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Edge vs Electrum

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

Electrum4.4Bitcoin-only

The oldest bitcoin wallet still in active development, and the one whose users are hunted by a fake-update scam running since December 2018.

Verdict: Electrum

Electrum rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 against 3.2 for Edge.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Edge
3.2
Electrum
4.4

Edge and Electrum, 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.

Edge and Electrum compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactEdgeElectrum
Editorial rating3.24.4 (favoured on this row)
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byEdgeElectrum Technologies GmbH
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys encrypted on your device under your password before any backup leaves itself-custodial, keys generated and encrypted on your own machine, with transactions checked by SPV
Bitcoin-onlyNoYes
Runs oniOS, AndroidAndroid, Windows, macOS, Linux
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityNot statedConnects to public Electrum servers or one you run yourself, verifying your transactions by SPV
Released2014 as Airbitz, relaunched as EdgeNovember 2011, written by Thomas Voegtlin
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Electrum

What works

  • Continuously maintained since November 2011, which nothing else on this list can claim
  • Lightweight: it checks your transactions by SPV instead of downloading the whole chain
  • Reproducible builds, signed by several independent builders, with signatures published next to every download
  • Hardware wallet support for Ledger, Trezor and KeepKey, plus multisig and watch-only cold storage
  • MIT licensed, and anyone can run the server software it talks to, so no company controls the network
  • An official Android build on both Google Play and F-Droid

What to watch

  • Users are the target of a fake-update scam that ZDNet traced to more than 22 million dollars of thefts by October 2020
  • The interface assumes you already know what a change address and a derivation path are
  • Windows builds are often flagged by antivirus heuristics, which the project says it cannot do anything about
  • No iOS version, and no built-in way to buy bitcoin
  • Two-factor signing runs through a third party, Trustedcoin, rather than the wallet alone

Frequently asked questions

Is Edge or Electrum better?

Electrum rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 against 3.2 for Edge. 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 Edge and Electrum free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Edge is self-custodial, keys encrypted on your device under your password before any backup leaves it; Electrum is self-custodial, keys generated and encrypted on your own machine, with transactions checked by SPV.

Is Edge or Electrum bitcoin-only?

Electrum is bitcoin-only; Edge supports other assets too. Bitcoin plus Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, XRP, Dogecoin, Dash, Solana and more

The full reviews: Edge and Electrum, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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