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Atomic Wallet vs Coinbase Wallet

Comparing
two wallets
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
Atomic Wallet1.2Warning

Do not keep bitcoin here: over 5,500 wallets were emptied in June 2023 and the cause was never published.

Coinbase Wallet3.1

Coinbase's self-custody wallet is now Base App, and the product has moved its center of gravity to Base.

Verdict: Coinbase Wallet

Coinbase Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.1 against 1.2 for Atomic Wallet.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Atomic Wallet
1.2
Coinbase Wallet
3.1

Atomic Wallet and Coinbase Wallet, 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.

Atomic Wallet and Coinbase Wallet compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactAtomic WalletCoinbase Wallet
Editorial rating1.23.1 (favoured on this row)
StatusCaution: see the reviewAvailable
Made byAtomic WalletCoinbase
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted with your passwordself-custodial, keys held on your device, unlike the custodial Coinbase.com exchange account
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Runs oniOS, Android, Windows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityNot statedNot stated
Released20172018, relaunched under the Base App name
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

Pros and cons, side by side

Atomic Wallet

What works

  • Keys are held on your device, so a working install still lets you move your own coins out
  • Desktop builds are published for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora, with a hashsum check for the download
  • One app covers bitcoin and more than a thousand other assets, which is why so many people kept so much in it

What to watch

  • More than 5,500 wallets were drained on June 2 and 3, 2023, for over $100 million by Elliptic's count
  • Atomic has never published a confirmed technical cause, offering four possibilities and picking none
  • No compensation has been paid to the people who lost money
  • Its first public statements put the damage at under 0.1% and then under 1% of users, which the on-chain evidence contradicted
  • The first class action was thrown out in 2024 on jurisdiction rather than on the facts, and a second is now pending in California
  • The homepage says nothing about the incident and still runs testimonials from a man who died in 2021

Coinbase Wallet

What works

  • Genuinely self-custodial and separate from the custodial Coinbase.com exchange account
  • Backed by a large listed company with a real security team and a bug bounty
  • Apple Pay deposits and a familiar trading interface for people already using Coinbase
  • Holds bitcoin alongside Ethereum, Solana and Base assets in one app

What to watch

  • The product has been rebranded as Base App, so most reviews and guides describe an app that no longer looks like this
  • Built around Base and trading rather than around bitcoin, with no Lightning and no coin control
  • coinbase.com/legal/wallet now returns a 404, so there is no wallet-specific terms document to read
  • A hot wallet on a phone, with no secure element
  • The May 2025 support contractor breach put real customer names and addresses in criminal hands, which fuels convincing impersonation

Frequently asked questions

Is Atomic Wallet or Coinbase Wallet better?

Coinbase Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.1 against 1.2 for Atomic Wallet. 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 Atomic Wallet and Coinbase Wallet free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Atomic Wallet is self-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted with your password; Coinbase Wallet is self-custodial, keys held on your device, unlike the custodial Coinbase.com exchange account.

Is Atomic Wallet or Coinbase Wallet bitcoin-only?

Neither: both support assets beyond bitcoin. Atomic Wallet: Bitcoin plus more than 1,000 other coins and tokens, by Atomic's own count. Coinbase Wallet: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Base network assets, per the app's own sign-in page.

Does Atomic Wallet or Coinbase Wallet carry a warning?

Atomic Wallet: On June 2 and 3, 2023, more than 5,500 Atomic Wallet users had their balances emptied in a single coordinated event. Elliptic put the total above $100 million and attributed it to North Korea's Lazarus Group. Atomic Wallet has never published a confirmed technical cause and no compensation has been paid. The first US class action was dismissed in September 2024 for lack of personal jurisdiction rather than on the facts, and a second was filed in California in June 2025. The company's own homepage carries no mention of any of it.

The full reviews: Atomic Wallet and Coinbase Wallet, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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