Best Bitcoin Mixer | Bitcoin Blender | Bitcoin Tumbler
A Bitcoin mixer is an anonymization service that allows you to make your transactions on the Bitcoin network as anonymous as possible. There is a common misconception that Bitcoin itself is anonymous. In fact, it is not, it is pseudo-anonymous. And while BTC addresses are associated with a real person, every transaction on the network will also be associated with a user. This is possible due to the publicity and immutability of operations. Bitcoin tumbler (or Bitcoin mixer) helps to anonymize any transfer, cutting off the connection with the person. These services work by collecting coins from multiple parties who wish to use their funds anonymously. Users will then receive the equivalent amount of BTC back (minus a small fee) from another wallet unrelated to the original sending wallet (and funds). And this means that the mixer (if it is trustworthy) must erase all links between the sender and his Bitcoin. In our material, we will take a closer look at the principles of operation of bitcoin mixers, as well as list the most popular and proven services.
How do bitcoin mixers work? A mixer is an application or site that accepts a user's coins and mixes them with someone else's. It happens like this: the coins are split into many small parts, then these shares are randomly mixed with the shares that came from other users (mix).
The process takes place in accordance with a given algorithm. As a result, exactly as much money comes to the addressee as needed, but this amount will consist of many pieces that previously belonged to unknown participants.
For several years, bitcoin mixers have been used extensively and ubiquitously to cover their tracks (for example, when performing illegal operations). But now a fight is organized with them - it has been proven that it is very easy to launder money in this way. However, programs are not always needed for illegal purposes: they are often used by those who want to protect themselves or hide the fact of owning cryptocurrency from intruders. Of course, all services take a commission for their services. Its size depends both on the amount sent and on the number of mixings made (the more, the more reliable). Ideally, not a single particle of the resulting amount of coins is associated with the original user.
What are bitcoin mixers?
Bitcoin mixers are divided into two types: centralized resources. These include the first generation of mixers, now somewhat obsolete, although a few services still remain. Here the client sends bitcoins, pays a commission, and the specified address receives coins from another user for the same amount. The more users and money in the system, the higher the level of anonymity. The decline in the popularity of such resources is partly due to the fact that when accessing the logs, anonymity drops dramatically. Decentralized or peer-to-peer platforms. They allow you to exchange bitcoins without intermediaries, directly contacting other users. The likelihood of fraud is extremely low. There are a number of protocols (CoinSwap, SharedCoin, CoinJoin) that allow several clients to unite and create one common transaction, which is carried out in stages, as the required number of participants is recruited. None of the users store the addresses of recipients or senders, this is done by the mixing server. The complication of the operation is made by increasing the number of mixings in a row.
- This is a service of Russian origin with a minimalistic user interface.
- It has all the ingredients a bitcoin mixer needs, including the mixing code that prevents your own coins from being returned to you from previous transactions.
- As many as 5 additional addresses are supported, for which you can manually set the fee along with a time delay, or let the site set random values automatically. The number of required confirmations is 1.
- The maximum time delay that can be set is 24 hours, although there is only one standard delay for all outputs and cannot be set separately for each address.
- The minimum commission is 0.4% of each deposit, as well as 0.0005 BTC per address.
- The minimum deposit limit is 0.005 BTC and anything below this amount is considered a donation and is non-refundable.
- All saved recordings are deleted after a 72-hour retention period.
- There is also a feature called “ Letter of Guarantee ” that can be used to confirm a transaction at a later time.
Step by step instructions - how to use the service
- The unique code is the code that you will receive after the first mixing on this service. It ensures that in the future you will not be able to get the funds that you mixed in the past times of using the mixer. If this is the first mixing on this service, leave the field blank.
- Recipient's address . In this field, enter the wallet address to which you want to send mixed bitcoins. You can add up to 5 addresses between which mixed bitcoins are distributed.
- Delay for the reverse transaction to you from the mixer. Can be set up to 72 hours. The service recommends setting a delay of at least 1 hour.
