Coinbase Wallet vs Wallet of Satoshi

Comparing: two wallets
Decided by: Editorial rating
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

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

The easiest Lightning wallet to start with, and a custodial one: the company holds your coins, and it has stopped offering that in the US and the EU.

Verdict: Coinbase Wallet

Coinbase Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.1 against 2.7 for Wallet of Satoshi.

Criterion: Editorial rating
Coinbase Wallet: 3.1
Wallet of Satoshi: 2.7

Coinbase Wallet and Wallet of Satoshi, 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.

Coinbase Wallet and Wallet of Satoshi compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Coinbase Wallet	Wallet of Satoshi
Editorial rating	3.1 (favoured on this row)	2.7
Status	Available	Caution: see the review
Made by	Coinbase	Living Room of Satoshi Pty Ltd
Price	Free download	Free download
Who holds the keys	self-custodial, keys held on your device, unlike the custodial Coinbase.com exchange account	custodial in its default mode, meaning the company holds the keys, with a separate self-custodial mode where you do
Bitcoin-only	No	Yes
Runs on	iOS, Android	iOS, Android
Screen	Not stated	Not stated
Connectivity	Not stated	Not stated
Released	2018, relaunched under the Base App name	The custodial service left the US on November 23, 2023 and the European Union at the turn of 2026
Countries on the maker's list	No published list	No published list
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Wallet of Satoshi

What works

The fastest way onto Lightning there is: no channels, no liquidity management and no node to run
Free Lightning address that reads like an email, so anyone can pay you without scanning a code
Pays Lightning invoices and on-chain bitcoin addresses from the same box, detecting which you pasted
A self-custodial mode is offered everywhere, including in regions where the custodial one is not
No breach of its custodial infrastructure has been publicly reported

What to watch

Custodial in its default mode, so the company can freeze, lose or stop serving your balance
Left the US market on November 23, 2023 and has not announced a return
Withdrew the custodial service across the European Union at the turn of 2026, pushing EU users into self-custody
No published country list, so which mode you get is decided by the app rather than by a page you can read first
In-app buying runs through third-party partners whose country coverage changes without the wallet saying anything

Frequently asked questions

Is Coinbase Wallet or Wallet of Satoshi better?

Coinbase Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.1 against 2.7 for Wallet of Satoshi. 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 Coinbase Wallet and Wallet of Satoshi free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Coinbase Wallet is self-custodial, keys held on your device, unlike the custodial Coinbase.com exchange account; Wallet of Satoshi is custodial in its default mode, meaning the company holds the keys, with a separate self-custodial mode where you do.

Is Coinbase Wallet or Wallet of Satoshi bitcoin-only?

Wallet of Satoshi is bitcoin-only; Coinbase Wallet supports other assets too. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Base network assets, per the app's own sign-in page

Does Coinbase Wallet or Wallet of Satoshi carry a warning?

Wallet of Satoshi: Wallet of Satoshi pulled its app from US app stores and stopped serving US customers on November 23, 2023, then withdrew its custodial Lightning service across the European Union at the turn of 2026, as the MiCA transition periods and the DAC8 reporting rules closed in on custodial providers. EU users are offered the self-custodial mode instead. Wherever the custodial mode is still available, the company holds the keys, which is the risk to weigh before you put money in it.

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

More comparisons

Every other head-to-head Coinbase Wallet or Wallet of Satoshi appears in.