At Swapido, we understand that the world of Bitcoin can feel overwhelming - especially when it comes to choosing the right Bitcoin or Lightning Network wallet. Since our launch in October 2024, we've realized how early we are and how much education is needed.
That's why we're thrilled to announce SovereignTools.com, the most comprehensive lightning wallet comparison tool designed to make bitcoin information accessible worldwide. Our mission is to provide accurate, up-to-date, and unbiased information to help users - novices and experts alike - choose the right wallet for their needs.
We evaluate 18 popular wallets across 43 features, covering everything from platform availability, invoice compatibility to advanced payment routing and privacy tools. It’s available in English and Spanish.
In this article, we’ll share our journey of building this, explain how the wallet comparison tool works, provide a list of the 18 wallets, detail the 43 features (with descriptions), outline our methodology, discuss our future plans, and invite contributions.
Our Journey
In 2019, Gustavo, then with Veriphi, reviewed every Bitcoin wallet available—both on-chain and Lightning—compiling widely respected resources like the Bitcoin Software Wallets Feature Comparison (announcement) and Lightning Wallets Features Comparison Table (announcement).
Driven by a passion for Bitcoin technologies, he helped clients set up secure, geographically distributed multi-signature wallets, requiring deep expertise in wallet functionality.
Fast forward to 2025, Gustavo relaunched this vision as SovereignTools.com, coded in just a week with Replit Agent. Now, as Swapido operates a Lightning-first Bitcoin off-ramp in Mexico, staying at the forefront of wallet research remains core to our mission.
How the Wallet Comparison Tool Works
Bitcoin’s Lightning Network enables fast, cost-effective transactions, ideal for everyday use. However, selecting the right wallet hinges on your unique needs.
- New to Bitcoin? You might want something dead simple, even if you risk custody.
- Tech-savvy? Full control over your keys and your node is your priority.
- On the go? Check for mobile compatibility.
This tool offers a lot, so let’s dive into the details of how it functions.
Navigating the Wallet Comparison Dashboard
To hide specific wallets or features, just click the icon next to their name to remove them from the display.
Hid something by mistake? No worries! Restore them by choosing “Show Hidden Wallets” or “Show Hidden Features” and clicking “Show” to make them visible again.
Want to dive deeper? Click a wallet’s name to visit its official website, but always verify the application's authenticity to stay secure when handling Bitcoin software.
For quick focus, use the search bar to isolate a specific wallet, filtering out everything else.
Hesitating Between Two Wallets?
Our Wallet Comparison Wizard makes it simple to compare two wallets side by side, giving you a clear view of their differences.
For instance, in the following image we compare Blink and Wallet of Satoshi to highlight what sets them apart. Explore the dashboard to make informed choices tailored to your needs.
List of all 18 Wallets (with Descriptions)
- Alby Hub: A self-custodial Lightning wallet connecting to the Alby Extension for web interactions, Alby Go for real-world payments, and hundreds of apps via Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC).
- Aqua: A global Bitcoin wallet focused on financial inclusion, designed for Latin America. Uses Boltz swaps for Lightning payments.
- Bitkit: A simple yet powerful self-custodial wallet for instant payments anywhere. Manage your own channels or use Blocktank LSP.
- Blink: A custodial Bitcoin wallet for everyday use. Simple, secure, and requires a phone number to sign up.
- Blitz: A self-custodial Bitcoin and Lightning wallet with Breez SDK. Starts with Liquid swaps (Boltz) and evolves into an integrated node with LSP-managed channels.
- Blixt: An open-source, non-custodial Lightning wallet for Android and iOS, packed with features for bitcoiners exploring the Lightning Network.
- Breez: A non-custodial Lightning wallet with an integrated node, POS, podcast player, and marketplace—a top-tier Bitcoin experience.
- Coinos: A free, user-friendly web wallet with a payment page, supporting Lightning (BOLT11/BOLT12), Liquid, Ecash, and on-chain payments. Available for self-hosting.
- Electrum: A fast, secure Bitcoin wallet for desktop and Android, trusted since 2011 for all types of users.
- Muun: A self-custodial Bitcoin and Lightning wallet with submarine swaps. Easy to use, though on-chain fees can be high.
- Phoenix: A native Lightning wallet with seamless payments—fast, cheap, and LSP-managed for simplicity.
- Primal: A Nostr client with an integrated Bitcoin wallet, smooth feeds, and an easy onboarding process for Nostr newcomers.
- RTL: A powerful self-hosted web tool for managing Lightning nodes, ideal for advanced users and businesses.
- Sati: A WhatsApp bot for fast, secure Bitcoin and stablecoin payments—no extra app needed, with super-easy registration.
- Speed: A custodial wallet for instant, secure, low-cost Bitcoin and USDT payments, available as a mobile app or browser extension.
- Wallet of Satoshi: A custodial Lightning wallet for iOS and Android with zero setup, focused on simplicity—the world’s most popular.
- ZBD: A mobile app for earning Bitcoin through gaming, surveys, voting, and discovering apps—fun and rewarding.
- Zeus: An open-source, self-custodial Bitcoin wallet, robust for managing remote or integrated nodes, brimming with features for advanced users.
List of all 43 Features (with Descriptions)
- Platform: Operating systems and platforms the wallet is available on (e.g., iOS, Android, desktop).
- Open Source: Whether the wallet’s source code is publicly available for review, ensuring transparency.
- Availability: Geographic restrictions on wallet usage. Standard iOS/Android availability may exclude small or sanctioned countries but covers most regions. Desktop/web platforms are harder to restrict.
- Category: Type of wallet architecture, including custodial, non-custodial on-chain, Liquid with Boltz swaps to Lightning, L1/L2 (on-chain and Lightning node), or UI for remote nodes.
