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Aqua vs Muun

Comparing
two wallets
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-25
Aqua3.6

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

Muun3.8Bitcoin-only

On-chain and Lightning in one balance behind a 2-of-2 multisig, backed up by an Emergency Kit file rather than twelve words.

Verdict: Muun

Muun rates higher on our rubric: 3.8 against 3.6 for Aqua.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Aqua
3.6
Muun
3.8

Aqua and Muun, 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 Muun compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactAquaMuun
Editorial rating3.63.8 (favoured on this row)
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byJAN3Muun
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, with the seed stored on your device in Keychain on iOS or EncryptedSharedPreferences on Androidself-custodial, a 2-of-2 multisig where your phone holds one key and your Emergency Kit holds both
Bitcoin-onlyNoYes
Runs oniOS, AndroidiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityOn-chain bitcoin, the Liquid Network, and Lightning through submarine swaps rather than channels of its ownOne balance across on-chain and Lightning, with submarine swaps moving funds between the two
Released2024, by JAN3Announced for iOS in October 2019, after the Android app
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-25

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

Muun

What works

  • One balance for on-chain and Lightning, so you never have to choose a rail before paying
  • 2-of-2 multisig means a stolen or malware-infected phone alone cannot spend your bitcoin
  • The Emergency Kit carries both keys and the output descriptors, so recovery does not depend on Muun
  • Mempool-based fee estimator, with the method published rather than asserted
  • Free, self-custodial and bitcoin only on both iOS and Android

What to watch

  • Your backup is an Emergency Kit file plus a recovery code, not twelve words you can stamp into steel
  • The newest post on Muun's blog was written days before taproot activated in November 2021
  • Payments that need a submarine swap settle on chain, and mining fees on those have surprised users
  • No coin control, no hardware wallet pairing and no way to point it at your own node

Frequently asked questions

Is Aqua or Muun better?

Muun rates higher on our rubric: 3.8 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 Muun 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; Muun is self-custodial, a 2-of-2 multisig where your phone holds one key and your Emergency Kit holds both.

Is Aqua or Muun bitcoin-only?

Muun 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 Muun, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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