Guarda Wallet vs Zengo

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

A capable multi-platform wallet whose 2020 domain hijack exposed the real weakness: a login flow built on uploading your backup.

Zengo3.4

The wallet with no seed phrase: two MPC shares replace the private key, which removes one risk and adds a dependency.

Verdict: Zengo

Zengo rates higher on our rubric: 3.4 against 3.0 for Guarda Wallet.

Criterion: Editorial rating
Guarda Wallet: 3.0
Zengo: 3.4

Guarda Wallet and Zengo, 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.

Guarda Wallet and Zengo compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Guarda Wallet	Zengo
Editorial rating	3.0	3.4 (favoured on this row)
Status	Available	Available
Made by	Guarda	Zengo
Price	Free download	Free download
Who holds the keys	self-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted under a password you choose	self-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined
Bitcoin-only	No	No
Runs on	iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Browser extension	iOS, Android
Screen	Not stated	Not stated
Connectivity	Not stated	Not stated
Released	2017	2018
Countries on the maker's list	No published list	No published list
Last reviewed	2026-08-25	2026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

Guarda Wallet

What works

Guarda's CEO published a dated, detailed account of the 2020 attack, including the registrar's own logs
Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, a web app and a Chrome extension
Keys are generated locally and encrypted under your own password, and Guarda never holds them
Staking on 14 networks, multisig support and 24/7 live support, per Guarda's own site
Buying built in with cards and Apple Pay across a wide asset range

What to watch

The web and extension flow involves uploading your backup file, which is precisely what the 2020 phishing page was built to collect
The 2020 breakdown came through a domain registrar account, a dependency Guarda does not control and cannot audit
Third party perpetual futures and prediction markets now sit inside the wallet, which is more moving parts than holding bitcoin needs
The user, token and blockchain counts are Guarda's own figures, published on its own homepage
A hot wallet with no hardware signing of its own

Zengo

What works

No seed phrase exists, so there is nothing to write down, photograph, or be tricked into typing
Two independently created MPC shares, one on your phone and one on Zengo's server, that are never combined
Three factor recovery, with a documented option to register a backup for each of the three
Zengo says its MPC cryptography is open source, audited and peer reviewed
Support is available 24/7 from inside the app, which is rare in self-custody

What to watch

Signing requires Zengo's server, so the wallet depends on the company staying reachable in a way a seed phrase does not
The wallet app itself is closed source; only the cryptography underneath it is published
Recovery runs through your email, your cloud account and a face scan, which is three dependencies instead of one piece of paper
Never hacked and 2+ million wallets are Zengo's own claims on Zengo's own homepage, with no independent confirmation
Mobile only, with no desktop app and no hardware signing

Frequently asked questions

Is Guarda Wallet or Zengo better?

Zengo rates higher on our rubric: 3.4 against 3.0 for Guarda Wallet. 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 Guarda Wallet and Zengo free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Guarda Wallet is self-custodial, keys generated on your device and encrypted under a password you choose; Zengo is self-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined.

Is Guarda Wallet or Zengo bitcoin-only?

Neither: both support assets beyond bitcoin. Guarda Wallet: Bitcoin plus more than 70 blockchains, by Guarda's own count. Zengo: Bitcoin among 1,000+ assets, including Ethereum, Solana, TRON and stablecoins.

The full reviews: Guarda Wallet and Zengo, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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