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Electrum vs Muun

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

Muun3.8Bitcoin-only

On-chain and Lightning in one balance behind a 2-of-2 multisig, backed up by an Emergency Kit file rather than twelve words.

Verdict: Electrum

Electrum rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 against 3.8 for Muun.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Electrum
4.4
Muun
3.8

Electrum and Muun, 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.

Electrum and Muun compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactElectrumMuun
Editorial rating4.4 (favoured on this row)3.8
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byElectrum Technologies GmbHMuun
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated and encrypted on your own machine, with transactions checked by SPVself-custodial, a 2-of-2 multisig where your phone holds one key and your Emergency Kit holds both
Bitcoin-onlyYesYes
Runs onAndroid, Windows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityConnects to public Electrum servers or one you run yourself, verifying your transactions by SPVOne balance across on-chain and Lightning, with submarine swaps moving funds between the two
ReleasedNovember 2011, written by Thomas VoegtlinAnnounced for iOS in October 2019, after the Android app
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Muun

What works

  • One balance for on-chain and Lightning, so you never have to choose a rail before paying
  • 2-of-2 multisig means a stolen or malware-infected phone alone cannot spend your bitcoin
  • The Emergency Kit carries both keys and the output descriptors, so recovery does not depend on Muun
  • Mempool-based fee estimator, with the method published rather than asserted
  • Free, self-custodial and bitcoin only on both iOS and Android

What to watch

  • Your backup is an Emergency Kit file plus a recovery code, not twelve words you can stamp into steel
  • The newest post on Muun's blog was written days before taproot activated in November 2021
  • Payments that need a submarine swap settle on chain, and mining fees on those have surprised users
  • No coin control, no hardware wallet pairing and no way to point it at your own node

Frequently asked questions

Is Electrum or Muun better?

Electrum rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 against 3.8 for Muun. 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 Electrum and Muun free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Electrum is self-custodial, keys generated and encrypted on your own machine, with transactions checked by SPV; Muun is self-custodial, a 2-of-2 multisig where your phone holds one key and your Emergency Kit holds both.

Is Electrum or Muun bitcoin-only?

Both are bitcoin-only: neither supports another coin, which is a deliberate design choice for a smaller codebase.

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

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