What is Mixer / Tumbler?
A service that pools cryptocurrency from multiple users and redistributes it, breaking the link between the original sender and the final recipient.
Mixers and tumblers attempt to break the transaction trail on public blockchains like Bitcoin.
How It Works
- Users send crypto to the mixer
- The mixer pools funds from many users
- After a delay, funds are sent to the users' destination addresses
- The amounts and timing are randomized to prevent tracing
Centralized vs Decentralized
- Centralized mixers: Operated by a company. They see all inputs and outputs. Requires trust.
- Decentralized mixers: Use cryptographic protocols (like CoinJoin) so no single party sees the full picture.
Legal Status
- Tornado Cash (Ethereum mixer) was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022
- Bestmixer.io was shut down by Europol in 2019
- Samourai Wallet developers were arrested in 2024
- Using mixers for legitimate privacy is legal in most jurisdictions, but services that facilitate money laundering face enforcement
The Better Alternative
Instead of adding privacy after the fact, use a cryptocurrency with built-in privacy (Monero, DERO). The privacy is indistinguishable from normal use.
Related Terms
CoinJoin
A Bitcoin privacy technique that combines multiple users' transactions into a single transaction, making it difficult to determine which inputs correspond to which outputs.
Ring Signatures
A cryptographic technique that allows someone to sign a message on behalf of a group, making it impossible to determine which group member actually signed.
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