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Atomic Wallet vs Sparrow 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.

Sparrow Wallet4.7Bitcoin-only

The desktop wallet to coordinate hardware signers and multisig from, with a verification tool that also checks other projects' releases.

Verdict: Sparrow Wallet

Sparrow Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 1.2 for Atomic Wallet.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Atomic Wallet
1.2
Sparrow Wallet
4.7

Atomic Wallet and Sparrow 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 Sparrow Wallet compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactAtomic WalletSparrow Wallet
Editorial rating1.24.7 (favoured on this row)
StatusCaution: see the reviewAvailable
Made byAtomic WalletSparrow Wallet
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted with your passwordself-custodial, keys in an encrypted file on your own computer or on a hardware signer, with no account anywhere
Bitcoin-onlyNoYes
Runs oniOS, Android, Windows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, Linux
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityNot statedPublic Electrum servers, your own Electrum server, or Bitcoin Core, with Tor built in
Released2017Not stated
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-25

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

Sparrow Wallet

What works

  • Bitcoin only, open source and free, with no account and no server holding anything of yours
  • First-class multisig: build a quorum across several hardware signers and keep the descriptor
  • Works with hardware wallets over USB or fully air-gapped by QR code or SD card, with complete PSBT support
  • Full coin control and labels on every transaction, input and output, plus a transaction editor that shows the raw bytes
  • Every release ships a signed manifest, and Sparrow verifies the next download, Bitcoin Core and hardware wallet firmware from inside the app
  • Connects to your own Electrum server or Bitcoin Core, with Tor built in

What to watch

  • Desktop only: there is no iOS or Android app
  • The UTXO detail and the transaction editor are the point, and they are a lot to meet on day one
  • No built-in way to buy bitcoin, so the coins have to arrive from an exchange or a peer
  • Effectively a single maintainer, which is a concentration risk whatever the quality of the code

Frequently asked questions

Is Atomic Wallet or Sparrow Wallet better?

Sparrow Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 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 Sparrow 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; Sparrow Wallet is self-custodial, keys in an encrypted file on your own computer or on a hardware signer, with no account anywhere.

Is Atomic Wallet or Sparrow Wallet bitcoin-only?

Sparrow Wallet is bitcoin-only; Atomic Wallet supports other assets too. Bitcoin plus more than 1,000 other coins and tokens, by Atomic's own count

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

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