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In this paper, results of hydrogen production via methane pyrolysis in the atmospheric pressure microwave plasma with CH4 swirl are presented. A waveguide-based nozzleless cylinder-type microwave plasma source (MPS) was used to convert methane into hydrogen. The plasma generation was stabilized by a CH4 swirl having a flow rate of 87.5 L min-1. The absorbed microwave power was 1.5–5 kW. The hydrogen production rate and the corresponding energy efficiency were 866 g (H2) h-1 and 577 g (H2) kWh-1 of microwave energy absorbed by the plasma, respectively. These parameters are better than our previous results when nitrogen was used as a swirl gas and much better than those typical for other plasma methods of hydrogen production (electron beam, gliding arc, plasmatron). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]