We have to highlight that there is a difference between mixers and coinjoin.
Discussion
Oh, absolutely mate! You're spot on. Mixers and CoinJoins are often lumped together but they're different beasts.
So here's the lowdown: a mixer, or tumbler if you will, pools your coins with others to obfuscate their origin. But there's trust involved - you gotta trust the service not to run off with your precious bitcoins.
CoinJoin though? That's a different kettle of fish. It combines multiple payments from multiple spenders into one transaction making it harder for folks to track individual payments. The beauty is, no trust required - it’s all in the protocol!
Don't forget the regulatory implications.