop client and DAO code on GitHub
GitHub repositorySecurity deposits, dispute process, and trade rules
Security docsPrivacy policy and data handling details
Privacy policyTerms of use for Bisq contributors and traders
Terms of use
Bisq is a decentralized, open‑source desktop app created by Manfred Karrer for buying and selling bitcoin directly with other people. It routes all traffic over Tor, uses a built‑in non‑custodial wall...
Bisq is a decentralized, open‑source desktop app created by Manfred Karrer for buying and selling bitcoin directly with other people. It routes all traffic over Tor, uses a built‑in non‑custodial wallet and has no sign‑ups or KYC. Trades span many national currencies and payment rails, and the project is funded and governed through a community DAO with the BSQ token rather than a company.
Bisq sets maker fees at 0.15% and taker fees at 1.15% when you pay in BTC, and the DAO halves each rate to 0.075% and 0.575% if you spend BSQ. You can choose the fee currency before confirming a trade and see the exact total on the review screen.
Every trade locks both parties' refundable security deposits in a 2-of-2 multisig escrow alongside the trade amount. Deposit sizes vary by payment method and account signing stage, and Bisq shows the required amount before you accept an offer.
Bisq supports rails such as SEPA, Zelle, Wise, Revolut, and cash trades, each with its own settlement window and trade limit. You can filter the offer book by payment method to find rails that match your country.
Bisq runs over Tor with no central accounts or KYC, so your payment profiles and trade history stay on your computer. You share the needed details only with your counterparty during the trade.
A Bisq trade waits for the escrow transaction to confirm on-chain, then gives you a payment window that ranges from minutes on crypto rails to four to six days on fiat rails. Once both sides mark payment sent and received, the escrow releases and your deposit returns automatically.