- KYC: Know Your Customer requirements for wallet usage, impacting privacy.
- Limits: Transaction amount limitations imposed by the wallet, affecting usability for larger payments.
- Extra Fees: Additional fees charged by the wallet beyond standard network fees, impacting cost.
- Recovery Method: Methods available to recover wallet funds in case of device loss, ensuring security.
- SCB Management: Approach to managing Static Channel Backups for secure channel data storage.
- BOLT11: Support for the BOLT11 Lightning invoice format, a standard for payments.
- BOLT12: Support for the BOLT12 (Offers) payment format, a newer Lightning standard.
- BOLT12 + BIP353 HRN: Support for BOLT12 with BIP353 Human Readable Names, simplifying payments.
- LNURL-pay: Support for the LNURL-pay protocol for simplified payments, enhancing user experience.
- Lightning Address Support: Support for the Lightning Address format (user@domain.com), making payments easier.
- LNURL-withdraw: Support for the LNURL-withdraw protocol for simplified withdrawals, streamlining fund access.
- No-Amount Invoices: Support for invoices without a specified amount, offering payment flexibility.
- Custom Metadata: Ability to add custom information to Lightning invoices, useful for tracking.
- Default Expiry: Default expiration time for Lightning invoices and the ability to control it, affecting payment windows.
- Receive On-Chain: Support for receiving Bitcoin on-chain, beyond just Lightning.
- Address Type: Type of Bitcoin addresses supported for on-chain transactions (e.g., SegWit, Taproot).
- Send On-Chain: Support for sending Bitcoin on-chain, adding versatility.
- Taproot (P2TR): Support for the Taproot transaction format, enabling more efficient on-chain transactions.
- Bitcoin Network: How the wallet connects to the Bitcoin network. ‘API’ means no custom node connection; options like Electrum Server or Neutrino allow custom node connections via different interfaces.
- Swap: Support for swapping between Lightning and on-chain Bitcoin, enabling flexibility.
- Other Networks: Support for networks beyond Bitcoin, such as Liquid or testnets.
- Implementation: Lightning Network implementation used by the wallet (e.g., LND, c-lightning).
- LSP Integration: Integration with Lightning Service Providers, which may include channel management, pathfinding, zero-conf channels, watchtowers, or Static Channel Backup (SCB) storage, fully or partially.
- Channel/Peer Management: Approach to managing Lightning channels and peers, affecting network efficiency.
- Zero-Conf Channels: Support for zero-confirmation channels, enabling instant Bitcoin receipt on Lightning with LSP assistance.
- Client-Side Routing: Payment routing method. Local client-side routing is performed by the wallet; delegation to LSP or Trampoline payments offloads route-finding to servers for faster startup but less privacy.
- Watchtower Integration: Built-in support for custom watchtowers to prevent channel fraud if channel management is enabled; otherwise, the LSP handles it.
- MPP/AMP: Multi-Path Payments split transactions across multiple channels for better reliability and privacy, enabling larger payments than any single channel’s capacity, improving success rates, and reducing failures due to insufficient liquidity in one channel.
- Max Routing Fee: Ability to set maximum routing fees for payments, controlling costs.
- Purchase Inbound: Ability to purchase inbound liquidity for receiving capacity, improving usability.
- Splicing Support: Support for splicing (adding/removing funds from channels without closing them), enhancing channel management.
- Routing Node: Whether the wallet can function as a routing node, contributing to the Lightning Network.
- NWC (Nostr Wallet Connect): Support for the Nostr Wallet Connect protocol, enabling integration with Nostr apps.
- Blind Routing: Support for blind routing for enhanced privacy, obscuring payment paths.
- SCID Alias: Support for Short Channel ID aliases, simplifying channel identification.
- Simple Taproot Channels: Support for simplified Taproot channel setup, improving privacy and reducing on-chain fees. These channels use Taproot for commitment transactions, making channel openings and closings indistinguishable from regular Taproot transactions.
- Tor: Support for routing through the Tor network for enhanced privacy, protecting user identity.
- Testnet Support: Support for Bitcoin testnet for development and testing, useful for developers.
- API/SDKs: Available developer APIs and SDKs for integration, enabling custom app development.
Our Methodology
We evaluate wallets based on objective criteria covering functionality, security, usability, and privacy. Our process includes:
- Direct Testing: Hands-on feature verification for each wallet. I tried every wallet.
- Source Research: Reviewing official documentation, GitHub repositories, release notes, and developer communications.
- Community Insights: Engaging with Telegram channels, user feedback, and the Bitcoin developer community.
- Specialized Tools: Using resources like lightningdecoder.com for invoice details and standards from bolt12.org, whentaproot.org, and LNURL LUD specs.
While AI tools (ChatGPT, Grok 3, o1, Replit Agent) assist, we manually verify data to ensure 95% accuracy—though we welcome feedback on any errors via gustavo@swapido.com or our Github repository.
Our evaluations are impartial, not endorsements. The “best” wallet depends on your priorities—simplicity for beginners, key control for tech-savvy users, or mobile compatibility for those on the go.
Future Plans
This first release of SovereignTools.com is just the beginning. We aim to:
- Expand to include more wallets, including dozens already on our radar.
- Develop on-chain and hardware wallet comparisons.
- Implement automated testing for feature verification.
- Enhance community contributions through clearer Github workflows.
Contribute
We’re a community-driven project. Help us improve by:
- Reporting errors or suggesting features via gustavo@swapido.com or @gustavojfe on X.
- Submitting issues or PRs on our Github.
- Proposing new wallets for inclusion.
Have questions, feedback, or want to collaborate?
Join us in building tools that empower the Bitcoin ecosystem!