Trust & Safety

Buy and sell apps with proof, not promises.

Acquiring software means moving code, credentials, customers and intellectual property between strangers. Appswap builds verified identity, transparent provenance, escrow and tamper-evident records into every step — so each side can act with confidence.

KYC-verified sellers
Escrow-protected funds
SHA-256 sealed certificates
The safeguards

Six layers of protection on every deal

Each safeguard is built into the product and runs automatically as a transfer moves from checkout to closing.

Verified identities

Every seller completes identity verification (KYC) before they can publish or sell. They submit their legal name, country, ID document and a selfie — AWS Rekognition compares the selfie to the ID, auto-verifying a face match at 90% similarity or higher. Uncertain results go to manual review, and an error never auto-rejects anyone.

Verified provenance

The App Passport on every listing surfaces GitHub-backed signals — repository visibility, stars, forks, primary language, last-commit recency and repo age — plus live-demo status, documentation, the seller's verification state, an optional security scan and revenue-verified flag, and an overall trust score (roughly 40–99) computed from those signals. Transparency over hype.

Escrow-protected payments

Checkout runs through Escrow.com. On payment, funds are held in escrow and disbursed to the seller only after the buyer confirms they have full control — Appswap never custodies the money, so neither side has to trust the other first.

Secure ownership transfer

Both parties sign a mutual NDA, an Asset Purchase Agreement and an IP Assignment, then follow a guided six-step handoff: GitHub repository, domain, environment secrets, third-party accounts, customer data and documentation. Seller access is revoked at closing unless the app stays open source.

Tamper-evident certificates

When the buyer confirms receipt, a Certificate of Ownership is issued automatically. It seals SHA-256 hashes of every executed contract under a master integrity hash, so any later alteration is detectable — and anyone can verify it publicly, no login required.

Privacy-first by design

KYC photos are never stored — only the verdict, similarity score and reason are kept. Your card number and CVD are never stored either; checkout retains only gateway references and the AVS/CVD result codes.

Three signed agreements

Nothing changes hands without contracts

Before any assets move, both the buyer and seller sign three documents in the transfer room. Signing is in-app clickwrap today, and each executed document is sealed with a SHA-256 hash for tamper-evidence.

Mutual NDA

Binds both parties to confidentiality over deal terms, metrics, credentials and customer data.

Asset Purchase Agreement

Defines the assets, the price held in escrow, seller representations and warranties, and revocation of seller access at closing.

IP Assignment

Assigns all intellectual property — source code, copyrights, designs, trademarks and trade secrets — to the buyer once escrow releases.

The guided handoff

Six steps to full ownership

Once contracts are signed, the seller works through a guided, six-step handoff. The buyer watches each step complete in real time before confirming control.

  1. 1

    GitHub repository

    Our GitHub App moves ownership to the buyer and revokes seller access unless the app stays open source.

  2. 2

    Domain

    Domain names tied to the app are reassigned to the new owner.

  3. 3

    Environment secrets

    API keys and environment configuration are handed over securely.

  4. 4

    Third-party accounts

    Connected services and accounts are transferred to the buyer.

  5. 5

    Customer data

    Customer records move under the confidentiality of the signed NDA.

  6. 6

    Documentation

    Setup, architecture and operational docs round out the handoff.

Escrow & disputes

The money waits until you have control

Once the contracts are signed, the buyer pays and the funds are held in escrow by Escrow.com while the assets are handed over. The money is released to the seller only after the buyer confirms they have full control. If something goes wrong, a dispute pauses the release while it is resolved.

Disputes pause escrow. A raised dispute holds the funds in place — they are never released to either party while the matter is being worked out.

Where your money sits

  1. 1

    Held in escrow

    Funds are captured into escrow when the payment is approved.

  2. 2

    Released on confirmation

    Escrow releases to the seller the moment the buyer confirms full control.

  3. 3

    Refunded if needed

    On a refund, the held funds are returned rather than released.

Proof of ownership

A certificate anyone can verify

Every completed transfer produces a Certificate of Ownership with a human-readable number like APX-2026-000123 and a public verification code. It records the parties, the price, an asset summary covering the six handoff steps and the GitHub transfer log, plus SHA-256 hashes of each executed contract under a master integrity hash — so any later alteration is detectable.

Certificate of Ownership
Verified

APX-2026-000123

Publicly verifiable — no login required.

Contracts sealed
NDA · APA · IP Assignment
Integrity
SHA-256 master hash
Asset summary
6 handoff steps + transfer log
Reporting & enforcement

See something off? Tell us.

Trust is a shared responsibility. If a listing looks misleading, infringing or otherwise wrong, report it and our team will review it. Behaviour that undermines a safe marketplace has no place here.

Report a listing

Spotted something that does not add up — a misrepresented app, a stolen repository, a deceptive claim? Reach our team and we will look into it.

Contact support
Prohibited content

Listings that misrepresent ownership or provenance, infringe intellectual property, or otherwise put buyers at risk are not allowed and are removed when found.

Mediated disputes

If a deal goes sideways mid-transfer, raise a dispute. Escrow is paused while it is resolved, so funds stay protected the whole time.

Built for safe acquisitions

Trust you can verify, end to end

Walk through the full process, or reach out with a question. We would rather you understand exactly how a deal closes before you start one.