Is SideShift.ai safe to connect?
Swap service ยท Instant cross-chain swaps (200+ assets). Checked 2026-10-24; every line links its source.
Worst case: Your coins sit at SideShift during the swap; if a shift is flagged or goes out of range it can wait on human review, and without a refund address it can't be refunded automatically.
Safe setup in 3 steps
- Always set a refund address you control before sending
- Send the exact amount before the shift expires and test with a small amount first
- Bookmark sideshift.ai (not look-alikes such as sideshift.app) and keep your shift ID for support
What it can do with your money
| Who holds the keys | The service holds the keys You send coins to a SideShift deposit address; SideShift settles to your address or refunds to the refund address. source |
|---|---|
| Can funds be sent out to any address? | Not applicable (no stored balance); refunds are automatic only if a refund address is set. source |
| Can it hold or freeze your funds? | Docs: refunds are automatic when a refund address is set (wrong amount, expired shift, out-of-range deposits); without one, the shift stays in 'refund' until you add an address. Out-of-range or post-expiry deposits may be processed or refunded after human review; wrong-network deposits are recovered if accessible, usually within 3 days. User eligibility is checked via a permissions endpoint. SideShift's terms (on sideshift.ai) could not be retrieved, so its AML hold policy is not confirmed here. source |
Official links
- Website:
sideshift.ai
Where we confirmed these
Incidents
| Date | What happened | Amount | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-16 | Reported by users (unverified): Trustpilot reviews describe a shift held for 4 days and (Mar 2025) a swap stalled after SideShift said it 'needed some kind of check' | Not stated; SideShift replied with boilerplate | source |