Comparison · facts checked October 18, 2026
LocalMonero alternative: getting Monero (XMR) after the shutdown
LocalMonero, the peer-to-peer marketplace for Monero, wound down in 2024 and its site is now offline. Here is what it offered, the dates from its own announcement, and what fills each part of the gap today.
The short version
- LocalMonero is closed. Signups and new ads stopped on 7 May 2024 and new trades on 14 May 2024. Its site now says the platform "has now been taken offline".
- If you bought XMR with fiat (bank transfer, cash, a payment app), the closest replacement is a peer-to-peer network built on Haveno, such as RetoSwap.
- If you already hold crypto, a swap is simpler: SilentXMR swaps BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL to XMR with no account, at Kraken's price minus 0.5%.
Order
Send exactly
on the network to:
- You get (locked)
- Rate
- Your address
- Payout transaction
- Created
- Send the exact amount above from your wallet.
- We check the deposit wallet, and once your deposit confirms we send the amount quoted above to your address, even if the price has moved since.
- This page updates by itself. Keep your order ID to check later on the Track order page.
Questions? Email service@silentxmr.com with your order ID.
What LocalMonero was, and when it closed
LocalMonero was a marketplace where people bought and sold Monero with each other, using more than 60 payment methods such as bank transfers, cash and online payment processors. For each trade, the seller's XMR was reserved from their LocalMonero arbitration bond wallet, and disputes went to the platform's arbitrators. You needed an account. Registering, buying and selling were free; users who created ads paid a 1% arbitration protection fee per completed trade and set their own prices.
On 7 May 2024 LocalMonero announced it was closing "due to a combination of internal and external factors". New signups and ad postings were disabled that day, new trades stopped on 14 May 2024, and the announcement said the website would be taken down on 7 November 2024, asking users to reclaim any funds from their arbitration bond wallets before then. Today localmonero.co shows only a notice that the platform "wound down its operations in 2024 and has now been taken offline", with links to archived articles.
The announcement did not name a successor. It pointed to the imminent launch of Haveno, other decentralized exchanges and atomic swaps as reasons to be confident about Monero's future. Haveno networks such as RetoSwap now cover the same peer-to-peer, fiat-for-XMR use. For crypto you already hold, a swap service does the job without a counterparty.
SilentXMR vs LocalMonero
Facts about LocalMonero come from its own website, documents and announcements, checked on October 18, 2026. "Not published" means we could not find it stated there.
| Feature | SilentXMR | LocalMonero |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Operating. | Closed. New trades ended on 14 May 2024; the site is now offline. |
| Type of service | A single swap service for Monero. Every swap starts or ends in XMR. | Peer-to-peer marketplace: buyers and sellers traded through ads. |
| Monero (XMR) | Yes, on every pair, in both directions. | XMR against fiat and other payment methods. No longer available. |
| Coins and networks | BTC, ETH, LTC, SOL, USDT (ERC-20, TRC-20, SPL) and USDC (ERC-20, SPL), each to and from XMR. | Monero, against 60+ payment methods. |
| Account | None. | Required. |
| ID checks (KYC) | No name, email address or ID requested. | No ID by default, but its terms let it require ID verification at any time, and traders could ask each other for ID. |
| Fees and pricing | Kraken's last price minus a 0.5% spread, shown before you send. You receive the quoted amount. | Free to buy and sell; ad creators paid 1% per completed trade. Prices set by each ad. |
| Minimum and maximum | $50 worth. Above $50,000, contact support first. | Set by each ad. |
| Rate | Locked when you create the order, with no expiry, even if the price moves before your deposit confirms. | Price set when the buyer sent the trade request. |
| Who holds the coins during the swap | You send to the deposit address on your order and we send the payout to your address. You trust SilentXMR between the two. | The seller's XMR was held in the platform's arbitration bond wallet during the trade. |
| Fiat (bank, card, cash) | No. Crypto to crypto only. | Yes: bank transfer, cash, online payment processors and more. |
| How you receive the coins | Deposits are checked and payouts sent by hand after your deposit confirms. Follow it with your order ID. | Released by the seller, or by an arbitrator in a dispute. |
Ready to swap? Lock your XMR rate now.
