Last updated: October 17, 2026
Bitcoin Silent Payments (BIP-352) let you publish one reusable address — starting with sp1 — while every payment to it lands on a different, unlinkable on-chain address, so observers can't see that you received multiple payments or how much you hold in total. It's the same idea as Monero's stealth addresses, brought to Bitcoin. It fixes address reuse, but not everything: amounts, inputs and transaction history stay public. For full privacy, many still swap to Monero via BTC → XMR.
- BIP-352 specification
- 1 static address, unlimited payments
- 0 interaction needed between sender and receiver
- Public amounts still visible
How Silent Payments work
- The receiver publishes an
sp1…address — on a website, donation page or profile. - The sender's wallet combines that address with the keys of the coins it's spending to compute a brand-new Taproot output only the receiver can spend.
- On-chain it looks like an ordinary Taproot payment — nothing links it to the published address.
- The receiver's wallet scans new transactions to find payments that belong to it.
No server, no notification transaction and no interaction are required — that's the improvement over earlier ideas like reusable payment codes.
Silent Payments vs normal Bitcoin vs Monero
| Normal BTC address | Silent Payments | Monero | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reusable public address | Yes, but every payment is linked | Yes, payments unlinkable | Yes, payments unlinkable |
| Hides receiver on-chain | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hides amount | No | No | Yes |
| Hides sender / inputs | No | No | Yes (ring signatures) |
| Wallet support | Universal | Growing | All Monero wallets |
| Scanning cost | Low | Higher for the receiver | Higher for the receiver |
Monero has had this "stealth address" property since launch — see Monero subaddresses and is Monero traceable.
Who should use Silent Payments?
- Donations and tips: publish one address without exposing every donation. See accepting crypto donations without KYC.
- Freelancers and creators: one address in your profile, no linkable income history.
- Anyone tired of address reuse: a static address that doesn't leak your balance.
Silent Payments don't hide where the coins came from or how much was sent. If that matters, combine good Bitcoin hygiene (privacy mistakes to avoid) with Monero for savings.
How to start using Silent Payments (step by step)
- Pick a wallet that supports Silent Payments — support is growing; Cake Wallet was one of the first mobile wallets.
- Generate your
sp1…address and share it. - Let the wallet scan for incoming payments; it may take longer than a normal wallet sync.
- To send, paste someone's
sp1address in a supporting wallet — it computes the one-time output for you. - For full privacy, swap received BTC to XMR with no account on BTC → XMR.
Frequently asked questions
What are Bitcoin Silent Payments?
A Bitcoin standard (BIP-352) for a reusable static address where each payment goes to a unique, unlinkable on-chain address only the receiver can detect and spend.
Do Silent Payments make Bitcoin anonymous?
No. They hide the link between payments to the same receiver, but amounts, inputs and the rest of the transaction graph stay public. See is Bitcoin anonymous.
Can exchanges send to a Silent Payment address?
Only if their wallet software supports BIP-352. Most exchanges don't yet, so use a normal address for exchange withdrawals and swaps.
How are Silent Payments different from Monero?
Monero hides receivers, senders and amounts for every transaction. Silent Payments only hide the receiver's link between payments.
Are Silent Payments more expensive?
Sending costs about the same as a normal Taproot payment. The extra cost is on the receiver's side: scanning the blockchain to find payments.
Go further than Silent Payments: BTC → XMR, XMR → BTC or best Bitcoin exchanges. No account, no ID, no logs.