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Edge vs Phoenix

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.

Phoenix4.0Bitcoin-only

A real Lightning node on your phone from the team behind Eclair, with a published fee table and a privacy tradeoff ACINQ states outright.

Verdict: Phoenix

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 against 3.2 for Edge.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Edge
3.2
Phoenix
4.0

Edge and Phoenix, 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 Phoenix compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactEdgePhoenix
Editorial rating3.24.0 (favoured on this row)
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byEdgeACINQ
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys encrypted on your device under your password before any backup leaves itself-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seed
Bitcoin-onlyNoYes
Runs oniOS, AndroidiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityNot statedLightning only, connecting to ACINQ's nodes, with the option to watch the chain through your own Electrum server
Released2014 as Airbitz, relaunched as EdgeDecember 2019, alongside ACINQ's Eclair node implementation
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

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

Phoenix

What works

  • A real self-custodial Lightning node on the phone, not an account on somebody's server
  • Fees published as a table on ACINQ's own site: 0.4% plus 4 sat to send, free to receive when you have liquidity
  • Standard BIP39 seed on a BIP84 path, recoverable in Electrum if ACINQ ever disappeared
  • Built by ACINQ, which develops the Eclair implementation and runs a large routing node
  • Rotating taproot receive addresses, with swaps that look like ordinary transactions on chain

What to watch

  • ACINQ's own FAQ says Phoenix offers no privacy advantage over a custodial wallet and that ACINQ knows the destination and amount of payments
  • Receiving without enough inbound liquidity costs 1% plus mining fees, and a new channel costs 1,000 sat
  • No on-chain balance, which makes it a spending wallet rather than somewhere to park savings
  • Recovering from a force close takes roughly 720 blocks, about five days
  • Wake-up notifications rely on Google services, so GrapheneOS users need the sandboxed Play Services app
  • Was off US app stores from May 3, 2024 until some point in 2025, which is why some reviews still call it unavailable there

Frequently asked questions

Is Edge or Phoenix better?

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 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 Phoenix 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; Phoenix is self-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seed.

Is Edge or Phoenix bitcoin-only?

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

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

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