- Service commission - from 0.4% to 4%. The higher the commission, the more transactions you will receive from legitimate sources (exchanges, investors).
- If you wish, you can enable randomization (make more than one transaction of mixed bitcoins to your wallet) or let the service automatically configure the mixer (the “Auto-tuning” button). Thanks to the “Mixing Strength” indicator, you can navigate how strongly the cryptocurrency is mixed.
- After setting up the mixer, click "Start mixing".
- You have now reached the order page. Download the letter of guarantee, which is proof of the commitment of the service, copy and write down your unique code.
Advantages and disadvantages of bitcoin mixers
In theory, such resources work just fine. However, not every site is 100% efficient, traditional mixing mechanisms are subject to a number of problems. For example, it has already been proven that there is a 95% chance that a favorite mixer can be decrypted - the so-called clustering analysis helps in this.
Bitfury and Chainalysis have created special algorithms that can identify addresses related to each other, while showing fairly high accuracy. This exposes users to some danger, because these algorithms are able not only to identify any client, but also to demonstrate to everyone who uses the bitcoin mixer.
Another urgent problem is the huge number of scam projects on the Internet. At the same time, fraudsters are not afraid of anything, because the person they are deceiving is unlikely to go to the police or the court, knowing that he himself violates the law to one degree or another. Therefore, there is no regulation in this area, the work is based only on trust.
Finally, there is a risk that the client (or his addressee) will receive "dirty" money. As a result, when government agencies deal with money laundering, they can reach out to a person who is, in fact, innocent. This guarantees many unpleasant minutes.
How to Choose the Best Bitcoin Mixer?
As we have already seen, bitcoin mixers are not perfect. If we consider specific services, then each one can also find shortcomings. For example, one does not allow using mailing from different addresses, the other does not allow you to set up a pending transaction ... What you need to pay attention to first of all:
- Reputation. In order not to lose your hard-earned coins, you need to try to get to know the mixer you decide to interact with better, read reviews on darknet forums (for example, The Hub).
- Blockchain analysis for identification. Some of the bitcoin mixing resources are specially tagged, allowing analysts to link clients' bitcoin wallets to them. Of course, as a result, the client can be traced. To check if a resource is flagged, you can use walletexplorer.com.
- Reserve size. It must be big. In the event that the transaction is larger than the pool of coins of the service, then after mixing, fresh coins will be credited in parts.
Nuances and features
The speed of mixing depends on the chosen cryptocurrency and on the total amount of the transaction. After leaving the application, the coin is sent to the pool and waits for confirmation from the miners, and then moves to different wallets. How many wallets, so many transactions - therefore, you need to count on at least 5-6 bitcoin transfers over time. To make the links between addresses even less tracked, the technology of deferred transactions is used.
Most mixers, in order to maintain confidentiality, do not store information for a long time - a maximum of 3 days. The address that is generated in the mixer itself is valid only for a day and is only suitable for transfers within the service. It is generally prohibited to accept other funds to the same address.
Of course, the services do not require identity verification and do not conduct any type of KYC procedures. During the operation, the service provides various important information: a letter of guarantee, a code for confirming the ownership of money, the address of a cryptocurrency wallet - it is important not to accidentally close the tabs with this information, since it will later be useful to return the transferred funds.
Many bitcoin mixers set a minimum transfer amount. You need to be careful - if you try to send an amount less than the lower threshold, then the money will go as a donation to the developers.
What else do you need to know about the cryptocurrency mixer?
- What is a cryptocurrency mixer for? The mixer helps you make your transactions anonymous, completely removing the possibility of being tracked.
- Mixers do not store logs or other personal information in their database . For example, Bitmix removes all orders and related data from the database after 72 hours or earlier at your request from the order page.
- Why does the client set the commission on some mixers? Flexibility in choosing a commission makes it difficult to track a transaction.
- What is a Letter of Guarantee? When a mixer provides you with an address to which your funds should be sent for mixing, it also provides a signed confirmation that this address was generated by its service for you. The letter of guarantee must be kept, as only this letter can confirm the use of the mixer by you mix coin.
