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Atomic Wallet vs Edge

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.

Edge3.2

Open source mobile wallet that trades the seed phrase for a username and password, and published every detail of the one time it failed.

Verdict: Edge

Edge rates higher on our rubric: 3.2 against 1.2 for Atomic Wallet.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Atomic Wallet
1.2
Edge
3.2

Atomic Wallet and Edge, 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 Edge compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactAtomic WalletEdge
Editorial rating1.23.2 (favoured on this row)
StatusCaution: see the reviewAvailable
Made byAtomic WalletEdge
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted with your passwordself-custodial, keys encrypted on your device under your password before any backup leaves it
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Runs oniOS, Android, Windows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityNot statedNot stated
Released20172014 as Airbitz, relaunched as Edge
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

Edge

What works

  • The source is public at github.com/EdgeApp, and the same key management is sold to other developers as an SDK
  • Username and password login, so a beginner is never handed a seed phrase to lose on day one
  • Backups are encrypted on your device, so Edge holds a blob it cannot read rather than your keys
  • A signed APK is offered for Android, so you are not dependent on Google Play
  • Buying, selling, swapping, gift cards and mobile top-ups are all built in through named partners

What to watch

  • Your password is the single thing protecting the wallet, and passwords are the secret people reuse
  • The logging routine that leaked keys was committed in 2019 and went unnoticed until a user lost money in 2023
  • The 2023 logging bug wrote unencrypted private keys into logs uploaded to Edge's servers, which cost some users real money
  • Encrypted key blobs pass through Edge's infrastructure, unlike wallets that keep everything local
  • Mobile only, hot wallet, no hardware signing and no secure element

Frequently asked questions

Is Atomic Wallet or Edge better?

Edge rates higher on our rubric: 3.2 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 Edge 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; Edge is self-custodial, keys encrypted on your device under your password before any backup leaves it.

Is Atomic Wallet or Edge 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. Edge: Bitcoin plus Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, XRP, Dogecoin, Dash, Solana and more.

Does Atomic Wallet or Edge 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 Edge, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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