Addressing Haveno.com false reports and the Haveno App
Community Reports Raise Concerns About haveno.com
In recent weeks, members of the Monero community have raised concerns about haveno.com, a domain hosting a community-developed Haveno exchange app. Multiple community chats, forum posts, and IRC logs have labeled the site as a scam or phishing domain, warning users not to trust it.
One Reddit user cautioned, “Haveno com is a scam site, do not download anything from there.” In public Matrix discussions, a well-known contributor, ofrnxmr (read more about ofrnxmr’s reputation on Kewbit’s blog), compared haveno.com to known phishing domains, pointing to allegedly fake install instructions – including a nonexistent Flatpak. This fueled suspicions that haveno.com may attempt to mislead less experienced users.
These warnings were echoed by prominent figures in the Monero community and even Monero Core contributors. Earlier in 2025, community members discussed a wave of phishing scams, explicitly including haveno.com. By March, the conversation intensified. One contributor accused the domain of “squatting” on the Haveno name to give credibility to an unofficial app. On social media, allegations circulated that the project used AI-generated code, collected 75 XMR through crowdfunding, and failed to deliver meaningful results, however this was disputed effectively where Kewbit provided evidence that the code was in fact complete, Luigi1111 had just denied the milestone, you can read more about Luigi1111 and his scams here on why the founder of Monero fluffypony suggested to disband core.
Unpacking the Allegations and Internal Disputes
To understand who is behind these phishing reports and why, one must look at the internal tensions within the Haveno and Monero ecosystems. The haveno.com domain is operated by Kewbit, a developer leading the creation of an alternative Haveno client. Initially funded through the Monero Community Crowdfunding System (CCS), the project ran into opposition from other community contributors over its direction and legitimacy.
By late 2024, critics accused Kewbit of misrepresenting progress, citing unbuildable or low-quality code submissions. One harsh comment summarized the situation: “A guy scammed the CCS by proposing to make an Android Haveno app, but gave some garbage AI-generated code that didn’t even build and ran away with the money.”
Supporters of haveno.com have firmly pushed back. Kewbit has publicly stated that claims of phishing or scamming are baseless. He argued in Matrix discussions that building a separate client and website is legal and ethical and support an open-sourced FOSS philosophy, especially when transparency is maintained. He emphasized that haveno.com never claimed to represent the official Haveno team and instead serves as a platform to distribute his own independent client, sometimes referred to as “Haveno App” or “Haveno Plus.”
Community reports and news outlets have confirmed this distinction. For instance, Monero Observer clarified that haveno.com is entirely separate from the core project hosted at haveno.exchange.
A Clash of Development Styles and Philosophies
Part of the backlash may stem from competition over development approaches. The core Haveno GUI project was delayed due to funding gaps and is written in native frameworks like Java or Qt. Kewbit’s app, however, is built with Flutter — a cross-platform framework that supports rapid UI development across Android, iOS, desktop, and web.
While some in the community see this as innovative, others view it as unprofessional or insecure. Kewbit’s ability to secure CCS funding and publish flashy updates may have created resentment. In the wake of controversy, another community member proposed a new CCS to build a different mobile app, with an MIT license and fully native tooling, suggesting that trust in Kewbit’s vision had fractured.
Accusations about using AI-generated code or riding buzzwords like “multiplatform” and “cross-platform” became common among critics. Despite this, there has been no technical audit showing the Haveno App is malicious or non-functional.
What the Haveno App Actually Does
Beyond the noise, the Haveno App is a real project with demonstrable progress. Hosted on GitHub at KewbitXMR/haveno-app, it provides a Flutter-based GUI that connects to Haveno network daemons via gRPC. The app enables users to:
• Connect to any Haveno network (stagenet or mainnet)
• Create, view, and accept trade offers
• Participate in trades and resolve disputes
• Use arbitrator selection and encrypted chat
• Manage payment accounts and view market data
The app is built with privacy in mind. It requires all traffic to be routed over Tor, and on mobile it refuses to start unless Tor routing (e.g., via Orbot) is enabled. This design mirrors the security principles of the core Haveno project and helps prevent metadata leaks.
The application is available as an APK for Android, an AppImage for Linux, and a Windows installer. The team has committed to weekly alpha releases and is working toward full macOS and iOS support.
All code is licensed under AGPLv3 and is publicly auditable. A Dart SDK used by the app is even published on pub.dev. Documentation and installation guides are hosted on haveno.com itself, with clear warnings that users should not trust third-party builds.
Brand Confusion and Safety Concerns
Although the Haveno App appears legitimate, the existence of haveno.com alongside haveno.exchange has led to genuine confusion. New users may mistake haveno.com for the official site, potentially exposing them to risks if they install the wrong software.
Core contributors have warned that this brand overlap might lead users to join the wrong Haveno network or trust unvetted software. Monero team member binaryFate and others have expressed concern that the haveno.com team, while not overtly malicious, could unintentionally harm users by creating confusion, but there is no evidence to suggest this.
The haveno.com team acknowledges this distinction. The project README explicitly states that haveno.com hosts an independent Haveno client and not the official Haveno backend infrastructure.
A Reputation Battle, Not a Phishing Case
To date, no evidence has been presented that haveno.com is a phishing website in the traditional sense – one that steals credentials or keys. The allegations are more reputational than technical. The term “phishing” here seems to reflect fears of user confusion, rather than outright fraud.
There are no reports of users being hacked or losing funds after using the Haveno App. The project is open source and actively maintained. The worst criticisms have centered on code quality and delivery delays – not criminal behavior.
As such, the community’s framing of haveno.com as a phishing risk appears to be an overly aggressive stance in a dispute driven by trust, branding, and competition.
What Users Should Know Moving Forward
The Monero community thrives on decentralization, and multiple parallel projects are inevitable. But domain ownership and naming must be handled carefully, especially in privacy-critical environments.
Users should:
• Verify project domains and only download from trusted sources
• Know that haveno.exchange is the core Haveno site
• Understand that haveno.com hosts a separate GUI client not affiliated with the core team
• Review open-source code before installing or using new software
For developers, this episode offers a cautionary tale about how forks, alternate clients, and community funding can lead to tensions — even when the intentions are honest.
Conclusion: A Call for Clarity, Not Conflict
The dispute over haveno.com illustrates how internal conflict can spill over into public perception. On one side, established contributors urge caution and view the domain as confusing or opportunistic. On the other, the haveno.com team argues for their right to innovate and distribute their own app under a recognizable name.
The truth likely lies in the middle: haveno.com is not a phishing scam, but it is a separate, controversial effort to build an alternative, better, Haveno client. Its legitimacy should be judged based on its transparency (the fact is it open source), security practices, and development progress – not speculation or personal grievances.
As of April 2025, haveno.com remains online, and the Haveno App is available for testing. The app’s code is open, the updates are frequent, and user feedback is ongoing. Whether it succeeds or fails will depend on its ability to deliver a high-quality product and win back community trust.