Aqua vs BlueWallet

Comparing: two wallets
Decided by: Editorial rating
Last reviewed: 2026-08-25

A self-custodial Bitcoin, Liquid and Tether USDt wallet built for people who need cheap dollars on a phone, not only bitcoin.

BlueWallet4.2Bitcoin-only

Bitcoin-only phone wallet with real coin control and multisig vaults, whose Lightning side is custodial unless you run the server yourself.

Verdict: BlueWallet

BlueWallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 3.6 for Aqua.

Criterion: Editorial rating
Aqua: 3.6
BlueWallet: 4.2

Aqua and BlueWallet, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

Aqua and BlueWallet compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Aqua	BlueWallet
Editorial rating	3.6	4.2 (favoured on this row)
Status	Available	Available
Made by	JAN3	BlueWallet
Price	Free download	Free download
Who holds the keys	self-custodial, with the seed stored on your device in Keychain on iOS or EncryptedSharedPreferences on Android	self-custodial on-chain, while a Lightning balance is only as self-custodial as the LNDHub server behind it
Bitcoin-only	No	Yes
Runs on	iOS, Android	iOS, Android
Screen	Not stated	Not stated
Connectivity	On-chain bitcoin, the Liquid Network, and Lightning through submarine swaps rather than channels of its own	Talks to public Electrum servers or one you run; Lightning needs an LNDHub server, yours or someone else's
Released	2024, by JAN3	BlueWallet dates itself to the 2017 fork wars; the iOS and Android apps followed
Countries on the maker's list	No published list	No published list
Last reviewed	2026-08-25	2026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

Aqua

What works

Self-custodial, with the seed kept in the phone's own secure storage and no documents required to open a wallet
Bitcoin, Liquid and Tether USDt in one app, which is the point for anyone who is paid or saves in dollars
Aqua's own figures put a $100 USDt transfer at three cents over Liquid against eight dollars over Ethereum
Network fees on USDt can be paid in USDt, so there is no separate gas token to hold
Replace-by-fee support, so a stuck transaction can be bumped instead of waited out
Client source published on GitHub, and Aqua says it collects no personal data or transaction logs

What to watch

Not bitcoin only: a large part of the app is about stablecoins
Liquid balances are secured by the Liquid federation rather than by bitcoin's own mining
Lightning runs through third-party submarine swaps rather than channels Aqua manages
USDt transfers over Tron or Ethereum depend on SideShift's liquidity, as Aqua's own FAQ says
In-app bitcoin purchases are run by outside providers, so the country rules and the support queue are theirs
A prepaid card and lending are advertised as coming rather than shipped

BlueWallet

What works

Bitcoin only, open source and free, from the App Store, Google Play or a direct download
Genuine coin control: label and freeze individual coins, batch sends, and speed up or cancel with RBF and CPFP
Signs for Coldcard, Passport, Jade, Keystone and other PSBT hardware wallets, and runs watch-only so keys never touch the phone
Multisig vaults for larger holdings, documented step by step by the project
Connects to your own Electrum server, so you do not have to hand your addresses to a stranger's
Plausible deniability storage for a forced-disclosure situation

What to watch

A Lightning wallet here is an account on an LNDHub server, and whoever runs it can move those funds
Running your own LNDHub means a VPS or a home node, which is far past what most phone users will do
Lightning funds are not covered by the on-chain recovery phrase and need a separate backup
A hot wallet on a phone, so device malware or an unlocked screen reaches what the app can spend

Frequently asked questions

Is Aqua or BlueWallet better?

BlueWallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 3.6 for Aqua. The rating follows the product rubric published on our about page; the rows above set custody, price and platforms side by side so you can check it.

Are Aqua and BlueWallet free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Aqua is self-custodial, with the seed stored on your device in Keychain on iOS or EncryptedSharedPreferences on Android; BlueWallet is self-custodial on-chain, while a Lightning balance is only as self-custodial as the LNDHub server behind it.

Is Aqua or BlueWallet bitcoin-only?

BlueWallet is bitcoin-only; Aqua supports other assets too. Multi-asset: bitcoin on chain, Liquid bitcoin, and Tether USDt on Liquid and several other chains

The full reviews: Aqua and BlueWallet, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

More comparisons

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