- Kraken's live price minus 0.5%. You see exactly what you get before you send.
- Your rate is locked the moment you create the order. No countdown, no re-quote.
- BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL in, XMR out to your address. Or the other way round.
When a P2P network like Haveno suits you better
- You want to buy XMR with fiat: a bank transfer, cash or a payment app. That is what LocalMonero was for, and SilentXMR does not take fiat.
- You want to sell XMR for fiat.
- You want escrow instead of trusting one operator: Haveno uses a 2-of-3 multisig wallet shared by buyer, seller and arbitrator.
- You are fine installing a desktop app and waiting for a counterparty.
When SilentXMR may suit you better
- You already hold BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL and want XMR without finding a seller.
- You want no account at all: SilentXMR asks for no name, email address or ID.
- You want a set price: Kraken's last price minus 0.5%, locked when you create the order.
- You don't want to install software or lock a security deposit.
Getting XMR now
If your money is in a bank, you have two routes: trade fiat for XMR peer to peer on a Haveno network (see our Haveno comparison), or buy a coin like BTC or USDT where you normally buy crypto and swap it to XMR here.
If you already hold crypto, pick it in the swap card, paste your Monero address and send the exact amount to the deposit address on your order. The XMR amount is locked when you create the order, and payouts are sent by hand once your deposit confirms.
Pick a coin and amount
The estimate updates from Kraken's live price as you type.
Add your receiving address
For XMR, paste the receive address from Feather, Cake or any Monero wallet.
Send and track
Send to the deposit address on your order. Your order page shows when we've received it and when your coins are on their way.
Swap pairs
Get Monero in your own wallet. No account, no ID.
- Kraken's live price minus 0.5%. You see exactly what you get before you send.
- Your rate is locked the moment you create the order. No countdown, no re-quote.
- BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL in, XMR out to your address. Or the other way round.
Questions
Is LocalMonero still working?
No. LocalMonero stopped new trades on 14 May 2024, and localmonero.co now shows a notice that the platform has been taken offline.
When did LocalMonero shut down?
Its announcement on 7 May 2024 disabled new signups and ads that day, stopped new trades on 14 May 2024, and set 7 November 2024 as the date the website would be taken down. The site now shows only a closure notice.
Can I still get funds back from LocalMonero?
The announcement asked users to reclaim funds from their arbitration bond wallets before 7 November 2024, after which they might be considered abandoned. The site now lists contact@localmonero.co but says it has no staff and does not guarantee a response. SilentXMR has no connection to LocalMonero and cannot help with old accounts.
What replaced LocalMonero for buying XMR with cash or a bank transfer?
Peer-to-peer networks built on Haveno, such as RetoSwap, work in a similar way: you trade with another person, and the coins sit in escrow until the trade completes. SilentXMR does not take fiat.
Did LocalMonero require ID?
Not by default. Its terms let it require ID verification at any time, and its FAQ noted that some traders asked for ID, in which case you could cancel the trade.
Can I swap crypto to XMR without an account?
Yes. On SilentXMR you choose BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, LTC or SOL, enter your Monero address and send the amount shown. No name, email address or ID is requested, and the minimum is $50. Questions go to service@silentxmr.com.
Sources
The LocalMonero pages we checked on October 18, 2026. Services change their terms, so check the current version before you rely on a detail.
- LocalMonero: current closure notice localmonero.co
- LocalMonero: winding-down announcement, 7 May 2024 (archived) web.archive.org/web/20240507221011/https://localmonero.co/blog/announcements/winding-down
- LocalMonero: FAQ (archived May 2024) web.archive.org/web/20240518195119/https://localmonero.co/faq
- LocalMonero: fees (archived May 2024) web.archive.org/web/20240518195117/https://localmonero.co/fee
- LocalMonero: terms of service (archived May 2024) web.archive.org/web/20240518195146/https://localmonero.co/terms
- Haveno: FAQ haveno.exchange/faq
SilentXMR is not affiliated with LocalMonero. Its name is used only to identify the service being compared.