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BlueWallet vs Mycelium

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

Mycelium3.7

One of the oldest bitcoin wallets still shipping, strong on Android with deep UTXO control, and an iPhone build nobody has verified.

Verdict: BlueWallet

BlueWallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 3.7 for Mycelium.

Criterion
Editorial rating
BlueWallet
4.2
Mycelium
3.7

BlueWallet and Mycelium, 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.

BlueWallet and Mycelium compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactBlueWalletMycelium
Editorial rating4.2 (favoured on this row)3.7
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byBlueWalletMycelium
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial on-chain, while a Lightning balance is only as self-custodial as the LNDHub server behind itself-custodial, keys generated and held on the phone, recoverable only from a backup you write down
Bitcoin-onlyYesNo
Runs oniOS, AndroidiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityTalks to public Electrum servers or one you run; Lightning needs an LNDHub server, yours or someone else'sOptional Tor, connection to your own Bitcoin node, NFC, and hardware wallet support for Trezor, Ledger and KeepKey
ReleasedBlueWallet dates itself to the 2017 fork wars; the iOS and Android apps followedAndroid on July 1, 2013 and iPhone on December 17, 2014, per WalletScrutiny
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Mycelium

What works

  • Shipping on Android since July 1, 2013, one of the longest unbroken runs of any mobile bitcoin wallet
  • Real UTXO control on a phone: unspent output visibility, fee bumping, watch-only and single-address savings accounts
  • Passed all seven of WalletScrutiny's wallet tests, including public source code and an unobfuscated binary
  • Hardware wallet support for Trezor, Ledger and KeepKey, plus spending directly from paper wallets
  • Direct APK download, an Obtainium link and a published signing certificate, so Google Play is not the only way in
  • Optional Tor and your own node, with each third-party service able to be turned off on its own

What to watch

  • The iPhone app trails badly: WalletScrutiny lists 3.22.0.2 for Android against 2.10 for iPhone
  • Mycelium's iOS source repository on GitHub is archived, with no commits since June 2024
  • WalletScrutiny says no iOS build has ever been reproduced, so the reproducibility claim covers Android and not iPhone
  • WalletScrutiny discloses that its own authors have contributed to Mycelium, so its verdict is not fully independent
  • No longer bitcoin only: Ethereum and ERC-20 accounts add code a bitcoin-only wallet does not carry
  • Dated interface, and support runs through a single email address with no live channel

Frequently asked questions

Is BlueWallet or Mycelium better?

BlueWallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 3.7 for Mycelium. 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 BlueWallet and Mycelium free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: BlueWallet is self-custodial on-chain, while a Lightning balance is only as self-custodial as the LNDHub server behind it; Mycelium is self-custodial, keys generated and held on the phone, recoverable only from a backup you write down.

Is BlueWallet or Mycelium bitcoin-only?

BlueWallet is bitcoin-only; Mycelium supports other assets too. Bitcoin first, with Ethereum and ERC-20 accounts in the same app

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

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